Podcast appearances and mentions of julius maada bio

Les journalistes et experts de RFI répondent également à vos questions sur le réchauffement climatique et la fin de la guerre entre l'Iran et Israël. Cédéao : dans les coulisses de l'élection de Julius Maada Bio  Le Sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye et le Ghanéen Jhon Dramani Mahamat étaient pressentis pour prendre la présidence tournante de la Cédéao. Finalement, l'organisation ouest-africaine a élu le Sierra léonais Julius Maada Bio. Comment expliquer ce choix ? Quelles sont les priorités de son mandat ? Avec Christina Okello, journaliste au service Afrique de RFI.  Climat : la barre des 1,5 ºC est déjà hors d'atteinte   Selon un collectif de scientifiques, l'objectif fixé par l'accord de Paris en 2015 de maintenir le réchauffement climatique sous 1,5°C est désormais « inatteignable ». Comment en sont-ils venus à ce constat ? Quelles seront les conséquences une fois que les 1,5 degré auront été dépassés ? Avec Simon Rozé, chef du service environnement-climat à RFI. Israël-Iran : le président iranien déclare la fin de « la guerre de 12 jours » Le président de la République d'Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, a proclamé la fin de la « guerre de 12 jours ». Pourquoi une telle déclaration n'a-t-elle pas été faite par le guide suprême, Ali Khamenei ? Iran : la chute du régime des mollahs est-elle possible ?    Ce mardi, Donald Trump a affirmé qu'il ne voulait pas de changement de régime à Téhéran. Pourtant, dimanche, il n'excluait pas ce scénario. Comment expliquer ce rétropédalage ? En cas de chute du régime des mollahs, qui pourrait prendre la relève ?   Avec Kevan Gafaïti, enseignant à Sciences po Paris. Auteur de « La crise du détroit d'Ormuz de 2018 : une victoire iranienne sur les États-Unis » (éditions Harmattan).

On attendait le Sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye. C'est finalement le Sierra-Léonais Julius Maada Bio qui a été choisi pour présider pendant un an la Cédéao, l'organisation sous-régionale de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. La décision a été prise dimanche, lors d'un sommet à Abuja, au Nigeria. Pourquoi ce choix ? Quelles seront les priorités de ce président africain qui, à la différence de beaucoup de ses pairs, a promis de ne pas se représenter pour un troisième mandat ? Le chercheur sénégalais Pape Ibrahima Kane est un spécialiste des questions régionales en Afrique. Il répond aux questions de Christophe Boisbouvier.  RFI : C'est le Sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye qui était fortement pressenti pour prendre la tête de la Cédéao au nom de l'alternance anglophone francophone. Mais finalement, c'est le Sierra-Léonais, Julius Maada Bio qui a été choisi. Pourquoi cette désignation surprise ? Bon, je sais que la Cédéao est dans une dynamique de négociation avec l'Alliance des États du Sahel, l'AES, un militaire parlant à des militaires, c'est peut-être une bonne méthode d'approche de la situation. D'autant plus qu'il y a beaucoup, beaucoup de méfiance entre la Cédéao et les États de l'AES. Ces éléments-là ont certainement dû jouer depuis un an. Les lignes commencent à bouger et il y a à peine dix jours qu'une réunion s'était tenue à Accra et qui avait réuni beaucoup, beaucoup d'acteurs, aussi bien des États de l'AES que des États de la Cédéao. Et les choses se sont très très très bien passées. Les lignes bougent. Rappelez-vous l'interview que le ministre des Affaires étrangères du Mali a récemment fait à une télévision togolaise. Mais l'approche était totalement différente de ce qu'il y avait il y a un an. Oui, dans cette interview, le ministre malien Abdoulaye Diop a déclaré que les trois États de l'AES entraient dans une phase d'apaisement et de réalisme avec la Cédéao. Il a appelé à la conclusion rapide d'un accord sur les questions commerciales et la libre circulation des personnes. Est-ce à dire que les trois États de l'AES veulent garder les avantages de la Cédéao tout en quittant l'organisation ? Tout à fait. Je pense que, avec la situation qui prévaut sur le terrain, notamment au plan sécuritaire et aussi au plan économique, les États de l'AES réalisent que les choses ne sont pas aussi faciles. Et je pense que la réunion qui s'est tenue à Bamako entre le président de la Commission et les ministres des Affaires étrangères a vraiment permis de déblayer le terrain. Et comme l'a dit le président Tinubu dans son discours, il pense que tôt ou tard, les trois pays reviendront dans la maison mère. Alors, vous l'avez dit, Julius Maada Bio est un ancien militaire putschiste qui s'est converti à la démocratie puisqu'il y a presque 30 ans, il a quitté volontairement le pouvoir, puis il a été élu deux fois démocratiquement et promet aujourd'hui de ne pas faire de troisièmes mandats. Est-ce à dire que sur les questions constitutionnelles, il sera vigilant avec les onze autres États membres de la Cédéao ? Il est obligé d'être vigilant parce qu'aujourd'hui, c'est lui qui est le gardien du respect de toutes les règles communautaires que la Cédéao s'est donnée en la matière. Vous avez rappelé qu'il a lui-même décidé de ne pas faire un troisième mandat et donc son rôle en tant que président en exercice, c'est de s'assurer au moins que la Cédéao respecte la démocratie et respecte les droits de l'homme. Et si, par exemple, Alassane Ouattara sollicite un quatrième mandat à la tête de la Côte d'Ivoire, est-ce que vous pensez que son homologue sierra-léonais fera une observation ? La communauté sera obligée de se prononcer sur cette question. Parce que si nous sommes là, c'est parce qu'un certain nombre de règles n'ont pas été respectées. C'est parce que beaucoup de présidents se sont donné la liberté de faire ce qu'ils voulaient. Maintenant, on va voir si Julius Maada Bio est le président de la Commission, M. Touré, vont être courageux pour mettre les dirigeants devant leurs responsabilités. Ce qui s'est passé au Togo, ces manipulations de constitution. Un président qui quitte le poste de président pour devenir Premier ministre, simplement pour rester au pouvoir, ce sont des choses qui ne doivent pas être acceptées dans une région. La Cédéao doit montrer cela aux dirigeants de manière à ce que le déficit de confiance qu'il y a entre la Cédéao et les populations, que ce déficit-là s'amenuise. Et si, contrairement à sa promesse initiale, le général Mamadi Doumbouya se présente à la future présidentielle en Guinée ? Est-ce que vous pensez que son voisin de Sierra Leone sortira le carton jaune ? Cette question ne relève pas seulement de la Cédéao, elle relève aussi de l'Union africaine. Si vous vous rappelez, il y a deux présidents militaires qui ont fait leur retour sur la scène africaine grâce à l'Union africaine. Il y a le président du Tchad qui a fait un coup d'État et qui maintenant est accueilli au sommet de l'UA. Vous avez le président du Gabon qui a fait un coup d'État et qui a été adoubé par ses pairs. Donc, ce n'est pas seulement une question de la Cédéao, c'est aussi une question de l'Union africaine. Il faut que l'on ferme définitivement l'ère des régimes militaires en refusant totalement cette civilisation des régimes militaires. Ce n'est pas dans l'intérêt des populations, ce n'est pas dans l'intérêt de l'Union africaine, ce n'est pas dans l'intérêt de la démocratie en Afrique.   À lire aussiCédéao: les défis qui attendent le nouveau président Julius Maada Bio

There is growing concern that a law introduced in 2021 is being used to muzzle freedom of expression in Sierra Leone. Hawa Hunt, a social media infleuncer with Siera Leonean and Canadian citizenship is the latest victim of the Cybersecurity and Crime Act 2021. She is accused of insulting President Julius Maada Bio and his wife Fatima Bio in a video posted on Facebook in 2023 just as the country was preparing for elections. Her dramatic arrest during a live television show was a national talking point. Her daughter, Alicia reflects on the struggle to free her mother.Also, a BBC Eye investigation reveals how highly addictive pills produced in India are flooding the streets of West Africa And Senegal begins refining its own oil, will the locals benefit ? Presenter: Charles Gitonga Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne Producers: Patricia Whitehorne, Nyasha Michelle and Bella Hassan in London. Frenny Jowi in Nairobi and Blessing Aderogba in Lagos. Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Sierra Leone says it has launched an investigation into reports that a convicted drug felon and one of Europe's most wanted individuals may be living in Sierra Leone. Jos Leijdekkers appears in a photo taken during an event attended by President Julius Maada Bio. According to Reuters, Leijdekkers was sentenced in June in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Dutch court for smuggling more than 7 tons of cocaine --- and has been in Sierra Leone since early 2023. Sierra Leone Information Minister Chernor Bah VOA's James Butty, the government has no knowledge of the identity and issues associated with Leijdekkers.

Few days ago, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an indictment against executives of the Adani Group for orchestrating a massive bribery scheme to secure solar energy contracts worth billions of dollars in India. The indictment specifically states that, between July 2021 and February 2022, the Adanis and their associates promised bribes to Indian government officials to secure agreements with state-run electricity distribution companies, which in turn entered into power supply agreements with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The contracts were expected to generate profits of approximately US$2 billion over the next two decades, according to the petition. However, a year ago in November 2023, Adani (like Milele Energy in Sierra Leone) received US$553 million debt financing from the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to fund the Colombo Port Terminal in Sri Lanka, a project in which the Adani Group held 51% ownership. In Sierra Leone, Milele Energy similarly received over US$400 million in DFC debt financing for a corruptly awarded energy project in Freetown. The contract relating to the Western Area Power Generation Project was never advertised or put on a public tender, and was secretly awarded to Milele Energy executives by Julius Maada Bio following deal arrangements and negotiations brokered in Lebanon, Nairobi, Dubai, and Freetown between 2021 and 2023. In this episode, we ask what are the implications of the Adani Group indictment for Milele Energy's corrupt acquisition of Sierra Leone's Western Area Power Generation Project? Also, what is the relationship between the Adani Group corruption case and our ongoing efforts to scrutinize corrupt acquisition of critical infrastructure and service related contracts by US financed corporations in Sierra Leone, including Milele Energy and the Summa Group? Thus, we point out the need to investigate DFC's operation in Sierra Leone from 2021 to present. This episode is part of the Voice from Exile series of the Africanist Press.

