BUKAVU, CONGO — Three Chinese nationals have been sentenced to seven years in prison in the Congo’s east after being arrested in possession of gold bars and large sums of cash. 

The court sentenced the men late Tuesday for the illegal purchase and illegal possession of minerals in Bukavu, the capital of the gold-rich South Kivu province. 

The three men, who presented themselves during the trial as simple traders, were arrested in early January in a car.  

They were carrying 10 gold bars and $400,000 in cash, all of which was seized. 

The Bukavu court condemned the men to prison and handed them a fine of $600,000 for “illegal purchase and possession of mineral substances, lack of transparency, traceability in the exercise of mining activities and money laundering.” 

The charge of “illicit exploitation of minerals” was not retained, but they were found guilty of “illegal stay” in the Congo. 

Their lawyer did not respond to comment when contacted by AFP. 

Hundreds of mining companies, most of which are Chinese, extract gold in the resource-rich province without declaring profits and often without valid permits, according to local authorities.  

Last year the local government declared it was suspending the activities of mining companies that did not comply with Congolese law. 

At the start of the year several hundred people in Bukavu protested against illegal mining in the region, demanding that the country’s riches be used to help local communities. 

The eastern Congo is abundant with reserves of gold, diamonds and minerals which are widely used in manufacturing mobile phones and electric cars.  

This mineral wealth is at the heart of conflicts that have plagued the region for 30 years, which intensified at the end of 2021 with the resurgence of the M23 armed group. 

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 and of trying to get its hands on the region’s resources.
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AWASH FENTALE, AFAR REGION, ETHIOPIA — A semi-desert plain that lies between two rugged mountains has, for about five months, been the epicenter of volcanic activity in Ethiopia’s Afar region.

From a distance, it looks serene and peaceful. As you approach, however, you’re met with rifts from the strong land vibrations that occur two to three times every week. Smoke billows from a deep hole beneath the ground. Nearby holes spit out hot mud and water. The water smells like sulfuric acid from a kilometer away.

The locals call it “Seganto,” which also means the name of the plant that commonly grows in this small area between the Dofan and Fentale mountains, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region. Both mountains have volcanic activity and small lakes on their peaks. Fentale mountain is distinctive, with smoke billowing from the top.

Nearly two weeks ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 struck the region. The vibration from the quake was felt in nearby towns such as Awash Sebat Kilo and Awash Arba, about 220 kilometers from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Many have been displaced so far, and Ado Ali, a resident in Awash Fentale and a mother of four, said it was time to go.

“We heard a big noise from the ground; it sounds like gun salute,” she said. “Our animals get shocked. We were praying to get out safely.”

It was the same story for Hassan Kamil, a Seganto resident who was particularly worried about the potential for a bigger eruption.

“Dofan mountain is the one behind me, and Fentale is the one in front of me; the rift created following the earthquake is now going from Dofan to Fentale mountain,” he said. “The holes through which the explosion is being seen used to be few; now there are more than 10 in this place in Seganto Kebele alone.”

Another resident of Awash Fentale; Ahmed Hisis, said his house was destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

“To this day, the vibration is demolishing homes, creating cracks,” he said.

Hisis said he does not feel safe as the vibration is ongoing.

Evacuations

The explosions in December led to the exodus of the estimated 10,000 community members living in Seganto. Today, Seganto remains empty. Hassan Kamil Konte, a community elder, fled and now lives in a nearby shelter as the community relocates the residents.

The earthquake activity has destroyed most local infrastructure. The shock following the ground shaking demolished 37 schools and forced 5,000 students from their classrooms, according to Moussa Adam, deputy head of the Afar National Regional State Education Bureau. A state-run sugar factory with more than 4,000 employees ceased operation as locals fled the area, the local administration said.

Last week, the Ethiopian federal government announced plans to evacuate at least 80,000 residents from the spots of the active volcano sites in Afar and the nearby localities of the Oromia and Amhara regions.

Officials say the majority of the targeted residents in the most affected Afar region have left the active volcanic sites.

“We have managed to evacuate at least 54,000 people so far, our aim is to relocate the victims from the active volcanic sites, and we are succeeding,” Moussa told VOA.

Humanitarian needs

Residents are now getting into local internally displaced centers at nearby Awash Arba town and waiting for help from the state and humanitarian agencies.

