Rebel fighters in the Tigray region of Ethiopia have taken control of the regional capital Mekelle from government troops which have since called for a ceasefire.
Ethiopia announced a “unilateral ceasefire” in Tigray on Monday after the rebels seized the city of Mekelle.
The government said it was pausing its operations in the region to avoid disruptions to the farming season and distribution of humanitarian aid to the starving citizens.
The rebel fighters have also gained control of the town of Shire which is about 140km to the north-west. The take over comes after Eritrean troops backing the Ethiopian army abandoned the city.
The eight-month fight between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and government forces has claimed thousands of lives, millions displaced and up-to 350,000 exposed to famine.
Mekelle has been under the control federal army since November 28, three weeks after fights broke out with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launching attacks on rebel fighters for killing federal troops.
Supporters of TPLF fighters celebrating the rebel take over of Mekelle town [p/courtesy]But the fights between the pro-Tigray Peoples Liberation Front forces – and the government forces never stopped even with capture of the Tigray capital. Only a few scenes of jubilation were seen in the streets of Mekelle on Tuesday, a day after it fell in the hands of the rebels.
“The city is celebrating, everyone is out dancing,” confirmed the interim administration member. Everyone is excited, there is music in the streets. Everyone has their flags out and the music is playing. I don’t know how they got them, but everyone has fireworks,” a resident told AFP.
And fights are still expected to continue after Getachew Reda who speaks for the rebels told Reuters that their fighters would “destroy the enemy” by crossing into Eritrea and the Ethiopian region of Amhara where militants are backing government forces.
Rebels are taking control of Mekelle after the last bunch of officials from the regional interim administration left the town on Monday. Local media reported that soldiers and federal police were also fleeing the city as the rogue ones looted banks and harassing locals.
Government forces broke into a UNICEF office in Mekele on Monday and confiscated satellite equipment used in carrying out humanitarian work.
“The members of the Ethiopian military entered our office premises in Mekelle ……. and they confiscated our satellite equipment, which we still haven’t recovered up to this point” Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Ethiopia Chief of Communications said.
A Zambian TV presenter interrupted a live news broadcast to claim on-air that he hadn’t been paid by the news station.
On Saturday evening, Kabinda Kalimina was reading out the top news stories on KBN TV News (Kenmark Broadcasting Network) when he made an unexpected accusation on air.
Having taken a deep breath, Mr Kalimina began by stating: ‘Aside from news ladies and gentlemen. We are human beings. We have to get paid.’
He then added: ‘We haven’t been paid,’ referencing himself and other colleagues working for KBN TV.
After Mr Kalimina made his statement on air, the live feed showing him in the studio was cut to the opening montage for the news channel.
Kennedy K Mambwe, the CEO of KBN TV, released a statement on the channel’s Facebook page admonishing Mr Kalimina’s actions.
Mr Mambwe accused Mr Kalimina of being ‘drunk’, stating: ‘As KBN TV, we are appalled with the drunken behaviour exhibited through a video clip that has gone viral on social media and staged by one of our part-time presenters during what should have been the main news bulletin last night.’
The chief executive praised the work of the TV channel’s ‘very highly talented and professional team’, with ‘gallant men and women’ representing the organisation over the past two years.
He stated that KBN TV has ‘very well-established grievance procedures for all members of staff through which they can channel their complaints’.
‘Therefore, last night’s behaviour by Kabinda Kalimina is out of character and does not represent who we are as a station,’ he wrote.
‘We strongly condemn that despicable behaviour and urge members of the public to treat that “One-Night stunt of Fame” with the contempt it deserves.’
Mr Mambwe said that ‘investigations’ are being carried out ‘to determine how a drunken part time presenter found himself on air unabated and disciplinary action will be taken against anyone who may have been party to the scheme’.
On Facebook, Mr Kalimina defended his actions, stating: ‘Yes I did that on live TV, just because most journalists are scared to speak out doesn’t mean journalists shouldn’t speak out.’
'Away from the news, ladies and gentleman…': Journalist Kabinda Kalimina interrupts live feed to complain about lack of pay pic.twitter.com/HEGZSqBXKB
The High Court is investigating South Sudan’s minister of cabinet affairs Elia Lomoro for money laundering after authorities said there have been suspicious transactions being made by the senior South Sudanese government official using its Kenyan bank account.
Justice James Wakiaga issued the orders freezing Martin Elia Lomuro’s bank accounts containing Sh13.42 million following a case filed by Asset Recovery Agency. He is Minister for Cabinet Affairs.
In a case filed by senior state council Stephen Githinji on behalf of ARA director, the agency said Lomuro’s bank account at the Bank made several suspicious transactions pointing to money laundering.
“There is reasonable grounds to believe that the funds held by the respondent in the specified bank account are direct benefits, profits and or proceeds of crime obtained from a complex money laundering scheme and are liable to be forfeited to the state under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2009,” the application reads in part.
In December 2019, the US, through the Treasury’s office of foreign assets control (OFAC) sanctioned Lomuro and his defence counterpart Kuol Manyang Juuk for allegations of fanning violence in the country for their own personal enrichment.
“The United States stands by the people of South Sudan who continue to suffer under this political instability that has led to thousands of deaths. The South Sudanese deserve leaders who are committed to laying the groundwork for a successful, peaceful political transition,” reads the statement by OFAC.
According to a supporting affidavit sworn by Isaac Nakitare, an investigative officer attached to the agency, Lomuro operated two banks accounts at the Bank – one of them a dollar only account.
The dollar account received $351, 317.81 as credit out of which $351, 293.52 was debited for the period September 2017-January 2020, Nakitare said in the affidavit.
It adds, “On December 24, 2019 the respondent instructed Bank to close down his dollar account and send the funds to his local account.”
Further, preliminary analysis of the bank statement for the dollar established a total of $460,896.20 was transferred to Lomuro’s local currency account.
Several transactions were made in the account between January 4, 2018 and January 2, 2020 to the tune of Sh46.20 million.
Nakitare stated in the affidavit that Lomuro made suspicious cash transfers to a bank account held in the name of a Ms Rejah Kedi Ladu Kenyi, an indication that they worked jointly in the suspected money laundering racket.
The probe also revealed that Lomuro’s account had been credited with Sh122.78 million out of which, Sh109.36 was debited.
This left a balance of Sh13.42 million which the agency sought to be preserved. The amount is declared as salary.
“The preliminary analysis of the bank statement held in the name of the respondent does not demonstrate a consistent source of funds which could reasonably be said to be salary,” the officer noted.