Sierra Leone se president, Julius Maada Bio, vra die Verenigde Nasies se Veiligheidsraad om te hervorm. Hy pleit as voorsitter van 'n gesprek oor geskiedkundige onregte vir permanente lidmaatskap vir Afrika ten einde die raad se doeltreffendheid te verbeter. Bio beklemtoon die behoefte aan groter verteenwoordiging uit Afrika vir die handhawing van internasionale vrede en sekerheid.

“The practice of female genital mutilation is so interwoven with the practice of child marriage. It's like the marketplace, the institution through which children are prepared for marriage” – Josephine Kamara, advocacy director of Purposeful. Today, Alan Kasujja hears the moving story of Khadijatu Barrie, a 26-year-old student at the University of Sierra Leone. She recently went public and explained how she refused to be forced into marriage when she was still a little girl.This comes a month after Sierra Leone's president Julius Maada Bio signed into law the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2024. It means, anyone marrying a girl under the age of 18 will be jailed for at least 15 years or fined around $4,000 US, or both. Alan sits down with Patrick Analo from Save the Children as well as Josephine Kamara from Purposeful. He attempts to understand if the new law will change anything at all and if there's any connection between child marriage and female genital mutilation.

About a month ago, the United States International Development Finance Corporation's (DFC) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Nisha Biswal, attended a ceremony in Freetown to launch the “construction of an electricity infrastructure” in Freetown's Kissy Dockyard, 4km east of the city center.  US Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt and DFC executives described the launching ceremony as “a seminal development for Sierra Leone and an unprecedented one for the US government.” They stated that the proposed energy power plant is going to be the “largest increase in energy capacity in a single country of any prior DFC project.”  DFC is a US-government run “development finance institution,” established in 2019 as part of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act (BUILD) 2018, which combined the Development Credit Authority Agency with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, both formerly part of the US State Department Agency for International Development (USAID). DFC reports directly to the US Congress.  Several months ahead of Freetown launching ceremony, DFC executives and US Embassy staff in Sierra Leone have been repeating that up to $412 million in loans and risk insurance have been approved by the US government to provide finance and risk insurance for the project. Two foreign companies, Milele Energy and TCQ Power Limited are listed as co-sponsors and joint recipients of the $412 million loan (including $120m in risk insurance) for the construction of the said electricity infrastructure project. TCQ Power's controversial presence and involvement in Sierra Leone's energy sector dates to the early 2010s, but Milele Energy is a newcomer, arriving in Sierra Leone after the election of Julius Maada Bio in 2018.  In public communication documents, the DFC and the US Embassy in Sierra Leone present Milele Energy as an independent Kenyan-based power generation company, failing to reveal complete details of the company's profile and real ownership; details that are required to enable public scrutiny of Milele Energy's track record and whether it has a proven capacity to deliver on its contractual responsibilities. Corporate records reviewed by Africanist Press shows that Milele Energy's corporate shareholders include Gemcorp Fund (GP) Limited, a company registered in George Town, Cayman Islands, holding the majority 80% shares in Milele Energy; Verkanda LLC registered in Delaware, US, also holding 10% shares in Milele Energy; JWI III LLC also registered in Delaware, US, holding 5% shares in Milele Energy; and Empower Africa Consulting Limited registered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, holding 5% shares in Milele Energy. There is no record of any competitive bidding and public tender process that Milele Energy and DFC went through to take over the Western Area Power Generation Project. Worse, Sierra Leoneans are also unaware of the loan conditions, including the interest rates attached to DFC's development finance loans. DFC is yet to disclose the process used to issue the $412 million debt to the US owned company Milele Energy for the alleged purpose of building an electricity infrastructure in Sierra Leone.  In this episode, we examine Milele Energy's corporate ownership and the DFC's takeover of the Western Area Power Generation Project.  We ask whether the DFC's operations in Sierra Leone complies with the provisions of the US BUILD Act of 2018? We also highlighted the need for oversight agencies of the US government (Congress and Senate Foreign Affairs Committee) to institute an independent investigation to help determine how Milele Energy and DFC took over the Western Area Power Generation Project, and the role played by the United States Embassy in Freetown in these corporate developments in Sierra Leone. This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.

Sierra Leone's parliament has voted to abolish the jury system. The Criminal Procedure Act awaits President Julius Maada Bio's signature. Supporters welcome the decision but attorney Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah tells host James Butty that the jury system has been the bulwark of Sierra Leone's justice system, and justice should not be left to a single judge.

'Kush', una nueva droga particularmente peligrosa presente en África Occidental y que puede desencadenar trastornos mentales e incluso la muerte, continúa expandiéndose en la región y está causando estragos, especialmente entre los jóvenes. Se trata de una combinación de sustancias altamente adictivas, vendida, principalmente, en los barrios más pobres de la capital de Sierra Leona y cuyo uso, cada vez más frecuente, llevó al presidente Julius Maada Bio a declarar el estado de emergencia nacional. Informe de Sarah Sakho y Simon Martin.

In this episode, we discuss the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)'s acquisition of the Western Area Power Generation Project and the role of the US-financed company, Milele Energy in Sierra Leone's corrupt energy sector. We ask, in particular, how Milele Energy Limited, and the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) took over the Western Area Power Generation Project and what are the legal and financial basis for the US$412 million debt financing they are imposing on Sierra Leone in the name of an electricity project whose viability remains highly questionable? In addition to the above, we also ask whether the DFC's takeover of the Western Area Power Generation Project in compliance with the provisions of the US Build Act of 2018? What do the registration details, corporate records, and shareholders arrangements of TCQ Power Limited, Milele Energy Limited, and Milele Topco Limited tell us about the company's profile and transnational operations in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas? What roles have the United States Embassy and British High Commission in Freetown played in these corporate developments in Sierra Leone in the last 15 years? Most importantly, what is the relationship between Milele Energy's corporate network and Julius Maada Bio and other Sierra Leone Peoples Party politicians? And did Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) play a role in these dubious corporate arrangements, and what benefits did the ACC derive from the DFC and Milele's corporate operations in Sierra Leone? This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.

Kush is being sold all across Sierra Leone. It's a psychoactive blend of addictive substances and has been prevalent in the country for years. Sierra Leone's president - Julius Maada Bio - has called Kush a “death trap" and said it poses an "existential crisis" in the country. And due to its notoriety and impact, the government has declared a national emergency over rampant drug abuse. In today's episode, our reporter based in Sierra Leone Umaru Fofana talks to a man who became addicted to the drug and hears more about what the government are doing.

Sierra Leone's Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay announced on Friday that he is resigning from the Maada Bio regime because of the alleged failure to pay outstanding debts owed to the Turkish Karpowership contracted to sell electricity to Freetown residents. Kanja Sesay's resignation was later followed by Maada Bio's announcement that the energy ministry has now been placed under his direct supervision as president. These dramatic developments came after the Africanist Press Podcast revealed how political leaders of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) use shell companies registered and operating out of British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Zambia, Lebanon, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Kenya to impose fictitious debts on Sierra Leone using the promise of providing reliable electricity that is still unavailable to citizens. In this episode, we examine the reported "resignation" of Kanja Sesay, pointing out its relationship to the organized corporate corruption associated with the Western Area Power Generation Project, and how Ernest Bai Koroma and Julius Maada Bio, acting on behalf British companies and American corporations, are responsible for over US$500 million in manufactured electricity debts arising from the Western Area Power Generation Project between 2013 and 2023. Thus, we highlight that Kanja Sesay's "resignation" is part of an organized effort of SLPP and APC politicians to cover-up one of the biggest corruption scandals in Sierra Leone's energy sector involving leading politicians and international financial institutions. This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has urged regional leaders to forge common understanding and develop strategies to address the challenges posed by Autonomous Weapons Systems. What are autonomous weapons and what sort of threat do they pose to West African countries?Also how the remains of thousands of enslaved Africans on St Helena is reconnecting this island to the rest of the world.And the Nigerian artist causing outrage with his depictions of black people. What's behind his depiction and why is he doing it?Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Nyasha Michelle, Victor Sylver and Patricia Whitehorne Technical Producer: Jonny Hall Senior Producer: Karnie Sharp Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

The privatization program in postwar Sierra Leone was supposedly advanced by international financial institutions – the World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank – as a multi-sectoral development strategy aimed at reducing poverty and corruption, and improving economic growth and quality of governance and service delivery in the small West African country.   Since 2005, this World Bank and IMF supported privatization agenda has been called different names by successive regimes in Sierra Leone. Inaugurated by Tejan Kabbah as a "poverty reduction strategy", it was renamed “agenda for change and prosperity” by Ernest Koroma, and now rebranded as a “new direction and medium-term development plan” by Julius Maada Bio. However, its unfulfilled promise remained the same and included the supply of reliable electricity, the creation of value-added agricultural productivity, developing a national transportation network, and sustainable human development through efficient social service delivery. Twenty years later, this IMF/World Bank privatization agenda in Sierra Leone has produced, and still produces, the reverse of its pronounced objectives. Today in Sierra Leone, more than 90% of the population live in absolute poverty, with expenditures below US$1 a day, according to the IMF. With rising youth unemployment, high infant and maternal mortality rates, poor growth performance, lack of income and access to basic social services, and excessive debt overhangs, the country's development prospects still remain grim. Consequently, instead of advancing economic growth and reducing poverty, Sierra Leone's privatization program has heightened political corruption and led to intensified multinational exploitation. At the heart of this development nightmare is the hidden competition between British financed corporations and United States-backed companies for control of non-transparent service-related contracts and corruptly awarded critical infrastructure projects. In this episode, we discuss how the British Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) used shell companies registered and operating out of British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Zambia, Lebanon, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya, and elsewhere to impose manufactured debts on Sierra Leone between 2013 and 2023 with the promise of providing reliable electricity that is still unavailable to Sierra Leonean citizens. We highlight how Ernest Bai Koroma and Julius Maada Bio enabled these corrupt energy agreements in the last 15 years, and how various energy and finance ministers of both the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) served as agents for British financed companies and United States-backed corporations in the corrupt use of the privatization program to facilitate state corruption and multinational exploitation. Thus, we use the ruthless competition between the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) over the multimillion dollars non-transparent Western Area Power Generation Project loan agreements involving Blue Flare (BVI), TCQ Power Ltd, CEC Africa Investments Ltd (CECA), Milele Energy, the World Bank, African Development Bank, and other financial institutions to further illustrate how the privatization of social service delivery in Sierra Leone is corruptly enriching multinational companies and the local political elites, while increasing the sovereign debt crisis and worsening living standards for regular citizens. Hence, the current political and economic crisis in Sierra Leone, including the rigged June 2023 elections, skyrocketing taxes, and ongoing human rights violations, are directly linked to the unscrupulous competition between British companies and American financed corporations to exploit Sierra Leone's privatization of social service delivery. This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.