Despite living in the shelter for more than a week, some say they still do not have their basic needs met. Fakir Mohammed is among them.

“The situation is tough as you can see. Many did not get shelters, drinking water is also not adequate,” he told VOA. He said the government is trying to provide resources but the number of the people in need exceeds resources available.

Balli Hasan, a mother of three, also said she is happy to have escaped from the active earthquake spot, but as the shelter is not able to protect her children from the sun, the situation in the camp is still a challenge, she said.

Officials try to meet needs

Moussa, the Afar regional official said the state is trying to fill the need for the people in shelters.

“The Ethiopian Disaster and Risk Management Commission, together with other humanitarian NGOs are providing help. Newcomers may not be able to get food the day they arrive as they have to go through a process of registration, but, we have not encountered human death due to hunger,” Moussa said.

The people displaced because of the earthquake said they still do not feel safe because they are not far from the epicenter of the active volcano. Some newly built shelters for the displaced are just 10 kilometers from the epicenter of the recent eruption.

But the government said the displaced are being relocated to safer areas following strict review by experts from Samara University.

The Ethiopian Disaster and Risk Management Commission said it is working to provide help for the communities affected by the recent active earthquake. According to a statement from the commission, more than $2.2 million (280 million Birr) in food and nonfood items has been dispatched to crisis sites in Afar, and the Oromia and Amhara regions to reach people in need.

This story originated in VOA’s Horn of Africa service.
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A Kenyan company is using the age-old art of glass blowing to recycle waste into sculptures, goblets, beads and more. Juma Majanga reports from Kajiado, Kenya.
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Dakar, Senegal — At least 40 farmers were killed in an attack by Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, a government official said Monday.

The attack Sunday was suspected to have been carried out by extremists from the Boko Haram group and its breakaway faction that is loyal to the Islamic State group in Borno’s Dumba community, said Borno state Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum.

He warned civilians to stay within designated “safe zones” that have been cleared by the army of both extremists and munitions.

Zulum also called for an investigation into the attack by the armed forces.

“Let me assure the citizens of Borno that this matter will be thoroughly investigated for further necessary action. Let me use this opportunity to call on the armed forces to track and deal decisively with the perpetrators of this heinous act of violence against our innocent citizens,” he said.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict, now Africa’s longest struggle with militancy, has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors.

Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million have been displaced in the northeastern region, according to the U.N. The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in the village of Chibok in Borno state — the epicenter of the conflict — captured the attention of the world.
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WASHINGTON — Somalia announced that obstacles to Ethiopia’s participation in the new African Union mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) have been overcome, and the final stage of the composition and size of Ethiopian forces is expected to be sorted out shortly.

Somalia previously threatened to expel Ethiopian troops from the African Union peacekeeping mission unless Ethiopia renounced its controversial memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia.

Under the terms of the MOU, Somaliland would lease about 20 kilometers (12 miles) of its Gulf of Aden coastline to landlocked Ethiopia’s naval forces and in exchange — according to Somaliland officials — Ethiopia would begin a process considering the official recognition of Somaliland’s independence.

However, Ali Omar Balcad, Somalia’s state foreign minister told VOA that the obstacles posed by the MOU, which had hindered Ethiopia’s participation in AUSSOM, have now been overcome.

The minister said the current challenge lies in reallocating the number of troops assigned to AUSSOM, which were previously distributed to other countries.

“A Somali delegation will visit Ethiopia on Jan. 15, to proceed and finalize the technical details for their involvement and the number,” Balcad told VOA.

Restoration of diplomatic ties

The development comes after a two-day visit by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Addis Ababa, during which he held discussions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The leaders agreed to mend diplomatic ties strained by Ethiopia’s MOU with Somaliland.

“After in-depth discussions, Somali President Hassan Mohamud and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations,” Balcad said in an interview with VOA.

“Somalia’s ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa will also serve as Somalia’s new ambassador to Ethiopia. In return, Ethiopia will send a new ambassador to Somalia and assign consular representatives to Hargeisa and Garowe,” Balcad added.

The diplomatic relationship between the two nations was damaged last year when Somalia declared the MOU between Ethiopia and Somaliland to be “null and void” and a violation of its sovereignty.