The investigation further revealed that Rejab’s accounts received Sh42.322 million
Out of the amount, Sh39.68 million was received from various sources on diverse dates between September 14, 2017 and December 29, 2020.
“That investigation has established that MS Rejah Kedi Ladu Kenyi Martin Elias Lomuro received a total of Sh49.43 million as forex reversal. Of this amount, Sh46.20 million was from his USSD account,” it says.
The investigative office concluded, “That there are reasonable grounds to believe that the bank accounts of the respondent were used as conduits of illicit financial flows and money laundering”.
On June 14, Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan urged the country’s central bank to begin exploring crypto assets. Hassan emphasized the increasing impact of digital assets on global finance, stating: “We have witnessed the emergence of a new journey through the internet.”
She highlighted the lack of crypto adoption and development in the East African region, stating: “Throughout the region, including Tanzania, they have not accepted or started using these routes.”
“My call to the Central Bank is that you should start working on that development. The Central Bank should be ready for the changes and not be caught unprepared.”
While African legislators have been slow to recognize and encourage the crypto economy, the region has been a hotspot for peer-to-peer (P2P) Bitcoin trading for years.
According to Useful Tulips, Sub-Saharan African is the second-largest region for P2P trading behind North America, representing roughly $16.5 million in weekly volume.
Nigeria represents half of the region’s volume, ranking behind the United States as the second-largest nation by P2P Bitcoin trading with $8.5 million in BTC changing hands weekly. Kenya is Africa’s second-ranked peer-to-peer market with more than $3 million in weekly trade, followed by Ghana with $2 million, and South Africa with $1.6 million.
Tanzania ranks seventh for the region with nearly $90,000 worth of trade over the past seven days.
The Founder of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations, Temitope Joshua, better known as Prophet TB Joshua, is dead.
Joshua reportedly died on Saturday night in Lagos after concluding a programme at his church.
TB Joshua
The church and his family have not officially announced his death. He was 57. Plans were underway for his 58th birthday. Joshua was born on June 12, 1963.
News of his demise became a trend on Twitter in the early hours of Saturday as many Nigerians took turns to mourn the late prophet.
The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, but sources told Saharareporters he fell ill two days ago.
His body is believed to have been deposited at General Hospital in Isolo, Lagos.
TB Joshua’s megachurch runs the popular Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, followed by many Christians worldwide.
Joshua is famous across Africa, Europe and America. His YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, had over 1,000,000 subscribers and was the world’s most viewed Christian ministry on the platform before it was suspended.
He is well known for his controversial prophecies such as the Ghana terror attack, US presidential election, coronavirus and his influence in African politics. He recently predicted Nigeria would remain one despite instability in different parts of the country.
He recently wrote on his Facebook page about plans to celebrate his 58th birthday.
He said, “As things stand, you may have realised it will not be easy for me to celebrate my birthday under the present circumstances. Some of the people who want to come are troubled by the situation all over the world. We see their fear and their worry. I feel their pain; I feel their worry.
“Therefore, let us dedicate this day to prayer and fasting. Don’t forget the needy. By the grace of God, more birthdays are ahead. God bless you! Emmanuel. Jesus is Lord! Happy Birthday.”
On September 12 2014, a guesthouse collapsed in Lagos’s SCOAN premises, killing at least 115 people, 84 of them were South Africans.
Gunmen opened fire at a car carrying a Ugandan government minister in an attempted assassination on Tuesday, wounding the former army commander and killing his daughter and driver, the military and local media said.
Four attackers on motorcycles sprayed bullets at a four-wheel drive vehicle carrying General Katumba Wamala, the minister of works and transport, in the Kampala suburb of Kisasi, local television station NBS reported.
I wish Gen. Katumba a quick recovery. The bodyguard should not have shot in the air. He should have shot to kill. We could be having a dead terrorist instead of scaring away the terrorists. His shooting saved Gen. Katumba by scaring the criminals away.
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) June 1, 2021
President Yoweri Museveni condemned the attack, blaming it on criminals, terrorists and “pigs who do not value life”. In a Twitter post, he said that authorities already had clues in the case, and the criminals responsible would be defeated.
Images circulating on social media showed Wamala with his mouth open, in apparent distress beside the car and his light-coloured trousers splattered with blood.
Wounded minister.
Police investigators later combed the area, poring over bullet holes in the car’s windows and body and casings on the ground.
The private NTV Uganda television broadcast social media footage of Wamala speaking in hospital. Referring to his daughter, who was in the car with him, he said: “I have survived, we have lost Brenda… The bad guys have done it, but God has given me a second chance.”
Army spokeswoman Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso told Reuters: “There was a shooting involving him … he is hurt and he’s been taken to the hospital, his driver was killed.”
A government official said a local resident was also shot and wounded in the incident and was in hospital.
UNSOLVED KILLINGS
Wamala once served as head of Uganda’s police, which over the years has been accused of human rights abuses by rights groups, including arbitrary arrests and torture of opposition activists. The police deny carrying out rights abuses.
There have been several unsolved assassinations and mysterious deaths of high profile officials in the east African country in recent years that have fuelled speculation about perpetrators and their motivations.
Victims have involved a lawmaker, a senior police officer, the country’s top public prosecutor, senior Muslim leaders and others. Nearly all were committed by gunmen on motorcycles.
Gen Katumba Wamala and daughter, Brenda Nantongo who was killed in the ambush.
The attempt on Wamala’s life took place in the same suburb in the capital where in 2017 gunmen on motorcycles sprayed bullets at a vehicle carrying a senior police officer. That police officer, Felix Kaweesa, was killed alongside his bodyguard and driver.
In 2019, the government installed a CCTV camera system on main roads in Kampala and other big towns to curb such high profile homicides and other major crimes.
But many Ugandans have complained the CCTV network has not helped police solve a lot of killings involving opposition activists and even ordinary Ugandans.
Former opposition MP Latif Ssebagala told reporters he hoped the incident would prompt investigators to look afresh at the unsolved killings.
“This is very unfortunate because when you see that even those who are guarded, even those who are in military attire are not feared, can be attacked, then that will explain that the entire country in terms of security is lacking,” he said.
Seismologists in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 61 earthquakes in a 24-hour period on Saturday around the Mount Nyiragongo volcano, which erupted a week ago, warning residents to keep well away from lava flows.
Mt. Nyiragongo
The details were outlined in a daily report prepared for the government by the Goma Volcanic Observatory (GVO), and seen by CNN. It explained that the volcano’s crater “continues to collapse, which contributed to the earthquake and caused ash emissions visible from Goma.”
The 11,500-foot-high volcano sits around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Goma, a city with an official population of 670,000, though several NGOs estimate it to be closer to 1 million.