In previous episodes, we mentioned  how the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) issued more than US$500 million in debts between 2019 and 2023 to the Maada Bio regime through unscrutinized and non-transparent infrastructure and service related contracts awarded to shell companies registered and operating out of Lebanon, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya, and elsewhere. These non-transparent loan agreements include US$150 million to the Summa Group for the expansion of the Freetown airport, US$217 million to Milele Energy and TCQ Power for the supply of electricity to Freetown residents, and a US$100 million to Africell for mobile telecommunication services. These US-funded debts, in addition to about US$172.1 million extended credit facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also issued in the last five years, have worsened Sierra Leone's sovereign debt crisis. In this episode, we assess how these non-transparent foreign debts and corruptly awarded international contracts lead to higher taxes and youth unemployment, and how the national debt burden undermines economic prosperity and contributes to drug abuse and worsening standards of living for regular citizens in Sierra Leone.  We also continue to highlight the role of Ernest Bai Koroma and Julius Maada Bio in these corrupt corporate agreements, and how the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) serve as proxies for British financed companies and United States-backed corporations exploiting Sierra Leone.  This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.

In this episode, we discuss how hidden competition between British financed corporations and United States-backed companies for control of non-transparent service-related contracts and corruptly awarded critical infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone have worsened the country's foreign debt crisis. We examine the risks such developments pose to democracy and real economic propserity in the small west African nation. We highlight how Ernest Bai Koroma and Julius Maada Bio enabled these corrupt corporate agreements in the last 15 years, and how the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) function as political proxies of British financed companies and United States-backed corporations exploiting the country. One such example includes the unscrupulous struggle between the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) over the multi-million dollars non-transparent Western Area Power Generation Project loan agreements involving Blue Flare (BVI), TCQ Power Ltd, CEC Africa Investments Ltd (CECA), Milele Energy, the Bank World Group, and other financial institutions. The same example applies to the Lungi airport loan arrangement with Summa Group, and the DFC's investment loan pumped into Africell. We point out that the current political and economic crisis in Sierra Leone, including the rigged June 2023 elections and skyrocketing taxes, are directly linked to the unscrupulous competition between British companies and American financed corporations operating in the country. Thus, the United States and Britain, as leading partners of the SLPP and APC political leaders, must ensure that their current political and economic engagements in Sierra Leone include the protection of the lives and freedoms of all Sierra Leoneans. This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press. 

From February 27 to March 2, Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio paid state visit to China, marking the first African head of state to visit the country in 2024. This visit underscores the deepening bilateral ties and cooperation between Sierra Leone and China, a partnership that has flourished over the past fifty years. We speak with Sierra Leone's Finance Minister, Sheku Fantamadi Bangura, and the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wang Qing, to explore the dynamics of this enduring relationship and explore future avenues of collaboration.

#SierraLeone. President Julius Maada Bio fends off challengers with fews prospects of outside intervention. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affair https://carnegie-mec.org/2023/11/24/gaza-war-and-rest-of-world-pub-91106 1885 SIERRA LEONE