The fallout led to the expulsion of Ethiopia’s ambassador to Somalia and the order to close Ethiopian consulates in Hargeisa and Garowe, although both consulates continue to operate.

In a joint communique issued Saturday, the two leaders pledged to “restore and enhance” bilateral relations through full diplomatic representation. Both leaders emphasized that regional stability hinges on strong cooperation built on mutual trust and respect.

Turkey played a pivotal role in mediating between the two sides. Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan facilitated a meeting in Ankara between President Mohamud and Prime Minister Ahmed, where both parties reaffirmed their commitment to mutual sovereignty and territorial integrity in what is being called the Ankara Declaration.

The Somali minister said the trade, port access and sea routes are set to be key topics at a meeting scheduled for next month in Ankara, building on the discussions from last month’s agreement.

Egypt and Red Sea tensions

Meanwhile, Egypt declared Saturday that it will not accept any military or naval presence in the Red Sea from non-bordering countries. The remarks, made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a news conference with his Somali and Eritrean counterparts, underscore Egypt’s growing concerns over Ethiopia’s regional influence.

 “We will not allow landlocked countries to set up [a] military presence along the Red Sea. Such moves would affect the security arrangement in the deep waters,” Abdelatty said.

Somalia’s foreign minister Balcad told VOA he is aware of Egypt’s remarks, emphasizing that Somalia is not directly involved in the Red Sea issue, as it does not share a border with the waterway.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden which runs along Somalia’s coastline.

“We maintain independent relations with Cairo and Addis Ababa, and we don’t believe one harms the other,” Balcad said.

Falastine Iman contributed to this report.
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MORONI — Voters in Comoros were heading to the polls on Sunday to elect the Indian Ocean archipelago’s 33-seat parliament, a year after the reelection of President Azali Assoumani in a poll which the opposition alleged was marred by widespread irregularities.  

Officials from the ruling party have denied those allegations.  

Polling stations opened early on Sunday and voters, numbering some 338,000 according to the polling body, started casting their ballots at 8 a.m. Comoros last had parliamentary elections in January 2020. 

Nearly 100 candidates were selected by the country’s Supreme Court to contest the election. 

Assoumani’s opponents accuse him of authoritarian excesses and suspect him of wanting to prepare his eldest son, Nour El-Fath, to replace him when his term ends in 2029. Assoumani has been ruling Comoros since 1999 when he came to power through a coup. He has since won three elections. 

Last year Assoumani granted his son sweeping new powers, putting him in charge of coordinating all government affairs. 

Some opposition parties, such as Juwa, led by former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022, have called for the boycott of the polls, although others have rejected that plea.  

“The Azali regime is weakened … by participating in these elections we are contributing to further exposing the flaws in its system and accelerating its inevitable fall,” Hamidou Karihila, who is contesting the election for the opposition Hope of the Comoros party, told Reuters.  

Polls are due to close at 4 p.m. and results are expected by Jan. 17. 

 
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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday, exactly a month to the day since the two countries’ leaders reached an agreement aimed at ending a bitter, yearlong dispute.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he received Mohamud at the Addis Ababa airport.

The Somali president’s office earlier published a statement confirming Mohamud’s visit to Addis Ababa at the invitation of Ethiopia’s leader. “The discussions with the Ethiopian leadership aim to strengthen bilateral relations and advance shared priorities,” the statement said.

Ethiopia and Somalia reached a diplomatic agreement on Dec. 11 called the “Ankara Declaration” following a heated diplomatic dispute ignited over a controversial maritime access deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway Somalian region of Somaliland.

Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 1, 2024, with Somaliland allowing it to lease 20 kilometers of seafront for 50 years in return for diplomatic recognition, Somaliland officials said.

The Somali government rejected the deal, calling it “null and void,” and accused Ethiopia of “blatant violation” of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Under the Ankara Declaration, mediated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.

In addition, the two sides also agreed to work together to finalize “mutually advantageous commercial arrangements through bilateral agreements, including contract, lease and similar modalities, which will allow the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to enjoy reliable, secure and sustainable access to and from the sea, under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”

In the streets of Addis Ababa, photos of the Somali leader were posted on electronic boards on major streets, according to a VOA reporter in Addis Ababa.

“Welcome President Sheikh Mahmoud,” was written under one of the photos. The flags of Somalia and Ethiopia were flown.