A provincial government spokesperson said Friday that around 400,000 people had fled the city as officials warned of a second eruption. The first explosion last Saturday killed at least 31 people.
Since then, the area has experienced a series of earthquakes and tremors, some felt as far away as the Rwandan capital of Kigali, more than 100 km from the volcano in the Virunga National Park.
The report warned that lava flows “can cause asphyxiation, severe burns or death.”
It laid out four possible scenarios, the best case being that the earthquakes stop and that no second eruption occurs.
But it also warned that as magma continued to move through a fissure toward Lake Kivu, there was a possibility of a limnic eruption, where an eruption under the lake could cause it to send debris flying and emit toxic gas. That could be a worst-case scenario.
“If lava erupts in the Kivu River, keep a considerable distance away, as the explosions could produce dangerous ballistics,” the report said.
A volcanic eruption, landslide or large earthquake could destabilize the lake’s deep waters and emit dissolved gases.
Gas emissions are likely to become more frequent in the coming months anyway because of the increase in volume of underground magma.
Fissures could release lethal concentrations of gases, the report said, urging people to stay away and supervise children in low-lying areas.
The report added that people should take precautions in using water for drinking and washing vegetables as volcanic ash may have contaminated tanks.
Mali’s former junta leader Col Assimi Goïta has declared himself the country’s transitional president.
He made the announcement after stripping interim President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane of their powers.
The two ousted leaders were freed from military detention, where they had been held since Monday in what was seen as Mali’s second coup in nine months.
The seizure of power came after a cabinet reshuffle which Col Goïta complained he was not consulted about.
Two army officers involved in the previous coup lost their jobs in the reshuffle.
The situation in Mali today is said to be tense but calm.
Col Goïta said earlier that President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane had failed in their duties and were seeking to sabotage the country’s transition.
They were arrested hours after the reshuffle and resigned their positions while in detention on Wednesday.
Announcing their release on Thursday, Col Goïta’s aide Baba Cissé said, quoted by Reuters news agency, “we have nothing against them”.
He added that their whereabouts would be kept secret for their own security.
Col Goïta has said elections will still go ahead next year as planned.
The former leaders’ release had been requested by the UN, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the EU and the US.
They had been held at a military camp outside the capital, Bamako, since their arrest on Monday evening.
The latest events coincided with a visit by a delegation from Ecowas. Last year, Ecowas threatened sanctions unless a caretaker government under civilian leadership took over from the military.
Now that Col Goïta has effectively torn up that agreement by taking charge, it is not clear what the repercussions will be.
But France, the former colonial power, has threatened EU sanctions against the perpetrators, with President Emmanuel Macron describing it as a “coup within a coup”, Reuters reports.
Col Goïta has asked people to go about their business as usual and promises the military is committed to the transitional deal.
Why is Mali so unstable?
It is difficult to enact reforms quickly – and the vast landlocked country is poor, with large areas underdeveloped.
A coup in 2012 led to militant Islamists exploiting the chaos and seizing the north of the country.
French troops helped regain territory, but attacks continue as the insurgents have capitalised on the persistent political instability in the region.
This has all led to public confidence waning over the army leaders’ ability to tackle the Islamist insurgency that has spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
AERC wishes to announce the 2021/2022 Masters scholarships for applicants from Anglophone subSaharan African countries admitted into any of the following AERC Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP) in Economics universities below.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) invites applications from candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa for fully-funded 4-year PhD studentships to start a research degree programme on 3 January 2022. There are three studentships available.
The Rhodes University, South Africa, through the University Council, has established the Rhodes University Postdoctoral Fellowships for a South African student.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) intends to contribute to the support of good governance and civil society structures in selected partner countries and regions.
The search is on to find bold, groundbreaking innovations that are of global benefit to humanity. Nominate for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is open for ambitious and talented sub-Saharan African engineers from all engineering fields to demonstrate innovative and engineering entrepreneurship skills
AREF is calling for applications from women who are emerging biomedical/health researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa to participate in its Essential Grant Writing Skills Workshop
The L’Oréal-UNESCO Maghreb Fellowships For Women in Science are set to be awarded to 5 young female scientists from 4 different countries of the Maghreb: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.
Early-career female researchers from 21 least developed member countries of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) are eligible for an ambitious new postdoctoral programme offered by IsDB and TWAS.
With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), TWAS launches a new programme to strengthen the capacity of African countries lagging in science and technology.
The Jim Ovia Foundation in collaboration with the Africa-America Institute is offering the Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders Scholarship for Young African leaders to study at Ashesi University.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a Fulbright program that provides mid-career professionals from designated countries around the world an opportunity to enhance their professional capacities through participation in specialized 10 month non-degree programs.
For young scientists from developing countries (other than India) who wish to pursue postgraduate research in emerging areas in science and technology for which facilities are available in laboratories and institutes of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India.
TWAS-CSIR Postdoctoral Fellowships are tenable in CSIR research laboratories and institutes in India for a minimum period of six months to a maximum period of twelve months.
Top military officers in Mali arrested President Bah Ndaw, prime minister Moctar Ouane and defense minister Souleymane Doucoure on Monday and put them in a military detention outside Bamako.
The move has worsened the political impasse in the West African nation just months after a military coup ousted the previous president and his administration.
President Ndaw, PM Ouane and the defense minister Souleymane Doucoure were all arrested then taken to a military base in Kati just hours after two members of the military lost their plum positions in a government reshuffle.
The arrests come after another military ouster in August toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita leaving the country exposed to violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State which are controlling the northern regions.
Political instability and constant military squabbles have made it impossible for Western powers and neighboring countries to restore peace and stability in Mali.
The United Nations mission in Mali has since called for the group’s “immediate and unconditional” release as it promised to take action on the rogue officers behind the detentions.
“The international community rejects in advance any act imposed by coercion, including forced resignations,” the group said.
Both Ndaw and Ouane had were tasked to preside over an 18-month transition which should see Mali back to civilian rule after the August coup but they have went against the military and took control over a number of key positions in government.
Detained Mali prime minister Moctar Ouane [p/courtesy]But a ranking military official in Kati, which is a few kilometres away from the capital Bamako said this was not an arrest but the two were wrong to rearrange the government.
“What they have done is not good. We are letting them know, decisions will be made.” he said.
The military base in Kati is notorious for ending the rule of civilian leaders in Mali. In August 2020, the military detained President Keita in Kati where they forced him to resign. A mutiny there helped topple his predecessor Amadou .