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:TODAY IN HISTORYNovember 28, 1814: The Times of London is published via a new steam-powered printing press, making it the first major newspaper so produced. The use of the faster steam press took newspapers from a niche business to a mass market one, in the process boosting efforts to increase literacy.November 28, 1943: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin begin the Tehran Conference, the first of three major World War II meetings between the leaders of the UK, US, and USSR. The main outcome of Tehran was that Roosevelt and Stalin managed to get Churchill to commit to an invasion of France, in part to force Germany to pull forces away from their eastern front with the Soviets. They also discussed the eventual partition of Germany and creation of the United Nations.MIDDLE EASTISRAEL-PALESTINEHamas and the Israeli government, thanks primarily to Qatari mediation, finally agreed on the terms of a detainee exchange and temporary ceasefire deal last week. The accord, which went into effect on Friday morning, was originally intended to involve the release of some 50 hostages being held by Hamas and other Gazan militant groups and some 150 Palestinians in Israeli custody. Hamas has also been releasing a number of Thai and Filipino nationals under a separate arrangement negotiated by the Qataris. The arrangement was to have been implemented in stages over four days, ending Tuesday morning local time. The process appeared to be faltering on Saturday, as Hamas delayed its hostage release while accusing the Israelis of violating the terms of the agreement, before some additional Qatari diplomacy apparently salvaged things.The reason I referred above to what the deal “originally” involved is because it's since been extended. The Israelis and Hamas have agreed to continue the ceasefire and daily detainee releases for at least two more days, though Thursday morning, albeit amid new accusations from both sides about ceasefire violations. I'm not entirely certain about the details but Israeli officials have said they're expecting Hamas to release at least 10 hostages per day, which at current exchange rates suggests around 30 Palestinians released per day. Efforts are underway to extend this arrangement beyond Thursday morning, though it goes without saying that at some point all the hostages will be released and it's unclear what will happen then. It's true that conflicts at rest have a tendency to stay at rest, but Israeli rhetoric has indicated a clear intention to resume pulverizing Gaza once the detainee exchanges are no longer part of the equation.In other items:* Some of the freed Israeli hostages have talked to media and describe being treated poorly, which is not surprising. There have been claims of treatment that seems outright cruel though I'm unaware (which to be clear does not mean they haven't been made) of any claims of physical cruelty (apart from the cruelty of their initial abductions, of course). Several of the hostages seem to indicate that their access to food and water diminished over time but that may be related to deprivations across Gaza caused by the Israeli blockade and the minimal amount of aid that has entered the territory. Palestinians released from Israeli custody, who have been described as “prisoners” though many of them have never been charged with anything under the West Bank's rigged military justice system, have described harrowing treatment including torture. This is consistent with claims made by Palestinians swept up in Israeli mass arrest operations since the October 7 attacks and subsequently released.* On the subject of aid, the ceasefire is/was intended in part to facilitate a surge of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the territory—including across the heavily battered northern area. That effort does appear to have been successful, though as United Nations officials have said even this temporary surge isn't enough to meet the need. The Biden administration is sending three military planeloads of humanitarian aid to Egypt this week for distribution into Gaza.* Over the four days of the initial detainee exchange, under which Israeli authorities released somewhere around 150 Palestinians, they detained 133 Palestinians in the West Bank. Make of that what you will. As Spencer Ackerman noted yesterday, with events in Gaza getting most of the attention the Israeli government and its settler proxies are continuing to kill (including at least two more on Tuesday), arrest, and displace Palestinians in the West Bank at unprecedented rates. Unlike Gaza, where Israeli leaders have at least articulated the barest inkling of a goal (the “destruction of Hamas,” ostensibly), there's no indication what, if anything, might stop the violence in the West Bank.* The Biden administration has dispatched CIA Director and de facto Secretary of State William Burns to Qatar to participate, along with Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials, in talks on extending the current “pause” (the administration is still refusing to call it a “ceasefire”). Burns is there mostly so that the administration can claim credit for the ceasefire/exchange deal even though its embrace of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has left it unable to contribute all that much to this diplomatic process. Actual Secretary of State Antony Blinken is undertaking another European-Middle Eastern tour this week, mostly (from what I can tell) in order to look busy.* One message the administration is now ostensibly delivering to the Israeli government is that any eventual Israeli military (IDF) incursion into southern Gaza has to be more circumspect than its obliteration of northern Gaza. In particular the administration says it's insisting that a southern operation must not cause “significant further displacement of persons.” With most of the territory's population already displaced into the south (where the IDF has continued bombing them), it's unclear where they would go anyway. And with the IDF already having killed over 15,000 people (probably well over, given that it's been at least a couple of weeks since Gazan authorities could issue a reliable casualty update), the optics of this situation may finally be testing the administration's capacity for indulging Israeli war aims.* Israeli media outlets have gotten hold of leaked emails demonstrating that “a highly respected career military intelligence NCO” in the IDF had warned her superiors over the summer that Hamas fighters were training for what looked like an attack on an Israeli kibbutz. Those warnings were, according to the emails, subsequently corroborated but then dismissed further up the chain of command with arguments that the training was nothing more than a staged demonstration. The emails may increase public anger toward the IDF but seemingly give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evidence to bolster his claim that any failure to prevent the October 7 attacks rests with Israeli security forces rather than with his government. Perhaps that's why they were leaked.YEMENYemen's Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Israeli interests when they hijacked the cargo vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on November 19. That ship is apparently part-owned by an Israeli businessman, though there was no other immediately apparent connection to Israel and none of the 25 people who were on board—and who are now in Houthi custody—are thought to have been Israeli. The USS Mason, a naval destroyer, reportedly prevented the hijacking of another cargo ship in the Red Sea on Sunday, but US officials now believe the would-be hijackers were Somali pirates rather than Houthi fighters. They have not ruled out the possibility of some sort of Houthi connection. Some Israeli shipping now appears to be diverting around Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which needless to say makes for a significantly longer journey.TURKEYTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had told reporters earlier this month that his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, would visit Ankara on Tuesday. Turkish media reported on the planned summit for more than two weeks, even as late as Monday evening, but Tuesday came and Raisi was, uh, not there. It's unclear whether this was an intentional snub or a miscommunication, particularly since the Iranian government never mentioned any planned summit. Either way it's somewhat bizarre.UNITED ARAB EMIRATESThe BBC is reporting, based on “leaked briefing documents,” that UAE officials are hoping to use the COP28 climate change summit, which they're hosting later this week, as a forum for concluding some new oil and natural gas deals. UAE officials haven't denied the report but they have said their focus is on achieving “meaningful climate action” at the summit—efforts to undermine that action notwithstanding.SAUDI ARABIAAnother investigative report suggests that the Saudi government is pursuing its own oil-forward agenda, something called the “oil demand sustainability program.” This effort aims to use the kingdom's massive public investment fund and some of its largest companies to sell developing nations on an array of fossil fuel-heavy technologies, including supersonic aircraft, gas-fueled cars, and oil and natural gas fueled power plants. The initiative is primarily aimed at emerging African economies and, as the name suggests, is intended to sustain oil demand even as developed countries move increasingly toward renewable energy. This is completely incompatible with the kingdom's stated adherence to the international climate agenda, though if you think the Saudis actually mean what they say when they talk about reducing carbon emissions you're a far more trusting person than I.ASIAMYANMARThe rebel “Brotherhood Alliance” claimed on Monday that its fighters had seized control of another significant commercial outpost close to the Chinese border in northern Myanmar's Shan state. In that sense the rebels seem to have picked up right where we left them prior to Thanksgiving, on the advance in Shan and several other provinces across the country. With Myanmar's ruling junta promising to stem those advances without actually demonstrating any ability to do so, the Chinese military conducted multi-day exercises near the border over the weekend. There's no indication that Beijing is planning to intervene here but it would need to respond to any instability along the border itself. PHILIPPINESThe Philippine government and communist New People's Army rebels announced on Tuesday that they will reopen peace talks, under Norwegian mediation. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte broke off the last round of talks in 2017 but the basic outlines are still in place for a deal that would see the NPA transition from militant to political movement in return for amnesty for its fighters.NORTH KOREAThe North Korean military finally succeeded in putting a spy satellite in orbit last week, sparking an immediate security crisis along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The South Korean government announced shortly after the launch that it was suspending part of the intra-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement in order to increase its surveillance capabilities along the border, which Pyongyang took as an invitation to scrap the rest of the deal and begin restoring border guard posts and moving heavy armaments into the border region. The CMA bans “aerial surveillance,” a category that the South Korean government has decided includes satellites as well as sub-orbital aircraft so they're accusing North Korea of having violated the accord first. North Korean state media reported on Tuesday that the satellite had taken photographs of the White House and the Pentagon, which puts Pyongyang roughly on par with Wikipedia in terms of its new surveillance capabilities.JAPANJapanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio hosted Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng on Monday, at which time the two agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership.” That means strengthening economic as well as military ties, which could pull Vietnam further toward the US axis despite its still-strong relationship with China. Tokyo has in the past helped to support Vietnamese activity in the South China Sea, in waters whose ownership Hanoi disputes with China. The upgrade puts Japan's relationship with Vietnam on an equal footing with China, India, and the US.AFRICASUDANThe deputy commander of the Sudanese military, Yassir al-Atta, delivered a speech to the Sudanese General Intelligence Service in Omdurman on Tuesday in which he openly accused the UAE government of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group. This is the first time a senior member of the Sudanese military/de facto government has leveled that accusation directly and it charges the UAE with complicity in a growing list of (alleged) RSF atrocities, particularly in the Darfur region. Atta further accused the governments of the Central African Republic, Chad, and Uganda of acting as conduits for UAE-supplied arms.In response, Emirati officials denied supporting the RSF and insisted that they have “consistently called for de-escalation, a ceasefire, and the initiation of diplomatic dialogue” since the military and RSF went to war with one another back in April. Observers have noted that the RSF is using more sophisticated weaponry, especially drones, than it had at the start of the conflict, but the paramilitaries insist they've seized those arms from Sudanese military bases rather than obtaining them from abroad. The Ugandan government also responded to Atta's charges, similarly rejecting them.SIERRA LEONESierra Leonean authorities say that unrest in Freetown early Sunday morning was the result of a “failed attempted coup” involving a number of active duty and retired members of the country's military and police forces. According to Al Jazeera, they've arrested “13 military officers and one civilian” and “have published photographs of 32 men and two women…being sought in connection with the unrest.” The alleged coup plotters attacked a military barracks and two prisons in the capital, killing at least 20 people and releasing some 2200 detainees, an unknown number of whom have been recaptured. Authorities imposed a curfew in the city that they've since relaxed. Like most failed coups the rationale behind this one remains unclear, though it presumably involved some combination of political and economic resentment. President Julius Maada Bio's narrow and heavily disputed victory in June's presidential election may have ratcheted up some of those resentments.LIBERIAThe official results came out while I was on break, but challenger Joseph Boakai did in fact defeat incumbent George Weah in Liberia's presidential runoff earlier this month. Weah, to his credit, conceded without incident even before the release of those official numbers.BURKINA FASOSome 3000 jihadist fighters attacked the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, according to Burkinabé state media. Details are very spotty but authorities are claiming that security forces killed at least 400 attackers from the al-Qaeda aligned Jamaʿat Nusrat al-Islam wa'l-Muslimin group, which has kept Djibo blockaded and largely cut off from the rest of the country for more than a year. There's no definitive word on casualties among security forces or civilians, though the UN says it's confirmed at least 40 civilians killed and more than 42 wounded.EUROPERUSSIAA Russian court on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich through at least January 30. Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich in March on spying charges that they've never fully explained, contending that the details are classified. He will presumably be traded back to the US at some point, but Russian officials have said they won't discuss a prisoner swap until after Gershkovich stands trial, and they continue to delay that process.A new report from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and the Levada Center shows that domestic support for Russia's war in Ukraine has not diminished, even as Russians show increasing weariness for the conflict and for the economic hardships caused by Western sanctions. Indeed, the hardship appears to be hardening attitudes toward negotiations, with a number of focus group subjects expressing the view that Russia has sacrificed too much to give up any of the Ukrainian territory it has seized. I bet more sanctions will solve that problem.UKRAINEThe Ukrainian military's commander in Avdiivka, Vitaliy Barabash, told a media outlet on Tuesday that the Russian military has intensified its assault there and is now “attempting to storm the city from all directions.” It's unclear whether the Russians would be able to use Avdiivka as a staging ground for further offensives, particularly in the short term giving the impending onset of winter, but taking the city would at the very least further secure Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk oblast. Elsewhere, Marianna Budanova, the wife of Ukrainian military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov, has reportedly been hospitalized for heavy metal poisoning and there are indications that a number of officials in the military intelligence service (GUR) have also been poisoned. I'll leave it to the reader to speculate as to potential suspects.The Ukrainian government will later this week reportedly unveil a number of changes to its military mobilization system in an effort to reduce the incidence of both draft dodging and of forced conscription. Full details aren't yet known, but one part of the reform will involve the use of “commercial recruitment companies” to identify potential conscripts who have needed skills (mechanics, for example). These individuals will then somehow be given assurances that they won't be deployed to the front but will instead be put to work in support roles. Given Ukraine's need for more front-line soldiers, however, there must be more to it than that.POLANDPolish President Andrzej Duda on Monday swore in a new government led by incumbent Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in a move that has opposition leaders crying foul. Morawiecki has two weeks to form a government that can pass a parliamentary confirmation vote, a task even he acknowledges he's almost certain to fail given the results of last month's election. So Duda, who favors Morawiecki's right wing Law and Justice Party, is simply delaying the opposition's inevitable takeover for another two weeks. Why, you ask? Well, it seems fairly clear at this point that he's delaying in order to give Law and Justice more time to appoint party loyalists to important state positions, which could create problems for the government that will presumably take office after this two week period is up.FINLANDThe Finnish government, which had already closed all but one of its checkpoints along the Russian border, is planning to close the entire border for the next two weeks in hopes of stemming the flow of asylum seekers attempting to enter Finland. Authorities say that 900 such people have tried to cross the border from Russia this month, a hefty increase that they say is the product of a deliberate effort by the Russian government to funnel people to the border.NETHERLANDSConfounding polling that suggested a narrow race, the far right Party for Freedom (PVV) handily won last week's Dutch parliamentary election. PVV came away with 37 seats in the 150 seat House of Representatives, 12 ahead of the second place GreenLeft-Labour alliance. The victory may put party boss Geert Wilders in line to become the next Dutch prime minister, assuming he can moderate his extremist agenda enough to attract coalition partners. That may be easier said than done.AMERICASARGENTINASpeaking of far right election victories, libertarian extremist Javier Milei won Argentina's presidential runoff on November 19. Polling, which had been wrong at every stage of this election, was wrong again, having predicted a tight race only to see Milei win an 11 point victory over Finance Minister Sergio Massa. Milei, whose agenda includes dissolving Argentina's central bank and ditching the peso in favor of the US dollar, may find himself struggling against a relatively unfavorable Congress once he takes office next month.UNITED STATESFinally, The Nation's Mohammad Alsaafin finds both US and Israeli plans for the future of Gaza to fall short, for one seemingly basic reason:Speaking to reporters last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that the territory's governance should be unified with the West Bank, and laid out a series of edits for the future of Palestine.“Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas,” Blinken said. “It's also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza…. it is imperative that the Palestinian people be central to the governance of Gaza and the West Bank.Blinken's parameters were defied days later by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared, “IDF forces will remain in control of the Strip,” and made clear that he will not allow the Palestinian Authority to play a role there. (Netanyahu then told Fox News that Israel “does not seek to occupy” Gaza, though, given the facts on the ground, it is hard to know how Israel defines “occupation.”)The back-and-forth over what comes next in Gaza has prompted headlines like this one from NBC News: “The gap between the Biden administration and Netanyahu government over Gaza's future is widening.”But there is a glaringly absent party in these conversations: the Palestinian people themselves. Nobody seems particularly interested in what they might have to say about the future of their land.Thanks for reading! Foreign Exchanges is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