The roads leading from Bole Airport to the palace were guarded by Ethiopia’s Federal Police.

Somalia said Mohamud’s visit, which is his first since alleging he was “prevented” from entering the African Union headquarters in February 2024 by Ethiopian security forces, “builds on” the Ankara agreement.

Prior to the trip to Addis Ababa, Mohamud visited Kampala, Uganda, for a continental summit on agricultural development, where he met with President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan President William Ruto, two leaders who at one point attempted to mediate between Somalia and Ethiopia before the Ankara Declaration emerged.

“The president’s diplomatic engagement are part of a broader regional tour, which includes recent productive visits to Eritrea and Djibouti,” the statement from Villa Somalia said.

Commenting on the meeting with Mohamud, Ruto said relations between the two countries have “progressively deepened” since Somalia joined the regional economic bloc East African Community last year.

“Our two countries are doing more business than before, with Somalia buying goods worth KSh5 billion [$38 million] in the first nine months of 2024,” he posted.

“On peace and security, Kenya, and indeed the region, will continue to be engaged in collaborative efforts to ensure stability in Somalia,” Ruto said.
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ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered a probe into last week’s terrorist attacks on a military base in Damboa, Northeast Borno State, that killed six troops. In a statement Thursday, Tinubu said the investigation will help identify security lapses to avoid future occurrences.

The president’s statement — released Thursday by his information adviser Bayo Onanuga — called for a comprehensive investigation into the attack on the military base at Sabon Gida, Damboa.

According to the Nigerian military, Islamic State of West Africa Province militants masterminded the ambush, killing six soldiers on Jan. 4.

Authorities say the investigation will focus on identifying possible intelligence gaps and operational inefficiencies that may have contributed to the incident.

But Beacon Security analyst Kabir Adamu said the president must be clear about the probe’s objective.

“It depends on who’s going to conduct the probe,” said Adamu. “If it’s the military themselves, my honest opinion is that it’s because of their lapses that led to the attack, so I don’t expect them to do an effective probe. I would expect an external body or even the national assembly to set up a parliamentary committee. Ordering a probe without really the details of what, who, when, and how the probe will be conducted is a bit vague.”

The president also praised the swift intervention of security forces, particularly their air units, during the attack.

He sent condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and ordered the military to intensify its operations against bandits and terrorists.

The attack occurred amid ongoing progress in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts. According to Adamu, that may have been a factor in the terrorists’ mission.

“This particular forward operating base is the only one in that location, sandwiched between Alagano and Sambisa Forest. They wanted to cripple the activity of the military which would give them access to about five local governments in southern Borno,” said Adamu. “I don’t see it as a resurgence because it is just one incident. That forward operating base has always been vulnerable.”

Nigeria faces significant security challenges from terrorist groups and criminal gangs, particularly in the northwest and central regions.

In November, national defense authorities reported military successes, including the deaths of about 115 terrorists and the arrest of hundreds more.

However, security analyst Ebenezer Oyetakin said continued vigilance is needed.

“Since President Bola Tinubu took over, there have been drastic moves to contain them, and we are seeing it in the successes that are being recorded by our military, [but] we are at war, and we should be alert at all times,” said Oyetakin. “There have been many other probes in the past, and we are still where we are.”

As Nigerian authorities work to secure the nation, many will be watching to see whether this latest investigation leads to tangible improvements.
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NAIROBI, KENYA — Africa’s agriculture ministers are meeting in Uganda this week to discuss the best way to transform the continent’s food production systems. The ministers hope to agree on a 10-year action plan to reduce Africa’s reliance on food from outside the continent and adapt its farming practices to climate change and modern technology.

The ministers and more than 2,000 delegates are meeting in Kampala to discuss sustainable agriculture and food production systems.

Speaking at the opening of the summit, Uganda’s prime minister, Robinah Nabbanja, urged ministers to provide policies and solutions that can make the continent food self-reliant.

“As the continent’s agriculture sector ministers, I urge you to deliberately work to reduce Africa’s over-reliance on food imports from outside of the continent,” Nabbanja said. “We must position the continent in such a manner that our agriculture sector is resilient to climate change as well as other shocks and is adaptive to advances in technology.”