Mali has been chaos since the ouster of Keita’s predecessor, Amadou Toumani Toure in 2012 which triggered an ethnic Tuareg rebellion to take control of the northern two-thirds of the country which is under jihadists.
French forces defeated the insurgents in 2013 but they have since regrouped and now carrying out regular attacks on the army and civilians and crossing into the neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Shelter Afrique, the Pan-African housing development financier, has inked an MoU with Triangle Real Estate, a Juba-based real estate firm to develop 26,000 housing units for South Sudan’s military, through a public-private-partnership special purpose vehicle.
The project is estimated to cost of $1.5 billion through a public-private-partnership special purpose vehicle, according to press release.
“We have been mandated by the Ministry of Finance and Planning to source funds for the construction and completion of a defense housing project on behalf of the Government of South Sudan under the Peace Through Development program initiated by President Salvar Kiir in 2018,” said Amb. Arop Deng Kuol, Triangle Real Estate Chief Executive Officer.
Amb. Kuol noted that the signing of the MOU was critical in addressing the housing crisis in South Sudan, which has been exacerbated by many years of conflicts.
“The housing crisis in South Sudan is dire. In fact, we are starting from the scratch – the reason this memorandum of understanding we’ve signed with Shelter Afrique is very important for us and is proof that provision of affordable housing is central to the agenda of the government of the South Sudan, not just for the Forces but for the entire population,” said Amb. Kuol.
Shelter Afrique CEO Andrew Chimphondah said the signing of the MOU with Triangle Real Estate highlights the financier’s critical role in the provision of affordable housing finance across Africa.
“Our vision is to provide affordable housing for all Africans – including South Sudan. We are proud to be part of this partnership and we look forward to being the pre-eminent provider of financial, advisory and research solutions geared towards solving the housing crisis in South Sudan which has a shortage of 4 million units,” said Chimphondah.
The Project scope includes development of 148 housing blocks of 160 housing units each at New Site, Qiada Junubiya, J-3 Presidential Guards Apartments, and at New Bonga.
Under the agreement Triangle Real Estate will act as the developer and contractor of the project in conjunction with various consultants.
Shelter Afrique, on the other hand, will provide catalytic funding as well as act as the lead arranger to assist in raising additional financing through the syndication of other Developmental Financial Institutions as applicable.
The MOU was signed in Nairobi by Shelter Afrique Chief Executive Officer Andrew Chimphondah and Triangle Real Estate Chief Executive Officer Amb. Arop Deng Kuol, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance and Planning for the Government of South Sudan.
Amb. Kuol also noted that the Government of South Sudan was keen on becoming a shareholder of Shelter Afrique and was actively sourcing the budget for the capital subscription fees.
“In addition to sourcing for finance for the Defense Forces housing project, the government of South Sudan has also mandated Triangle Real Estate and a financial advisor – Benchmark Solutions to source for funds to this effect and we are currently in talks with some potential financiers. We believe that South Sudan should become a member of Shelter Afrique in 2021 when approved at the AGM that will be held on the 24th June 2021,” Amb Kuol added.
While the project on one hand is displaying a promising face value, critics of the blood drained country are seeing just another public funds plunder scheme clothed as a development project.
Samuel Bior Garang, a scientist and South Sudanese political commentator based in Kenya is viewing the latest development project as yet another scheme by corrupt government officials to steal from the public in conspiracy with the funding firm.
“So you will stake $1.5billion to be managed by a company that the biggest project they did in 2018-2020 was completing their headquarters that looks like a residential house, really? This is pure money laundry & smells of mega corruption.” He says in opening statement.
“Besides this project, is one they had been undertaking since 2019, where did the initial funding come from what necessitated this new funding cycle/what are the modalities of how it’s going to be paid knowing construction is the go-to area by launderers/mega corruption individuals.” Samuel questions.
Ongoing projects by the firm including a roads construction tender by UN to the same firm.
“Be sure that South Sudan companies will always ink deals with very shady institutions like themselves, this Shelter Afrique was recently in an eyebrow-raising case in Kenya same thing that will likely happen here in SSudan given their partners are shady.” Said Garang in reference to a case where Shelter Afrique wanted Sunset Paradise Aqa auctioned for failing to meet with loan requirements on a string.
“Same things will likely happen here in SSudan given their partners are shady.” Garang casts his doubts.
Garang’s doubts about the mortgage firm is further fueled by the history where the African Development Bank (AfDB) stopped disbursement of a $8.2 million equity injection into Shelter Afrique after a whistleblower revealed that the housing financier cooked books, which the Bank relied on to make the investment.
At the time, AfDB decided to withhold the disbursements, pending an audit by Deloitte. Before the sudden cancellation, AfDB announced that it would inject the money into Shelter Afrique to strengthen its balance sheet. But documents that changed minds then showed that the finance department had stated $38 million as non-performing loans, but the statements sent to AfDB showed $27.19 million. Internal documents showed substandard loans at $14.1 million, but only $2.04 million was disclosed to AfDB.
AfDB’s revelations come barely a fortnight after documents leaked by the firm’s former finance director Godfrey Waweru alleged creative accounting and subprime lending.
In his whistleblower email to the board, Mr Waweru accused the company’s managing director James Mugerwa of presiding over a regime that was restructuring overdue loans by rescheduling such facilities to appear as performing, effectively understating the volume of toxic mortgages.
Classified as non-performing
“The loans are restructured multiple times to ensure they are not classified as non-performing and are therefore hidden NPLs that are not disclosed,” Mr Waweru’s e-mail to the lender’s financiers reads.
According to the ex-finance chief, the loan impairments are made based on the desired net results, despite a large proportion of the company’s projects having repayment problems and being restructured several times or swapped against assets that do not have a market at the swap rate in a bid to reduce the NPLs and loan impairment charges on the loan portfolio.
The then Shelter Afrique managing director James Mugerwa resigned, barely two months after the pan-African lender was accused of cooking its books.
Mr Waweru told the media that under instructions from senior management, some of the loans that have been non-performing have been restructured more than four times in a bid to hide their non-performance status.
“The company’s true position is that it is loss-making, if we were to capture the non-performing loans as guided by the international accounting standards, without massaging or cooking the books. This has led to a significant understatement of the NPLs and loan impairment charges,” Mr Waweru said in answer to accusations that the firm booked its books.
South Sudan government officials are widely known for looting public coffers shamelessly that they even gobbled COVID-19 money in the height of the pandemic.
According to Sentry, a US based investigative outfit looking into South Sudan’s plunder, government officials are to blame for the bleeding of the country as they collaborate with willing institutions to milk dry the war torn country.