Today, Jamil, Jess, Les, and Morgan discuss the failed coup that took place in Sierra Leone on Sunday, November 26. The coup attempt comes after a contentious election in June in which President Julius Maada Bio was reelected for a second term and on the heels of increased tensions in the West African region, highlighted by the eight military takeovers since 2020, including most recently in Niger and Gabon.Should the U.S. be worried about the high number of coups? How must and should the Biden Administration readjust foreign assistance in the region in light of these developments? Are there larger forces in play and are outside actors like Russia's Wagner Group or China fostering regional instability?https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/world/africa/sierra-leone-arrests-attempted-coup.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67541285 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/26/sierra-leone-curfew-army-barracks-attack https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-information-minister-says-weekend-attack-was-failed-coup-2023-11-28/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/28/sierra-leone-attacks-were-a-failed-coup-attempt-officials-sayhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/11/27/africa/sierra-leone-military-barracks-foiled-attack-ignites-fears-over-coup-attempt/index.htmlhttps://www.africanews.com/2023/11/28/coup-attempt-in-sierra-leone-authorities/ Follow our experts on Twitter: @notTVJessJones@jamil_n_jaffer @lestermunson@morganlroachLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

La capitale de la Sierra Leone a été le théâtre, ce dimanche, de violents affrontements. Et si la fièvre est retombée, « c'est toujours l'embrouillamini total », écrit Aujourd'hui au Faso. La situation est particulièrement confuse, retrace de son côté Wakat Séra : il est question « d'une poudrière qui aurait été forcée, et des armes dérobées », « les autorités relèvent que des individus non identifiés ont tenté de forcer une armurerie militaire » tandis que « des prisons ont été attaquées, donnant l'occasion à plusieurs détenus de prendre le large. »Autant d'éléments qui poussent Aujourd'hui au Faso à se poser de nombreuses questions : « qui sont ces individus qui ont essayé de forcer l'armurerie du casernement militaire ? Quelles étaient leurs intentions ? Étaient-ce des militaires ou des civils ? »Une autre question : est-ce une tentative de coup d'Etat ?C'est en tout cas ce que semble sous-entendre la Cédéao dans un communiqué condamnant les violences. Le président Julius Maada Bio a, lui, évoqué une tentative de déstabilisation de l'État, en « évitant soigneusement, toutefois, note la BBC Afrique, de parler de tentative de coup. » Pour le Sierra Leone Telegraph, pas de doute : il s'agit bien d'un putsch raté.Aujourd'hui au Faso, de son côté, flaire aussi « une forte odeur de putsch étouffé » dans l'air, et pense pouvoir y déceler « les frustrations contenues par l'opposition à l'issue des élections de juin 2023 », qui, peut-être, « refont surface. » Analyse semble-t-il partagée par le Sierra Leone Telegraph, qui rappelle que « le principal parti d'opposition et les observateurs internationaux ont accusé la commission électorale de ‘voler' les votes, en faveur du président Bio » lors du scrutin. À cela, il faut ajouter une économie « en grande difficulté ». L'inflation atteint les 60 % et « les prix des aliments de base et des biens de première nécessité sont à présent hors de portée des citoyens ordinaires, dont 70 % sont au chômage » écrit encore le titre.Autant d'éléments qui poussent le Telegraph à jouer les Cassandre et craindre que d'autres tentatives vont venir, « jusqu'à ce que la volonté démocratique et les libertés civiles de la population soient respectées. »Une enquête journalistique sur Stanis BujakeraLe média indépendant de République démocratique du Congo a publié hier, dimanche soir une enquête sur les accusations contre le journaliste Stanis Bujakera, que la justice accuse d'avoir fabriqué une note des renseignements décrivant comment ces derniers auraient tué le député Chérubin Okende. Actualite.cd rappelle que « le parquet congolais dit l'avoir identifié comme le premier émetteur de ce document, grâce à une analyse des métadonnées et une adresse IP. » Sauf, que, affirme le journal, « l'enquête menée [par les journalistes] prouve que cette affirmation est fausse. » D'abord, car les responsables de Telegram (service de messagerie cryptée qui aurait été utilisé pour diffuser le document), contactés, assurent que « Telegram supprime toutes les métadonnées, » tandis que WhatsApp rappelle « son opposition de principe à la traçabilité (…) et le caractère limité de sa collaboration avec les forces de l'ordre. »Un expert en informatique interrogé estime lui que « les éléments de preuve contenus dans les déclarations du procureur ne sont d'emblée ‘pas crédibles' » ; le même chercheur, après investigations, « finit par exclure complètement que cette adresse [l'adresse IP incriminée] soit liée à Stanis Bujakera et l'attribue plutôt à un serveur web localisé en Espagne. » Mais le pouvoir assure, deux mois après la mise en détention de Stanis Bujakera, que la "vérité" passe "par sa mise en détention."Musique pour finirNos auditeurs auront peut-être reconnu ces quelques notes… la rumba congolaise de Fally Ipupa à l'honneur sur le site du Monde Afrique ! L'histoire d' « un chanteur de rumba congolaise parmi d'autres », natif d'un quartier du centre de Kinshasa, chanteur dans les églises avant de devenir une « vedette » capable de « remplir les plus grandes salles d'Europe », comme l'a démontré son concert samedi à l'U Arena, en banlieue parisienne.D'où vient ce succès ? Le quotidien a sa petite idée : sa réussite, ce serait « ce balancier permanent entre l'audience des origines et celle des musiques urbaines », cette alternance entre courtes chansons, en français, et titres plus longs, en lingala. Une formule que le chanteur ambitionne d'exporter : après la RDC, la France, le reste de l'Europe, il « rêve de conquérir l'Amérique » raconte Le Monde… pour faire flotter haut les couleurs de son pays.

Sierra Leone: Thirteen government soldiers confirmed dead after Sunday clashes, army confirms +++ Nigeria: Armed men kidnap 150 mostly women and children in Zamfara state +++ Congolese musician Fally Ipupa's concert in Paris sells out with 40,000 fans in attendance.

La capitale de la Sierra Leone a été le théâtre, ce dimanche, de violents affrontements. Et si la fièvre est retombée, « c'est toujours l'embrouillamini total », écrit Aujourd'hui au Faso. La situation est particulièrement confuse, retrace de son côté Wakat Séra : il est question « d'une poudrière qui aurait été forcée, et des armes dérobées », « les autorités relèvent que des individus non identifiés ont tenté de forcer une armurerie militaire » tandis que « des prisons ont été attaquées, donnant l'occasion à plusieurs détenus de prendre le large. »Autant d'éléments qui poussent Aujourd'hui au Faso à se poser de nombreuses questions : « qui sont ces individus qui ont essayé de forcer l'armurerie du casernement militaire ? Quelles étaient leurs intentions ? Étaient-ce des militaires ou des civils ? »Une autre question : est-ce une tentative de coup d'Etat ?C'est en tout cas ce que semble sous-entendre la Cédéao dans un communiqué condamnant les violences. Le président Julius Maada Bio a, lui, évoqué une tentative de déstabilisation de l'État, en « évitant soigneusement, toutefois, note la BBC Afrique, de parler de tentative de coup. » Pour le Sierra Leone Telegraph, pas de doute : il s'agit bien d'un putsch raté.Aujourd'hui au Faso, de son côté, flaire aussi « une forte odeur de putsch étouffé » dans l'air, et pense pouvoir y déceler « les frustrations contenues par l'opposition à l'issue des élections de juin 2023 », qui, peut-être, « refont surface. » Analyse semble-t-il partagée par le Sierra Leone Telegraph, qui rappelle que « le principal parti d'opposition et les observateurs internationaux ont accusé la commission électorale de ‘voler' les votes, en faveur du président Bio » lors du scrutin. À cela, il faut ajouter une économie « en grande difficulté ». L'inflation atteint les 60 % et « les prix des aliments de base et des biens de première nécessité sont à présent hors de portée des citoyens ordinaires, dont 70 % sont au chômage » écrit encore le titre.Autant d'éléments qui poussent le Telegraph à jouer les Cassandre et craindre que d'autres tentatives vont venir, « jusqu'à ce que la volonté démocratique et les libertés civiles de la population soient respectées. »Une enquête journalistique sur Stanis BujakeraLe média indépendant de République démocratique du Congo a publié hier, dimanche soir une enquête sur les accusations contre le journaliste Stanis Bujakera, que la justice accuse d'avoir fabriqué une note des renseignements décrivant comment ces derniers auraient tué le député Chérubin Okende. Actualite.cd rappelle que « le parquet congolais dit l'avoir identifié comme le premier émetteur de ce document, grâce à une analyse des métadonnées et une adresse IP. » Sauf, que, affirme le journal, « l'enquête menée [par les journalistes] prouve que cette affirmation est fausse. » D'abord, car les responsables de Telegram (service de messagerie cryptée qui aurait été utilisé pour diffuser le document), contactés, assurent que « Telegram supprime toutes les métadonnées, » tandis que WhatsApp rappelle « son opposition de principe à la traçabilité (…) et le caractère limité de sa collaboration avec les forces de l'ordre. »Un expert en informatique interrogé estime lui que « les éléments de preuve contenus dans les déclarations du procureur ne sont d'emblée ‘pas crédibles' » ; le même chercheur, après investigations, « finit par exclure complètement que cette adresse [l'adresse IP incriminée] soit liée à Stanis Bujakera et l'attribue plutôt à un serveur web localisé en Espagne. » Mais le pouvoir assure, deux mois après la mise en détention de Stanis Bujakera, que la "vérité" passe "par sa mise en détention."Musique pour finirNos auditeurs auront peut-être reconnu ces quelques notes… la rumba congolaise de Fally Ipupa à l'honneur sur le site du Monde Afrique ! L'histoire d' « un chanteur de rumba congolaise parmi d'autres », natif d'un quartier du centre de Kinshasa, chanteur dans les églises avant de devenir une « vedette » capable de « remplir les plus grandes salles d'Europe », comme l'a démontré son concert samedi à l'U Arena, en banlieue parisienne.D'où vient ce succès ? Le quotidien a sa petite idée : sa réussite, ce serait « ce balancier permanent entre l'audience des origines et celle des musiques urbaines », cette alternance entre courtes chansons, en français, et titres plus longs, en lingala. Une formule que le chanteur ambitionne d'exporter : après la RDC, la France, le reste de l'Europe, il « rêve de conquérir l'Amérique » raconte Le Monde… pour faire flotter haut les couleurs de son pays.