In recent years, Africa has witnessed a sharp increase in food prices due to droughts, floods, conflict and climate change.

According to the U.N. trade and development agency UNCTAD, the number of people experiencing food insecurity worldwide increased from 512 million in 2014 to more than 790 million in 2021.

The African ministers are meeting in Uganda again to review strategies for food security in the next 10 years, given the changing weather, people’s food preferences, increased conflicts and shrinking agricultural farmlands.

Despite the challenges ahead, David Nabarro, co-founder of the 4SD Foundation, an organization that works on the transformation of food systems, said that with cooperation between countries and organizations, Africa has the capacity to be food self-sufficient.

“This could lead Africa as a region becoming less of a region that needs to import nutritious food for its people and move to a situation perhaps in 10 years where it can be self-sufficient or even in some cases more exporting,” Nabarro said. “So individual African country’s examples would be brought together and shared because the whole cadre approach is where you monitor progress and share that progress between countries and use that as a way to bring everybody’s standards up higher.”

The director of the Institute of Livestock and Research Institute, Appolinaire Djikeng, said strong collaboration and greater investments in agriculture by African governments could bring lasting change in Africa’s food production.

“The food systems transformations and food systems challenges demonstrated that one organization cannot do it alone,” Djikeng said. “It is about a coalition, and I want to see that part strengthened. But more importantly, I would like to see governments really investing, committing to invest in the national budget to develop agriculture and building capacities so that we have people who are trained, we have institutions, but also linking that to policy, we need to see the right policy.”

According to analysts who track the progress of the goals and targets of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), several countries, such as Benin, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Malawi, have spent more than 10% of their budgets to improve their agriculture sectors.

The summit ends Saturday, and heads of state are expected to attend and endorse a CAADP strategy and action plan that could shape the continent’s food systems for 10 years beginning in 2026.
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YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chadian troops were heavily deployed around the capital, N’Djamena, Thursday as officials said they were investigating a failed attack on the country’s presidential palace.

Government troops foiled an attack by 24 heavily armed assailants on Wednesday night, officials said. President Mahamat Idriss Deby was in the palace at the time, they said, but is in good health.

Eighteen attackers were killed on the spot, and the body of one attacker was found Thursday morning on the city’s streets, the military reported, adding that one member of the presidential guard died in the assault and two others were injured.

Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah told state TV that some 10 suspects were arrested.

Koulamallah said that the reason for the attack is still undetermined but that it had nothing to do with a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang met with Deby hours earlier in the palace to discuss increased economic and military ties.

The attack took place after Chad’s government on Wednesday reiterated an order, first issued last month, for French troops stationed in the country to leave by Jan. 31.

The reiteration followed remarks this week by French President Emmanuel Macron that African countries were ungrateful for France’s role in helping to fight jihadist insurgencies. In response, Deby said that Chad is not benefiting much from military agreements with Paris and that the order for French troops to leave was irreversible and nonnegotiable.

Government officials said reports on social media that the attack was carried out by armed groups that benefit from the presence of French troops and oppose military ties between Chad and China are unfounded.

The unusual presence of large numbers of government troops, tactical vehicles and armored cars unsettled some residents of N’djamena, but Chadian state TV advised people to remain calm. The message, broadcast several times Thursday, said people should go about their daily activities without fear.

Regardless, 27–year-old food seller Maimouna Yebgi said the presence of government troops on the streets scared people. Yebgi suggested that the troops would be better placed in villages outside the city center where the armed gangs that attacked the palace may be hiding.
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washington — The White House described Sudan’s civil war as a genocide Wednesday, a day after Washington placed sanctions on the nation’s rebel leader for his forces’ “horrific, systematic atrocities” in a conflict that has gripped the nation for more than two years, killing tens of thousands of people and driving millions from their homes.

“This is the second genocide in a generation in Sudan,” said John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

He was referring to the brutal Darfur conflict, in which Sudanese Arab Janjaweed militias used scorched-earth tactics on the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people of western Sudan, killing at least 200,000. The scale and horror of the violence prompted the International Criminal Court to issue its first-ever warrant for genocide to Sudan’s then-president, Omar al-Bashir.

“Just think about that for a second,” Kirby said. “The second genocide in a generation in Sudan.”