According to Sentry, the men who liberated South Sudan proceeded to hijack the country’s fledgling governing institutions, loot its resources, and launched a war in 2013 that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.
They did not act alone. The South Sudanese politicians and military officials ravaging the world’s newest nation received essential support from individuals and corporations from across the world who have reaped profits from those dealings. Nearly every instance of confirmed or alleged corruption or financial crime in South Sudan examined by The Sentry has involved links to an international corporation, a multinational bank, a foreign government or high-end real estate abroad. The report examined several illustrative examples of international actors linked to violence and grand corruption in order to demonstrate the extent to which external actors have been complicit in the taking of South Sudan.
The local kleptocrats and their international partners—from Chinese-Malaysian oil giants and British tycoons to networks of traders from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Uganda—have accumulated billions of dollars.
The country’s natural resources have been plundered, lethal militia and military units responsible for atrocities have received financing and kleptocrats have lined their pockets with untold billions of dollars allocated by government programs meant to improve the livelihood of some of the poorest, most vulnerable people in the world. The spoils of this heist are coursing through the international financial system in the form of shell companies, stuffed bank accounts, luxury real estate and comfortable safe havens around the world for the extended families of those involved in violence and corruption.
Leading South Sudanese officials and their international commercial collaborators are responsive to commercial and political incentives. Without specific, focused, and targeted consequences, it is unrealistic to think their conduct will change.
Violence and corruption will remain the norm, meaning that the biggest peace spoiler isn’t a person or an armed group; it is the diseased governing system itself. However, if serious policy tools of financial coercion are aimed at this kleptocratic network, the possibility exists to alter those incentives, which currently favor pillage and plunder, and in turn impact the calculations of the kleptocrats and their international collaborators in the direction of peace and good governance.
In South Sudan, international actors have been among the major facilitators and beneficiaries of schemes to misappropriate government spending. This section profiles the foreign investors who benefited from several controversial public procurement programs over the past decade.
Eritrean and other foreign investors were among the main beneficiaries of a $922 million program marred by fraud and embezzlement allegations.
An unpublished report by South Sudan’s auditor general shows that companies owned by an Eritrean businessman Ghebremeskel Tesfamariam Ghidey received contracts worth approximately $57 million between 2013 and 2015 for the procurement of urgently-needed goods, as part of the $922 million Letters of Credit program.
Amid a shortage of foreign currency, the initiative aimed to provide companies with the cash needed to purchase fuel, pharmaceuticals and other goods from neighboring countries. Many of the goods never arrived, and information obtained by The Sentry raises doubts about whether Ghebremeskel’s companies fulfilled their obligations. His Ugandan company that was supposed to export a significant portion of these goods to South Sudan did not pay any export taxes until after the Letters of Credit program had concluded—and was not even registered with the tax authority until early 2016.
A $65 million scandal involving a South Sudanese general and a British tycoon illustrates the impunity enjoyed by kleptocrats and their international collaborators. A company owned by Bior Ajang Duot, a high-ranking South Sudanese general, received $65 million from the government ostensibly earmarked for a mobile radar system, according to an investigation by South Sudanese authorities. The company, Cascade Construction, sent the bulk of these funds—$55 million—to British businessman David Greenhalgh, but the purchased goods reportedly never reached South Sudan.
The funds transited through bank accounts in multiple jurisdictions. Macedonia eventually flagged them as suspicious and temporarily froze them. In its probe, South Sudanese authorities concluded that funds originating from the deal flowed unusually and suspiciously through accounts without a business rationale where contracts did not justify the transfers.
Many international companies benefit from South Sudan’s violent kleptocratic system, and some have done business with the actors perpetrating violence. Several multinational corporations have forged formal partnerships with people and entities responsible for atrocities, or otherwise participated in business transactions with them.
By the time South Sudan became the world’s newest state in 2011, a cabal of military and civilian officials had already captured its main government institutions, enabled by a dizzying array of international actors seeking to profit from a rapidly developing kleptocracy. Factions that had formed during the long war for independence now turned their attention to competing over the control of this new state, which was blessed with billions of dollars of annual oil revenue and no checks and balances or transparency.
A looting frenzy ensued. Factionalization deepened as networks allied with President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar competed over the vast opportunities for mass theft of resources and state budgets. The uneasy calm only lasted two years before South Sudan erupted into a violent civil war pitting the two main factions against each other, adding to the many fault lines in the country.
During this period, Kiir and his associates had largely captured the state. Instead of providing services, supporting infrastructure, adjudicating disputes and protecting its people, South Sudan’s governing institutions were hijacked and repurposed for the personal enrichment of Kiir and his clique. Billions of dollars have gone missing and the government has done little for the welfare of its population. This corruption attracted foreign opportunists, who flocked to South Sudan.
South Sudan’s governing institutions were hijacked and repurposed for the personal enrichment of Kiir and his clique.
Every incident The Sentry examined had links to an international corporation, a multinational bank, a foreign government or high- end real estate abroad. This report provides several illustrative examples of international actors linked to violence and grand corruption in South Sudan.
According to our information, Triangle Real Estate is owned by Sudan’s ex-ambassador to Turkey Sebit Bullen Kamonde, a Dinka. Amb. Sebit Bullen Kamonde is the Chief of State Protocol Office of the President of South Sudan.
Amb. Sebit Bullen Kamonde (Circled)
Triangle also won the tender to build the compound, which will include a clinic, school and recreation areas, for 700 senior officers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Fitting into the description, officials in the government use enabling outside actors to continue milking the bleeding County.
The troops serving under the AMISOM have been granted a mandate to continue staying in the country, days after they began drawing back to their barracks to return back to their respective countries.
The existence of African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) troops was extended by two weeks from end of February to March 14 as the country’s leaders pushed for a political pact. But the situation in Somalia got tensed when President Mohamed Farmaajo attempted to extend his term by two years.
Farmaajo has since reversed that decision after Somalia senators voted on Saturday to overturn the two-year presidential term extension they had initially approved. The decision resulted to chaos after heavily armed troops for and against the president clashed.
The situation led to fears that the crisis could lead to a power vacuum that the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants could use to split the country along clan lines and attack each other. Amisom had to stay and even the agreement reached with the prime minister over the violence and the president’s term could not send AU forces out of Somalia.
Former Kenyan Defense Secretary Raychelle Omamo when she made a surprise visit to KDF troops in Somalia [p/courtesy] AU Peace and the Security Council agreed to extend their mandate to end of December 2021 in a decision that is expected to sail before the UN Security Council at the end of May.
The decision was arrived at during the meeting between 15-member AU Peace and the Security Council held on Tuesday. ”At today’s AUPSC meeting , the Council reached a consensus to extend the mandate of Amisom until 31st Dec 2021,” the statement reads.