Last year, hundreds of people in Sierra Leone took to the streets in frustration at rising inflation and economic hardship. The protests turned violent and led to deaths.Since then, President Julius Maada Bio has been re-elected, but there were accusations of widespread irregularities in the poll in June.A former coup leader in the 1990s, Bio's first civilian term was recognised for championing education and women's rights. But after the recent coups in the region, does Sierra Leone face a similar risk?Julius Maada Bio, the president of Sierra Leone, talks to Al Jazeera.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

During Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990's, child soldiers roamed mutilating and killing their victims. Economic turmoil ensued once the conflict ended, with high unemployment and poverty. And the 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus left almost 4,000 people dead there. There are physical scars from the events of those years but also scars that are less visible. This year President Julius Maada Bio launched a Mental Health Taskforce to address the country's lack of mental health resources. The initiative is being led by Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. So what is this Taskforce going to do? Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja spoke to Vice President Jalloh about his government's plans.

On Daybreak Africa: South African president calls for reform of the UN Security Council. Plus, Nigeria and South Africa leaders meet at the United Nations General Assembly, looking to advance economic cooperation. Some South Sudan politicians and analysts criticize a decision giving President Kiir powers to appoint lawmakers. The ongoing feud in Uganda's main opposition FDC took a new turn on Tuesday. Sierra Leone's main opposition party responds to yesterday's VOA's interview with President Julius Maada Bio. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa.

President Bio not bothered by EU, US endorsement+++Six killed in banned Kenya protests+++Women in Ethiopia's Tigray rally for food aid+++ South Africans worried by planned released of "Station Strangler"

En Sierra Leone, le président réélu Julius Maada Bio va devoir composer avec une crise économique qui n'a cessé d'empirer depuis l'an dernier. Avec 43% d'inflation sur un an, près de 60% de la population vit désormais sous le seuil de pauvreté… Les observateurs alertent sur une insécurité alimentaire devenue préoccupante. De notre envoyée spéciale à Freetown,Dans les rues de Freetown, en période post-électorale, les habitants sont unanimes : l'urgence, c'est de pallier l'augmentation du prix des denrées alimentaires… Plus de 50% sur ces 12 derniers mois. Dans une échoppe déserte, Mustaphe Ekke, commerçant du quartier de Victory Park, raconte sa galère quotidienne. « Avant, on pouvait aller dans n'importe quelle boutique de riz sauté et acheter une portion de riz pour 5 000 leones. Maintenant, c'est au-dessus de nos moyens. Vous allez à la boutique, et ils vous disent que c'est 12 000, 15 000 leones. Parlons aussi de la nourriture la moins chère de notre pays, celle qui est tellement insignifiante qu'on ne se posait jamais la question de pouvoir se la payer ou non… Le garri, la semoule de manioc. Aujourd'hui, même le garri est devenu cher. C'est 5 000 leones la tasse de garri, alors qu'avant, vous en aviez trois pour 1 000 leones ! » Pour Antoine Esteban, directeur pays d'Action contre la Faim en Sierra Leone, la situation de l'insécurité alimentaire dans le pays est « préoccupante ». Celle-ci atteint désormais 81% de la population, selon le Programme alimentaire mondial, soit plus de 6 millions de personnes. Et la moitié des Sierra-Léonais a une consommation alimentaire insuffisante. « On observe différentes stratégies d'adaptation négative, régulièrement adoptées par la frange la plus démunie de la population, telles que la réduction du nombre de repas par jour, ou la consommation de récoltes immatures. Il faut également noter qu'avec l'inflation généralisée, on observe une augmentation des coûts de production pour les agriculteurs, qui représentent la majorité de la population, ce qui se traduit par une baisse de leurs revenus et, du coup, de leur capacité à répondre à leurs besoins en sécurité alimentaire, et à ceux de leurs ménages. »Aux racines du problème, un système agricole insuffisamment financé et développé… Et l'hyper-dépendance du pays aux importations, explique Jamie Hitchen, chercheur canadien spécialisé sur la Sierra Leone. « Pour les produits alimentaires de base, pour presque tous les biens, ils n'exportent presque rien et importent presque tout. Cela signifie qu'avec l'augmentation du prix des produits mondiaux, le prix des produits en Sierra Leone augmente de façon astronomique. La Sierra Leone était un exportateur de riz au moment de l'indépendance. Et puis la guerre civile a éclaté, et elle a eu un impact désastreux sur l'économie. Et maintenant, il y a beaucoup d'intérêts d'investisseurs qu'il faut surmonter... Beaucoup de gens gagnent beaucoup d'argent en important des choses dans ce pays. »La Sierra Leone, enfin, est l'un des pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest les plus gravement touchés par le changement climatique, dont pâtit lourdement sa production agricole.

En Sierra Leone, le président réélu Julius Maada Bio va devoir composer avec la pauvreté endémique, l'inflation à 43% et le haut chômage des jeunes, estimé à 70% de cette population… Sur ce terreau, une nouvelle drogue prospère, qui fait des ravages parmi les moins de 39 ans : la kush, un mélange très nocif de cannabis de synthèse et de produits chimiques. Avec notre envoyée spéciale à Freetown, Marine JeanninDans le vacarme de la station service de Lumley se croisent tous les taxis, moto-taxis et tricycles de ce quartier prisé des touristes. Ici, les fumeurs de kush tentent de se faire discrets. Ils savent que leur présence n'est que tolérée… et que les passants ont vite appris à les repérer. « Les jeunes qui prennent de la kush ici, ils ont les pieds gonflés, ils sont toujours sales, ils ne prennent pas soin d'eux, et ils se comportent comme s'ils étaient fous », énumère un conducteur de moto-taxi.Ce sont dans l'immense majorité des jeunes hommes ou des adolescents, qui travaillent ici comme « batoman », dit-on en krio. Ce sont eux qui aident les taxis à trouver des clients, et vice versa… En échange de leurs services, ils reçoivent quelques billets froissés… Qui disparaissent tout aussi vite. Le prix d'une dose ? « 5 000 leones », la monnaie locale, soit 23 centimes d'euros. Une bande d'amis s'est rassemblée. Tous veulent témoigner. Le premier a 21 ans, porte un T-shirt vert à l'effigie du président réélu Julius Maada Bio. Pas par conviction, mais « parce qu'il n'a pas d'autre vêtement », précise-t-il. Il fume de la kush depuis ses 16 ans. « Mes frères et moi, on prend tous de la kush. Regardez comme on est maigres ! Quand on fume de la kush, on ne fait plus rien. On ne dort plus, on ne mange plus, on ne travaille plus. On reste juste debout dans la rue avec la tête qui ballote. »« On souffre trop, dans ce pays, et c'est pour ça qu'on fume de la kush »Avec toujours, la même motivation : oublier l'espace d'une demi-heure, le temps que durent ses effets, la dureté de leurs conditions de vie. « On souffre trop, dans ce pays, et c'est pour ça qu'on fume de la kush. Le gouvernement ne s'occupe pas des jeunes. On dort à la rue, il n'y a pas d'emploi, rien à manger. Tout est devenu si cher ! Même le garri [la semoule de manioc] coûte cher, maintenant ! » L'un de ses amis lui coupe la parole pour crier : « Si j'avais un travail, je vous promets que je ne fumerais plus jamais de kush ! Si seulement j'avais un travail ! »La kush est arrivée sur le marché sierra-léonais en 2018, mais c'est pendant la pandémie de Covid-19 que sa popularité a explosé… en corrélation directe avec l'aggravation de la pauvreté. « Nos jeunes se droguent parce qu'ils n'ont plus d'espoirs, explique Alhassan Jalloh, chef de programme à la Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT). Ils n'ont plus d'options. S'ils fument de la kush, c'est pour tomber dans un sommeil profond. (il a un rire nerveux) L'intérêt de cette drogue, c'est qu'elle les détache totalement d'une réalité qu'ils ne supportent pas. »Il n'existe pas de statistiques nationales sur l'usage de kush… Mais 90% des hommes admis aux urgences psychiatriques de Freetown sont des consommateurs. La substance est extrêmement nocive à la fois pour la santé mentale, et pour la santé tout court, disent les experts… Avec un risque d'overdose élevée, en particulier parce qu'on ignore sa composition, explique Ibrahim Kargbo, de l'Agence nationale de lutte contre la drogue. « C'est du cannabis de synthèse qui est mélangé avec différents produits chimiques ou médicamenteux, comme du Tramadol. On connaît bien les effets du cannabis naturel, mais la kush est une nouvelle substance psychoactive. Avant, les Sierra-Léonais fumaient du cannabis d'importation. Mais la kush contemporaine est préparée localement, sous différentes formes. C'est ce qui la rend aussi dangereuse. »La police sierra-léonaise a conscience de l'ampleur du problème. Plusieurs cargaisons de kush ont déjà été saisies sur le port Elizabeth II... Mais pour le moment, les enquêtes sont au point mort. Et l'identité des cartels qui inondent le marché reste un mystère.

Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, has won a second term in office, the US Supreme Court rejects a Republican election plan, and a New York court has ruled that FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried cannot dismiss the criminal charges against him. Plus, a leading Japanese semiconductor equipment maker has accepted a $6.4bn buyout offer from a state-backed fund. Mentioned in this podcast:Bio secures second term as Sierra Leone leaderUS Supreme Court affirms state courts' authority over election rulesSam Bankman-Fried fails to dismiss criminal charges related to FTXJapan steps into chip supply chain with $6.4bn JSR dealThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Katie McMurran, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Topher Forhecz is the FT's executive producer. The FT's global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show's theme song is by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Autrement appelée la Tabaski dans les pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest qui célèbrent ce jour où, selon les textes religieux, Ibrahim accepte de sacrifier, sur l'ordre de Dieu, son fils Ismaël, qui sera au dernier moment remplacé par un mouton. Pour l'Aïd-el-Kebir donc, des moutons sont depuis sacrifiés, et le prix du bétail est chaque année très commentée. La situation diffère d'un pays à l'autre. Au Tchad, dans la province du Salamat « le prix du mouton est abordable » nous dit Tchadinfos, « le prix varie de 15.000 à 75.000 francs CFA sur le marché » d'Am-Timan et hier « l'ambiance [était] très bonne entre les démarcheurs, vendeurs et acheteurs ».Mais, au Sénégal, d'après Dakaractu, « le prix des moutons reste toujours exorbitant au forail de Rufisque où les éleveurs dénoncent le manque d'accompagnement de l'État envers eux. » Les prix de l'oignon et de la pomme de terre, eux aussi, restent très élevés. Même constat en Côte d'Ivoire avec une « flambée des prix des marchandises » relevée par Fratmat  sur les marchés d'Abidjan. Une vendeuse assure : « C'est à cause de la fête mais d'ici deux jours les prix vont chuter », une autre vendeuse n'y voit « rien d'étonnant », et estime que tout le monde devrait anticiper ses achats pour ne pas être surpris à la veille des fêtes.Une célébration synonyme de fêteMême si mali24.info décrit une « ambiance morose et timide » à Bamako expliquant que « la crise économique et l'insécurité ont eu raison de l'enthousiasme habituel des acheteurs » malgré ce contexte donc, Maliweb rappelle que la Tabaski c'est surtout « l'opportunité [pour les] ressortissants des villages, des contrées très éloignées voire des compatriotes de la diaspora de retourner sur leurs terres natales pour fêter auprès de leurs dans la convivialité et dans la bonne ambiance familiale. Certains, même pour tout l'or du monde, n'entendent pas déroger à ce principe ».Sont ainsi donnés l'exemple d'un Malien vivant en France mais qui, pour l'occasion, retourne toujours au village auprès des siens ; puis l'organisation d'une famille où « chacun, selon ses moyens, contribue pour que la fête soit belle. »Le partage fait partie des valeurs autour de cette fête Mais aussi la paix, et le quotidien burkinabè Le Pays, lance cette supplique concernant le Soudan : « Puisse le mouton sacrificiel immoler la guerre ! » s'interrogeant aussi « Qui arrêtera celle spirale infernale ? Au train où vont les choses, il faut craindre une guerre civile. Le peuple soudanais ne mérite pas cela. Vivement donc un cessez-le-feu rapide et durable ! » Cette guerre elle dure depuis maintenant plus de deux mois, et hier encore de violents combats ont éclaté à Khartoum. Même si le général Hemedti a déclaré un cessez-le-feu pour hier et aujourd'hui, justement à l'occasion de l'Aïd.« Le mouton aura un goût bien salé pour ceux qui arriveront à le manger », aussi au Burkina regrette Wakatséra, après qu'au moins 31 soldats et trois supplétifs de l'armée ont été tués lundi dans une attaque de jihadistes présumés dans le nord du pays. Wakatséra qui conclue sa tribune de la manière suivante : « le plus urgent pour les pays comme le Niger, le Burkina Faso et le Mali, assaillis sans répit par les terroristes, c'est de se donner la main dans une synergie d'action. C'est seulement par ce moyen intelligent qu'ils pourront, tous, vaincre le terrorisme dans l'union ou périr en solitaire. »À la une également : l'élection en Sierra LeoneLe président sortant Julius Maada Bio est réélu dès le premier tour pour un deuxième mandat avec 56,17 % des voix. L'annonce a été faite hier en fin de journée. Et, l'envoyé spécial de Guineematin à Freetown relate dans un article le déroulé de la cérémonie pour sa prestation de serment, juste après l'annonce des résultats, prestation lors de laquelle il a déclaré : « J'offre humblement ma camaraderie aux dirigeants de tous les partis politiques et à leurs membres pour qu'ils se joignent à nous dans nos efforts de développement national. » Le journaliste du journal guinéen rappelle plus bas que « les défis restent énormes pour ce nouveau président, notamment avec une économie exsangue et un taux d'inflation actuellement à 43 %. »

Sudan's Darfur region relives new war crimes+++Human trafficking in West Africa+++Sierra Leone's President Bio sworn in

Autrement appelée la Tabaski dans les pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest qui célèbrent ce jour où, selon les textes religieux, Ibrahim accepte de sacrifier, sur l'ordre de Dieu, son fils Ismaël, qui sera au dernier moment remplacé par un mouton. Pour l'Aïd-el-Kebir donc, des moutons sont depuis sacrifiés, et le prix du bétail est chaque année très commentée. La situation diffère d'un pays à l'autre. Au Tchad, dans la province du Salamat « le prix du mouton est abordable » nous dit Tchadinfos, « le prix varie de 15.000 à 75.000 francs CFA sur le marché » d'Am-Timan et hier « l'ambiance [était] très bonne entre les démarcheurs, vendeurs et acheteurs ».Mais, au Sénégal, d'après Dakaractu, « le prix des moutons reste toujours exorbitant au forail de Rufisque où les éleveurs dénoncent le manque d'accompagnement de l'État envers eux. » Les prix de l'oignon et de la pomme de terre, eux aussi, restent très élevés. Même constat en Côte d'Ivoire avec une « flambée des prix des marchandises » relevée par Fratmat  sur les marchés d'Abidjan. Une vendeuse assure : « C'est à cause de la fête mais d'ici deux jours les prix vont chuter », une autre vendeuse n'y voit « rien d'étonnant », et estime que tout le monde devrait anticiper ses achats pour ne pas être surpris à la veille des fêtes.Une célébration synonyme de fêteMême si mali24.info décrit une « ambiance morose et timide » à Bamako expliquant que « la crise économique et l'insécurité ont eu raison de l'enthousiasme habituel des acheteurs » malgré ce contexte donc, Maliweb rappelle que la Tabaski c'est surtout « l'opportunité [pour les] ressortissants des villages, des contrées très éloignées voire des compatriotes de la diaspora de retourner sur leurs terres natales pour fêter auprès de leurs dans la convivialité et dans la bonne ambiance familiale. Certains, même pour tout l'or du monde, n'entendent pas déroger à ce principe ».Sont ainsi donnés l'exemple d'un Malien vivant en France mais qui, pour l'occasion, retourne toujours au village auprès des siens ; puis l'organisation d'une famille où « chacun, selon ses moyens, contribue pour que la fête soit belle. »Le partage fait partie des valeurs autour de cette fête Mais aussi la paix, et le quotidien burkinabè Le Pays, lance cette supplique concernant le Soudan : « Puisse le mouton sacrificiel immoler la guerre ! » s'interrogeant aussi « Qui arrêtera celle spirale infernale ? Au train où vont les choses, il faut craindre une guerre civile. Le peuple soudanais ne mérite pas cela. Vivement donc un cessez-le-feu rapide et durable ! » Cette guerre elle dure depuis maintenant plus de deux mois, et hier encore de violents combats ont éclaté à Khartoum. Même si le général Hemedti a déclaré un cessez-le-feu pour hier et aujourd'hui, justement à l'occasion de l'Aïd.« Le mouton aura un goût bien salé pour ceux qui arriveront à le manger », aussi au Burkina regrette Wakatséra, après qu'au moins 31 soldats et trois supplétifs de l'armée ont été tués lundi dans une attaque de jihadistes présumés dans le nord du pays. Wakatséra qui conclue sa tribune de la manière suivante : « le plus urgent pour les pays comme le Niger, le Burkina Faso et le Mali, assaillis sans répit par les terroristes, c'est de se donner la main dans une synergie d'action. C'est seulement par ce moyen intelligent qu'ils pourront, tous, vaincre le terrorisme dans l'union ou périr en solitaire. »À la une également : l'élection en Sierra LeoneLe président sortant Julius Maada Bio est réélu dès le premier tour pour un deuxième mandat avec 56,17 % des voix. L'annonce a été faite hier en fin de journée. Et, l'envoyé spécial de Guineematin à Freetown relate dans un article le déroulé de la cérémonie pour sa prestation de serment, juste après l'annonce des résultats, prestation lors de laquelle il a déclaré : « J'offre humblement ma camaraderie aux dirigeants de tous les partis politiques et à leurs membres pour qu'ils se joignent à nous dans nos efforts de développement national. » Le journaliste du journal guinéen rappelle plus bas que « les défis restent énormes pour ce nouveau président, notamment avec une économie exsangue et un taux d'inflation actuellement à 43 %. »

Le président sortant Julius Maada Bio a été réélu dès le premier tour pour un deuxième mandat à la tête de la Sierra Leone avec 56,17 % des voix, a indiqué le chef de la commission électorale. Son principal adversaire Samura Kamara, arrivé en deuxième position avec 41,16% des voix, a dans la foulée déclaré qu'il "rejette catégoriquement" les résultats de la commission électorale qu'il juge "pas crédibles".