Kirby named Rapid Support Forces leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa as the leader of a wave of renewed ethnic cleansing, rape and systemic atrocities. Daglo, who is better known by his nickname, Hemedti, was a commander in the Janjaweed militia. He led the paramilitary RSF until an April 2023 clash with government forces that sparked the current conflict.

The violence has plunged nearly 640,000 people in the oil-rich nation into famine, the State Department says. The United Nations estimates that 30 million people — more than half of Sudan’s population — need humanitarian assistance as a result.

The U.S. sanctions target Hemedti, along with seven RSF-owned companies in the United Arab Emirates and one other individual. Among other things, the State Department said in its announcement, the sanctions block Hemedti and his immediate family members from entering the United States.

The Khartoum-based Sudan Times cited an adviser to Hemedti who said, on social media, that sanctions could hamper efforts to resolve the conflict.

Rights groups applauded the sanctions. Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch, called the State Department’s move “the first step toward redefining U.S. policy in Sudan with accountability and civilian protection at the center.”

She added, “We hope to see more pressure from the United States on the parties to the conflict and U.S. allies to respond to past and ongoing atrocities and human suffering.”

Brian Adeba, a senior adviser at The Sentry, a Washington-based investigative organization that tracks war crimes and human rights abuses, told VOA’s John Tanza that this was the strongest move Washington had made on Khartoum since conflict erupted in 2023.

“It is welcome, but a lot of work needs to be put into ensuring that the culprits that are committing the mass atrocities are held accountable,” he said.

Adeba said it was significant that the U.S. sanctions also targeted seven Emirati firms seen to be supporting the RSF.

“And so, this one closes the loop. Not only does it target the perpetrator but also the enabler, and therefore it puts a lot of pressure on also the international community to take action against the RSF,” he said.

 
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YAOUNDE — Chad’s government has reiterated its order for French troops to withdraw from the central African country before the end of this month, following remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron that African countries are ungrateful for France’s role in helping to fight jihadist insurgencies.

Macron said on Monday that France did the right thing by deploying its military to the Sahel region but that the region failed to say thank you. Macron said the states of the Sahel region would have fallen under the control of jihadist insurgencies and would not be sovereign today without French intervention.

Macron’s statements sparked a wave of anger and disbelief across Africa. Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby said Tuesday that Macron’s declaration dishonored and disrespected Africa. Deby accused Macron of being in the wrong era — and said that France has until the end of January to withdraw its troops.

A special commission created by Chad’s government to supervise the withdrawal of French troops also met in N’Djamena. Chadian Prime Minister Allamaye Halina, who chaired the meeting, said Macron’s statements are an insult to Africa, which deployed over 200,000 soldiers conscripted from French colonies to help France battle Nazi Germany during World War II.

Halina said France never gave significant assistance to Chadian troops, adding that Paris often focused only on achieving what he called French strategic interests.

Caman Bedaou Oumar, a political affairs consultant and researcher at Chad’s Consortium for International Migration Studies, said there is an unprecedented wave of growing anti-French sentiment all over Africa, especially in Mali, Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Niger, Gabon and Chad.

Oumar said those nations, in particular, were places where France attempts to dominate politics by imposing people loyal to Paris as presidents. He said African countries are sovereign nations with militaries strong enough to assure the integrity of their territories.

He added that Africans see the presence of France in countries that are rich in natural resources such as gold, uranium and oil as exploitative.

France says its troops are in Africa to fight Islamic State and other terrorist groups. In 2012, French troops helped drive out Islamist militants who had seized control of northern Mali.

But Senegal’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, said Macron’s assertion that France is helping Africa to maintain peace and protect its sovereignty is wrong.

In addition to Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast have demanded the departure of French troops from their territory.

Chad says several hundred of about 1,000 French troops have left the central African state within the past month. France handed over its military base at Faya-Largeau in northern Chad as part of the withdrawal last month, according to Chadian officials.

Several hundred youths assembled in Chad’s capital, N’djamena, Wednesday to express their dissatisfaction at Macron’s comments.

Secondary school teacher Hassan Dibunge said it is high time African countries assume full independence by ordering French troops out of their territories and making sure France does not exploit them economically.

The 32-year-old said Africans can reorganize their armies and protect their territories without the presence of what he called ‘’exploitative’’ French troops.
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