The AU Council comprises of 15 members who are elected for a three year term on rotational basis. Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Algeria and Ghana are some of the current members. It is AU’s standing decision making organ for prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.
Amisom troops have been in Somalia since to 2007 when it was formed but its mandate has always been extended by a year after it failed to stabilize the governments of Somalia.
Kenyan Defense Forces also set their boots in the country in October 2011 under the ‘Operation Linda Nchi’ with an aim to exit in March 2012 but are still in the war-torn country. KDF extended their stay in Somalia beyond 2012 after it’s forces joined the AMISOM to boost efforts to eliminate the Al Shabaab insurgents.
Somalian president Mohamed Fermaajo and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir are spending the night in Kampala ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of President Yoweri Museveni scheduled for May 12 2021.
Museveni will be taking an oath for his sixth term in office after suppressing his opponent to win the shady elections held on January 14 2021. The long serving leader of Uganda was announced the winner by the country’s electoral body after he purportedly garnered 5.85 million votes against Robert Kyagulanyi’s 3.48 million votes.
Media outlets in Uganda have reported that some eleven heads of states are expected including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta are expected to attend the fete that will mark another fresh term for the dictator who has ruled since 1986.
Only the two President from the countries which have not seen stability and democratic elections in decades are already in Kampala for the event that will be skipped by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Fermaajo who rules Somalia which has been in war since 1990 recently had to climb down from his previous stance in which he defended the decision to extend his term by two years after public and opposition outcry.
Fermaajo is also believed to have backed from the dictatorial move to extend his term after his allies including the federal states of Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West shifted allegiance and demanded an immediate election to resolve the impasse. Opposition camps like National Salvation Forum was also piling pressure on him to reverse the move.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, R, and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir in a past courtesy photo.
President Fermaajo is also at conflicts with his Kenyan counterpart, Mr Kenyatta, after their countries were engaged in a dispute over the maritime boundaries for years. Mogadishu further accused Nairobi of meddling in her internal affairs leading to call up of their respective ambassadors last December.
The two countries mended their diplomatic ties last week but the pact was today dealt a blow after Kenya suspended all flights to and from Somalia with immediate effect.
South Sudan’s Salva Kiir also flew to Kampala on Tuesday, barely 24 hours after reconstituting parliament he dissolved two days ago. The move made on Monday night will now pave way for the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Legislative Assembly as stipulated in the 2018 peace agreement he signed with his former foe, Riek Machar.
Through a presidential decree read on state-run television, South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, Kiir appointed 550 lawmakers from all parties that signed the revitalized peace accord.
Machar was was sworn into office in February 2020 to mark an end to their rivalry after the two leaders of the young nation fell out in 2013 leading to a conflict that claimed more that 4,00 lives and displaced millions.
In 2016, a report commissioned by American Actor George Clooney showed that Kiir, Machar and high ranking military generals heavily profited from the war.
Also in Kampala ahead of the ceremony is the Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Sudanese vice president Malik Agar Eyr, South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation Naledi Pandor, and the executive secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), João Samuel Caholo who landed in Kampala on Tuesday afternoon.
The ceremony will be boycotted by the opposition who accused Museveni of using the state machinery to rig the January elections. On Monday night, Opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and former presidential aspirant Kizza Besigye tweeted that their homes were surrounded by police. Besigye has also critized african leaders for attending Museveni’s oath taking bash.
The guilty are afraid! I’m now abroad; yet…
Foreign “guests” who come to attend such an imposition of a Junta become accomplices to the NRM/M7 Junta crimes.
Police in Uganda have surrounded the homes of the opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu popularly known as Bobi Wine and that of the former presidential aspirant Kizza Besigye as the country prepares to swear in President Yoweri Museveni for a sixth term tomorrow.
Museveni won the flawed elections in January 2021 after the country’s electoral commission dismissed all the allegations of vote rigging and intimidation claims made by opposition candidate Bobi Wine.
Wine and Besigye took to their Twitter handles on Monday night where they expressed concerns over heavy police presence around their homes. The two including their supporters have been harassment by law enforcement officers for challenging Museveni’s long dictatorial rule.
Bobi Wine, a pop star turned politician termed Museveni’s action as “cowardly” as Besigye maintains that Museveni’s swearing-in for the sixth time is “illegal”.
The situation around my home is still tense. Dozens of soldiers are surrounding my home, checking every vehicle that comes in or goes out. All this to suppress the citizens' voices as the emperor crowns himself for a 6th term! In this I am confident- WE SHALL OVERCOME pic.twitter.com/IDiTfEIoEz
But Uganda’s National Army Deputy Spokesperson, Deo Akiiki, defended the heavy deployment of police as a move to avert possible chaos during the swearing in ceremony.
“With credible evidence from intelligence, we shall not hesitate to arrest more of these schemers as and when we detect,” said Akiiki.
The long serving president has always ensured that his inaugurations are marred by heavy security presence especially in urban areas and their surroundings.
Ugandan media has reported that close to 4,000 people, including 11 Heads of State, have been invited to Museveni’s oath taking which will be held at the Kololo Grounds in the capital Kampala.
Museveni grabbed power in 1986 after overthrowing General Tito Okello, who had only ruled the country for 181 days but since then he [Museveni] has rigged and ‘won’ all presidential elections in Uganda.
He got 5.85 million votes which represents 58.64 % of the total votes cast in the January 14, 2021 presidential election, while his closest challenger, Wine, got 3.48 million votes (34.83 %). But Bobi Wine said the results were doctored to hand Museveni an illegitimate win.
Election monitors also reported that the confidence in the count was damaged by a three-day internet outage and dozens of people who were killed during violence in the run-up to the election.
But opposition politicians including Besigye who unsuccessfully challenged Museveni in three elections have always been harassed by Museveni’s officers. He wondered why the state deployed police to his home yet he was out of the country.
— The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) May 9, 2021
J. Cole, 36, arrived in Rwanda two days ago and is in the midst of quarantining in order to play in the 12-team league.
Born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, the rapper starred at Sanford (North Carolina) High School and was a walk-on at St. John’s, but he ultimately turned his focus to music before playing in a Division I game.
J. Cole’s signing with the Rwanda club is expected to become official Thursday, a source said.
J. Cole is going pro! He has officially signed a deal to play for Rwanda in their African Basketball league! 🔥🏀 || 🎥 @JColeNCpic.twitter.com/4Qxe0h8lOp
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dissolved parliament, a long-awaited step to pave the way for the appointment of lawmakers from formerly warring parties in the country.