Sierra Leone provisional results: incumbent Bio leading presidential race+++ Russian foreign minister says Wagner fighters to stay in Mali and CAR

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On Daybreak Africa: Campaigning for Sierra Leone's June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections officially began Tuesday. President Julius Maada Bio is seeking re-election as candidate of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He is being challenged by 12 other candidates. Plus, the U.N. estimates more than 843,000 have been displaced by the fighting in Sudan, Media workers stage a one-day blackout to protest military curbs on press freedom. Thursday, is Africa Day – with a focus on foreign interference on the continent. For this and more, stay tuned to Daybreak Africa!

As Sudan's 72-hour ceasefire deadline approaches, we speak to Deng Dau Deng, the foreign minister of neighbouring South Sudan which is leading mediation efforts. He told the BBC he hopes General Hamdan Dagalo will respond positively to an extension. Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, dissolved parliament earlier this week ahead of elections in June. We hear from the United States ambassador to Liberia, Michael McCarthy, on his recent statement accusing the Liberian government of corruption. Eleven female MPs in Uganda have been arrested whilst taking part in a protest march against police brutality.

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about Sierra Leone's new gender equality bill, as well as the “Listeners Corner” and “Music from Erwan”. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winner's names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.The ePOP video competition is open! The deadline for entries is 20 April 2023 – but don't put it off! Start now!The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people … you create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects. So put on your thinking caps and get to work ... and by the way, the prizes are incredibly generous!To read the ePOP entry guidelines – as well as watch videos from previous years – go to the ePOP website.Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more.There's Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with!To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you'll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here.Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!And don't forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven't yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).There's a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don't like to do!We have two new RFI Listeners Club members to welcome: Karuna Kanta Paul from West Bengal, India, and Jahangir Alam from Naogaon, Bangladesh.Welcome, Karuna! Welcome Jahangir! So glad you have joined us! Be sure you join the RFI Listeners Club Facebook page!You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I'll send you a membership number. It's that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you receive a premium prize, AND, you can join our Facebook page, the RFI Listeners Club page. You must ask to join the group, and you must furnish your RFI Listeners Club membership number. I'll approve you, and off you go!This week's quiz: On 28 January, I asked you a question about our article “Sierra Leone passes gender law reserving 30 percent of jobs for women”.The country's president, Julius Maada Bio, had just signed into law the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act, which will guarantee more equal treatment of women in the workplace and the government.You were to re-read our article and answer these two questions: how many women are currently members of Sierra Leone's parliament, and how many women are currently serving in President Bio's 32-member cabinet?The answer is, to quote our article: “The country has only 18 woman MPs and only four members of Bio's 32-member cabinet are women.”Let's see how quickly those numbers change. Go Sierra Leone!In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite holiday?”Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!  The winners are: Nadira Begum, who's a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Nadira is also the winner of this week's bonus question: “What is your favorite holiday?”Congratulations, Nadira!Also on the list of lucky winners this week are two Sierra Leoneans: Abdulai Saiku Bah, the president of the RFI Club Freetown in Sierra Leone, and RFI Listeners Club member Yeami Sanday John Turay, also from Freetown. Great news from your country, my friends!Rounding out the list are RFI Listeners Club member Samir Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata, India, and RFI English listener Kumar Sankar Adhikary from Nadia, India.Congratulations winners!Here's the music you heard on this week's programme: "Dancing Penguin" by George Reshetar, played by Paul Barton; “Bye Bye Blackbird” by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon, performed by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, and Red Garland; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov;  “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy performed by the composer, and John Coltrane/ Hervé Samb's  “Giant Steps / Bëg Tekki”,  performed by Hervé Samb, N'dongo D, and Mike Ladd.Do you have a musical request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr This week's question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, re-read Ollia Horton's article “Meet the African comic book heroes taking the world by storm”, to help you with the answer.You have until 20 March to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 25 March podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.Send your answers to:english.service@rfi.frorSusan OwensbyRFI – The Sound Kitchen80, rue Camille Desmoulins92130 Issy-les-MoulineauxFranceorBy text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country's international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don't forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here.  

On Daybreak Africa: Sierra Leone's opposition All People's Congress (APC) Monday announced that they have picked Samura Kamara to re-challenge President Julius Maada Bio in June's presidential race. Plus, U.S. President Joe Biden will Tuesday speak on Washington's efforts to support Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, soon after his surprise visit to the warn ridden nation on Monday. For this and more, stay tuned to Daybreak Africa!

With inflation rising steeply in Sierra Leone, so too is the price of food, gas and electricity.Sixty percent of the population lives in poverty, and the increasing cost of living is worsening the financial struggles people already face.Earlier this month, a crisis erupted in the West African nation. Hundreds of people took to the streets in frustration at the economic hardship. Protests turned violent and led to deaths.Will the violence end peacefully before a general election next year? The president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, talks to Al Jazeera.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

Avec la flambée des prix sur les marchés et la menace de crises financière et alimentaire sur le continent, l'inquiétude et les protestations se multiplient. Quelles sont les urgences et les priorités pour éviter l'explosion sociale ? Comment financer de façon efficiente les économies africaines pour être moins dépendants des autres ?  Avec la participation de :  - Macky Sall, président du Sénégal et président de l'Union africaine - Julius Maada Bio, président de la République de Sierra Leone - Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, vice-président de la République de Côte d'Ivoire - Axel Van Trotsenburg, directeur général des opérations de la Banque mondiale.

Sierra Leone's information minister has defended plans to decriminalise abortion. Rahman Swaray says it was not a gimmick and the government intended to pass the legislation. He says that 14% of those who die during childbirth did so because of unsafe abortions - many of them teenagers. President Julius Maada Bio says his government would try again at a time when sexual reproductive rights for women were under attack - a reference to the US Supreme Court's recent overturning a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

14 de octubre | Nueva YorkHola, maricoper. Vuelvo a viajar este fin de semana, pero esta vez al calor de Miami, epicentro del descontrol desde el verano pasado (doy fe, estuve en julio de 2020 y aquello era un desenfreno inhumano). Wenta, of course, no se puede venir conmigo esta vez porque no la podría sacar de fiesta. ¿Alguien me la cuida hasta el lunes? Gracias.Bienvenido a La Wikly diaria, una columna de actualidad y dos titulares rápidos para pasar el resto del día bien informado. Si quieres comentar las noticias en nuestra comunidad privada de Discord, puedes entrar rellenando este formulario.El podcast de La Wikly también está disponible en iTunes, Spotify y iVoox.* Añade el podcast a tu plataforma favorita haciendo click en el botón “Listen in podcast app” que aparece justo debajo del reproductor.Leer esta newsletter te llevará 6 minutos y 46 segundos.Tenemos que hablar de Let's go Brandon. Bienvenido a La Wikly.

Sierra Leone has formally abolished the death penalty after President Julius Maada Bio signed into law a new measure outlawing capital punishment that was agreed by MPs in July.The president says as a nation, they have exorcised horrors of a cruel past while affirming their belief in the sanctity of life.Rights group Amnesty International says that last year 39 death sentences were handed down.Amnesty says Death sentences have often been commuted, but by the end of last year, 94 people were still on death row.

Sierra Leone has formally abolished the death penalty after President Julius Maada Bio signed into law a new measure outlawing capital punishment that was agreed by MPs in July.The president says as a nation, they have exorcised horrors of a cruel past while affirming their belief in the sanctity of life.Rights group Amnesty International says that last year 39 death sentences were handed down.Amnesty says Death sentences have often been commuted, but by the end of last year, 94 people were still on death row.

Sierra Leone has formally abolished the death penalty after President Julius Maada Bio signed into law a new measure outlawing capital punishment that was agreed by MPs in July.The president says as a nation, they have exorcised horrors of a cruel past while affirming their belief in the sanctity of life.Rights group Amnesty International says that last year 39 death sentences were handed down.Amnesty says Death sentences have often been commuted, but by the end of last year, 94 people were still on death row.

Nigeria's Ambassador to Sierra Leone Henry Omaku has restated President Muhammadu Buhari's firm commitment to assisting Sierra Leone.He restated the commitment when he presented his letter of credence to President Julius Maada Bio on Saturday in the Country's capital, Freetown.Mr Omaku reiterated the relationship that both countries have and assured to sustain it in their interest.Nigeria's high commissioner who felicitated with President Julius over his country's 60th anniversary, offered himself to be a part of its nation-building policies.President Julius says his country remains indebted to Nigeria for its support which centres on peacebuilding, health and Education.

줄리우스 마아다 비오는 시에라 리온에서 1996년 시민들의 삶의 질을 발전시키기 위하여, 처음 권력을 잡았다. 하지만 그는 곧 민주화가 성공하기 위해서는, 국가의 기틀에 사람들의 의견이 반영되야 한다는 것을 깨달았다. 선거제를 제도화한 후, 그는 권력을 자의로 포기하고 아프리카를 떠났다. 20년 후, 민주적으로 시에라 리온의 대통령직에 당선된 후, 그는 민주화를 향했던 느린 과정, 모두를 위한 교육의 중요성, 그리고 시에라 리온의 젊은 세대들이 번창하기 위한 그의 목표를 재고한다.