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The French president is embarking on a three-day trip of western Africa aimed at boosting France's regional influence, stemming the continent's migrant exodus and bolstering the fight against violent Islamist militancy in the Sahel.

The visit was marred by an attempted attack on French troops in the capital Ouagadougou just hours before Macron's arrival.

"Two hooded individuals on a motorcycle threw a grenade towards a French army vehicle" as it made its way to a barracks housing French special forces, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Three residents were wounded, one seriously, in the attack which took place at 8:00 pm local time (2000 GMT), the source added.

"The attackers' target was the French army vehicle, which was not hit," the source said.

Macron flew into Ouagadougou three hours later for a trip that will take in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast -- two former French colonies that deposed strongmen leaders in recent years -- as well as to Ghana.
Phasing out the CFA franc

Since his election six months ago, Macron has made a few nods to Africa. His first overseas trip was to Mali, where 4,000 French troops have been deployed to fight Islamist groups. He has apologised for some aspects of France’s colonial past and called for the gradual phasing out of the CFA franc – a currency pegged to the Euro used in 14 African countries which some see as a guarantor of stability but which others criticise for being a relic of colonialism.

Making true on a campaign promise, he set up a special council on Africa (CPA) this summer made up of young business people with ties to both France and Africa. These special advisors have been meeting up once a week since August to advise him on how to bolster France’s image on the continent.

These counsels will be part of the French delegation following Macron this week.

“They will observe how the speech is received on Tuesday, and over the next few months, they will take part in the implementation of the pledges that Macron will make. Following up on the speech is for us just as important as the speech itself,” French government sources said.

First French president to visit Ghana

After Burkino Fasso, Macron will attend an African – European Union Summit in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast on Wednesday and Thursday. The focus will be on migration and security but the summit is likely to be overshadowed by revelations of slave auctions in Libya by CNN last week. The network’s footage drew criticism across the continent about politicians’ failure to do more against human trafficking.

In Abidjan, the president will also lay the cornerstone of the city's metro system for which Paris has provided a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) loan.

The French leader’s last, but significant stop on Thursday, will be in Ghana, a stable former British colony out of France’s sphere of influence. Macron is the first French president to go to this West African nation, where he hopes to boost economic ties.

A former investment banker and fluent English speaker, Macron will be able to draw on his own experience. As a student, he interned for six months at France's embassy in Nigeria.

“The choice of Ghana will illustrate our approach to Africa and our ambition to build ties with Anglophone Africa,” said a source close to the president. “He will outline a ‘new vision of la ‘Francophonie ‘ [a term used to describe a network of French-speaking countries around the world similar to the Commonwealth] which is less defensive, but a factor of integration between Francophone and Anglophone Africa.”

But Macron’s efforts may struggle to convince.

“Nearly 60 years after African independence, France and Francophone Africa remain entangled beyond separation,”

Source: France24

Details: Rita Akana; 28.Nov.2017; Hits: 1641

Kenyan security forces fired teargas to control crowds trying to force their way into a stadium for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s inauguration on Tuesday, as riot police sealed off an area where the opposition planned to hold a rival rally.

Kenyatta won a second five-year term on Oct. 26 in a repeat presidential election boycotted by opposition leader Raila Odinga, who said it would not be free and fair.

The Supreme Court nullified the first presidential election, in August, over irregularities.

The extended election season has divided Kenya, a Western ally in a volatile region, and blunted growth in East Africa’s richest economy.

Supporters of Kenyatta - who won with 98 percent of the vote after Odinga’s boycott - are urging the opposition to engage in talks and move on.

“Our responsibility after the political competition is to come together and work to build the nation,” Kenyatta told a church service on Sunday.

Hours before the inauguration was due to start, 60,000 Kenyatta supporters, many clad in the red and yellow Jubilee party colours and carrying Kenyan flags, filled the stadium where the ceremony will take place.

Others, chafing at being kept outside, overwhelmed police and streamed in. Officers then fired teargas in a bid to control them.

“I’m sure Uhuru will be able to bring people together and unite them so we can all work for the country,” said Eunice Jerobon, a trader who travelled overnight from the Rift Valley town of Kapsabet for the inauguration, before the disturbance.

But Odinga supporters say such talk of unity is tantamount to surrender. They accuse the ruling party of stealing the election, rampant corruption, directing abuse by the security forces and neglecting vast swathes of the country, including Odinga’s heartland in the west.

“A return to the political backwardness of our past is more than unacceptable. It is intolerable ... This divide cannot be bridged by dialogue and compromise,” Odinga’s National Super Alliance opposition alliance said in a statement.

The opposition planned to hold a prayer meeting in the capital on Tuesday, saying it wanted to commemorate the lives of Odinga supporters killed during confrontations with the security forces over the election period.

More than 70 people have been killed in political violence this election season, mostly by the police.

But a Reuters team at the scene of the planned rally said it had been sealed off by seven truck loads of police. Two water cannons were standing by.

Police began firing teargas in nearby residential areas two hours before the rally was due to start, apparently attempting to prevent opposition supporters from gathering.

Reuters

Details: Rita Akana; 28.Nov.2017; Hits: 1194

Zimbabwe has officially declared 21 February to be Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day, thereby making the former president's birthday a public holiday, the BBC reported quoting the Herald newspaper.

Details: Tasha S.T; 28.Nov.2017; Hits: 1110

The Director General of General Express, has responded to Mebe Ngo’o’s authorisation with no delay, by publishing a program for the resumption of activities of the Travel agency, that has not been functional for about a month now.

Details: Emergency Admin; 28.Nov.2017; Hits: 1635

Jeune Afrique took so much energy and space just to praise Minister Atanga Nji whose reputation has been soiled severely of late.

Details: Tasha S.T; 27.Nov.2017; Hits: 1756

Minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o has released a communiqué this Monday which reduces the suspension of the General express travel agency from three months to one month.

Details: Emergency Admin; 27.Nov.2017; Hits: 2205

The National aviation company in Cameroon, Camair-co, have announced the re-opening of two lines towards West Africa as from 15 December 2017.

Details: Emergency Admin; 27.Nov.2017; Hits: 2174

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