The move was in line with a peace deal signed to end a civil war that began in 2013.
The president dissolved parliament on Saturday and the new body will be formed in “a matter of time, not too long”, his spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Reuters.
According to the deal that ended the civil war, parliament must be expanded from 400 members to 550 and must include members from all parties to the peace accord.
South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. Violence erupted in late 2013 after Kiir, from the Dinka ethnic group, sacked vice president Riek Machar, a Nuer.
The two men have signed many deals to end a war estimated to have killed more than 400,000 people. They repeatedly pushed back deadlines to form a government of national unity, but in 2020 finally did so.
Despite the peace deal, violence is still raging in parts of the country, according to United Nations reports.
The Government has hired an international public relations firm, Mercury International UK Limited, a subsidiary of Mercury Public Affairs, to improve its image on the international scene.
Documents seen by this reporter show that when Uganda hired Mercury International UK Limited, it subcontracted its mother firm Mercury Public Affairs to do the job. This signals that the focus of lobbying will be in the US.
Mercury Public Affairs submitted its agreement with the subsidiary to the US Justice Department on April 26, 2021.
In the USA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires lobbyists of foreign governments “who are engaged in political activities or other activities specified under the statute to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities.”
It’s the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) unit of the National Security Division (NSD) in the Department of Justice that oversee lobbyists of foreign governments.
“Registrant is providing strategic consulting, government relations, lobbying, and media relations consulting and management services,” the contract says.
“The term of this Agreement shall begin on April 22, 2021, and will continue in effect until May 21, 2021. The term of this agreement shall automatically continue every month thereafter unless terminated in accordance herewith,” it further reads. The UK firm will be paying the US firm on monthly basis for services rendered, the agreement says. It doesn’t reveal the amount that Uganda will be paying.
The government through Mercury International Relations UK Ltd is listed as the foreign principal. The listed address of the foreign principal is 25497 Kampala Road, Kampala Uganda. This address belongs to State House.
The move was made a week after US Secretary of State, Mr Antony John Blinken slapped visa restrictions against unnamed Uganda officials over human rights violations orchestrated during and after the 2021 elections.
“The government of Uganda must significantly improve its record and hold accountable those responsible for the flawed election conduct, violence and intimidation,” Mr Blinken said. He further warned; “the US government will continue to evaluate additional actions against individuals complicit in undermining democracy and human rights in Uganda as well as their immediate family members.”
Though the government has been bullish in public, hastily hiring an international PR firm is indicative that privately, it’s upping its tactics of restoring its reputation that has been in free-fall during election season.
After the visa restrictions were announced, Foreign Affairs State Minister Okello Oryem said “we will not lose sleep, be shaken or demoralised.” And when asked about hiring the PR firm for lobbying, Mr Oryem argued that it’s not strange.
“My brother, all countries across the world hire private companies and institutions to do work for them including what you’re saying (lobbying). There is nothing unusual,” he said.
Uganda’s government faced a barrage of criticisms from international human rights organizations and donor governments over the electoral process and abductions of opposition supporters. But also, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, who was the leading opposition presidential candidate got favourable coverage in the foreign press.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) says it has detected the Indian COVID-19 variant in Kampala.
According to officials from the ministry of Health, the variant also referred to as B.1.617 was detected from travelers returning from India. The variant was detected after the travelers went to get tested after feeling unwell. Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, the executive director of UVRI says they have so far identified one case but are on the lookout for other cases.
“We have picked up one case but are still looking for more because we are not yet sure whether the infected person had interacted with other people,” said Kaleebu.
The deadly COVID-19 variant from India 🇮🇳has been detected in #Uganda. Ensure you: 😷 Wear a mask when in public 🧼 Wash hands with clean water and soap or use a hand sanitizer 🧍🏽♀️ 🧍🏼 Practice physical distancing 💉 Get vaccinated NOW. pic.twitter.com/HSYc7xsDlD
— Ministry of Health- Uganda (@MinofHealthUG) April 29, 2021
Reports already indicate that the country has so far detected over 300 cases of COVID-19 variants from other countries. According to scientists, there are now six strains of the disease circulating in the country at the moment.
These include variants from South Africa, Nigeria, India and the UK. Uganda registered one new death and 31 new cases from tests on April 27, rising the cumulative confirmed cases to 41,797 with 342 total deaths. The total number of persons vaccinated against the virus stands at 321,350.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary at the ministry of Health on Wednesday told URN that they are worried about the presence of the Indian variant in the country since it seems to attack the young mainly.
“This variant is not like the disease we knew last year. It attacks the young which was not the case last year with the strain that we had and have grown accustomed to. Young people in India are dropping down in the streets dying. These people are not old, they are young. With 75 per cent of our population below the age of 35, this is worrying,” said Atwine.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in India with over 300,000 cases being reported daily. Authorities in India attribute the spike in cases to the Indian variant which they say has contributed over 50 per cent of the cases. Yesterday Wednesday, India surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Indian authorities have been forced to convert train cars into COVID-19 isolation wards, while an acute shortage of oxygen continues to aggravate the already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night to burn dead bodies.
Atwine says in light of such developments, and the increase of cases from other countries, they are worried and considering taking measures to control the importation of variants into the country.
Prior to reporting the first case of COVID-19 in 2020, the Ugandan government in early March restricted travelers from countries that were reporting cases at the time. As a result, many delegates from countries like the UK, the US that were supposed to attend conferences in Uganda were denied entry into the country. Travelers who insisted to enter the country were forced to undergo a mandatory institutional quarantine for 14 days at their own cost.
When asked whether the country is considering going down this road again, Atwine said they were looking into different options.
The chairperson of the Indian Association of Uganda, Mohan Rao in a statement issued to the Indian community this week asked all members who have traveled from India in the recent past to take caution and isolate.
“As you all are aware of the current situation in India and its struggles with COVID-19 second deadly wave. The new mutated COVID-19 variant has been labeled as super spreader. So those who are returning from India to Uganda, some have turned positive, and chances of a few more in coming days. In the interest of the public, we appeal to the returnees to self isolate for a week after returning from India and follow SOPs to protect self and community in large,” the statement read in part.
Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana’s health authorities say they have arranged to receive nearly 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, enough to cover the entire adult population. If every adult takes the vaccine, Botswana could become the first country in Africa to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In a televised address Monday, Mosepele Mosepele, deputy coordinator of the Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Task Force, said the country reached agreements with vaccine manufacturers to supply doses to cover 1.9 million people. Botswana has an adult population of 1.6 million, but noncitizens are also eligible for the vaccine, Mosepele added.
Botswana received 60,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine from India and the COVAX facility last month. Mosepele said the uptake of the vaccine has been impressive, with 47,160 receiving the jab since March 26.
Mosepele said he is not sure when the 1.9 million doses will arrive, but that the largest portion of the pending shipment is from Johnson & Johnson, which is expected to deliver 1.1 million doses of its one-shot vaccine.
In the meantime, the government this week received 200,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China.
Kabo Morwaeng, Botswana’s minister of presidential affairs, urged people to take the Sinovac doses.
“I also wish to implore all those who may be reluctant to do so, to step up and take their jabs. This process is intended for the good of all of us,” he said. “I must assure you that our health authorities, through the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BOMRA), will continue to ascertain that the vaccines we receive are safe for use by all of us.”
Earlier this month, two people died after receiving the Covishield vaccine. BOMRA is investigating the incident.
Botswana Nurses Union spokesperson Aobakwe Lesolame said the government needs to speedily roll out the vaccination campaign once the doses arrive.
“We are pleading with the ministry (of health) that as these vaccines continue to arrive, they make sure that they roll out the strategy, very clear, very basic, very simple (and) disseminate across structures so that everybody can take part,” Lesolame said. “The vaccine rollout plan should focus on using community halls so that we ease the burden on public health facilities.”
Botswana has recorded 702 deaths from COVID-19, with February and March being the deadliest months. Authorities have confirmed 46,000 cases of the virus overall.
Three French banks have committed not to provide project financing for the Total-led East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Crédit Agricole will not participate, France’s Les Echos newspaper reported.
“The project is too hard to defend,” Les Echos quoted an unnamed source as saying.
A statement from Reclaim Finance noted that Barclays, Credit Suisse and ANZ had also said they would steer clear of the EACOP plan.
The environmental NGO called on Natixis to follow suit.
BankTrack researcher Ryan Brightwell called on Standard Bank, SMBC and ICBC “to take these concerns seriously and withdraw their support”.
Total committed to the Lake Albert development, which includes EACOP, on April 11. However, it has not concluded talks on securing the expected $2.5 billion of financing thought to be required to build the world’s longest heated pipeline.
Crédit Agricole has provided $7.3 billion of financing to Total between 2016 and 2020, while BNP Paribas provided nearly $6bn. The four French banks in total have provided more than $16bn to Total, it said.
Amundi, in which Crédit Agricole is the largest shareholder, is the second largest shareholder in Total after BlackRock.
Broader push
Reclaim Finance’s founder Lucie Pinson welcomed the move, saying it was a “major blow for this polluting and unjust pipeline. Natixis and other international banks should now follow their lead.”
Pinson went on to say the banks should not finance new oil and gas projects of Total, while shareholders should vote against the company’s climate strategy.
Total is holding its AGM on May 28. Shareholders will vote on Total’s plans for carbon neutrality by 2050, with a 15% reduction by 2030.
Reclaim Finance has criticised Total for failing to include its scope 3 emissions in its carbon neutrality plans, outside Europe.
The NGO has said the vote at Total’s AGM is about communication. “Total does not need to be encouraged to communicate on its climate strategy; Total needs to be pushed to adopt a climate strategy that is compatible with a viable climate trajectory,” it has said.
The pipeline’s critics say 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) of protected areas will be impacted and 12,000 families displaced from their land.
If completed, the $3.5 billion pipeline will transport heavy crude from more than 130 wells inside Uganda’s largest national park, which is home to threatened African elephants and lions, a formidable population of Nile crocodiles, and more than 400 bird species. Conservationists say it won’t just threaten wildlife but that it flies in the face of efforts to curb global warming by locking in investment in a dirty fuel.
A coalition of NGOs opposing the pipeline says the pipeline planning process has been opaque throughout, disregarding judicial and parliamentary procedures.
The pipeline’s route runs through the Lake Victoria basin, crossing waterways big and small, including the Kagera River. In Uganda, its path will impact almost 2,000 km2 (770 mi2) of protected areas sheltering endangered species including eastern chimpanzees and African savanna elephants.
In Tanzania, the pipeline runs through seven forest reserves and the Wembere Steppe, a recognized key biodiversity area. The Tanga port itself abuts two ecologically sensitive marine areas.
The prospect of oil spills tarnishing this wilderness and the absence of assurances about mitigation measures have fueled resistance. The greenlighting of the project in the absence of final environmental and social management plans, drawn up through proper public consultation, has alarmed many.
In March, in response to growing pressure from green groups, the French oil giant announced that its drilling activities in Murchison Falls National Park will be restricted to 1% of the park’s area and that it would bankroll a 50% increase in the number of rangers to bolster conservation efforts.
This concession failed to placate critics.
“Major environmental and human rights risks remain. The top priority should be to deal with the concerns of communities suffering from the project, not start drilling at all cost,” Antoine Madelin, advocacy director of the International Federation for Human Rights, told the Associated Press.
More than 12,000 families will be displaced from their ancestral lands to make way for the pipeline. Questions remain about whether they will be adequately compensated. A 2020 report coproduced by Oxfam and other rights-based organizations found that people likely affected by the pipeline in Uganda and Tanzania did not have adequate information about timelines, compensative procedures, and the social and environmental risks involved. The mega project meant to secure the future of populations in the two countries has introduced created greater uncertainty for those whose lives will be most disrupted by it.
To halt the project, green groups are trying toblock funding by lobbying investors, banks and insurance companies. In March, an open letter signed by more than 250 civil society organizations called on 25 commercial banks not to finance the project. The campaign led two of Total’s key financiers, Barclays and Credit Suisse, to deny any intention of funding the EACOP.
Annual per capita income in Uganda is less than $800, and the government has pinned its hope on oil riches to pull the country out of poverty. “We believe that this should be a catalyst for economic growth,” Robert Kasande, a top official at Uganda’s ministry of energy, said during the signing ceremony.
Environmentalists point out that the economics of investing in fossil fuels don’t add up. “The whole world is waking up to the fact that we need to stop burning fossil fuels, and as a result, the price of oil will continue to plummet,” the open letter said. “Rather than betting its development on a dying industry, we need to recognize that East Africa’s economic strength comes from the region’s biodiversity, heritage, and natural landscapes.”
The agreements signed this month now need to be ratified by the parliaments in Uganda and Tanzania. Construction is expected to begin in July, and the first oil exports are anticipated in 2025.
Total has a majority stake in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, with the Uganda National Oil Company, CNOOC, and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation being minority stakeholders.
Shell is also holding a vote on its climate ambitions in May and has come under fire for its plans.
