Just a few snapshots for now... A few more days to go!
1:54 Contemporary African art fair - Marrakesh
31/01/2025
28/01/2025
More on the conflict in Eastern DRC
Goma, DR Congo, Jan 28, 2025 (AFP)
Goma, the main city in the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile east, is set to fall to the M23 armed group and Rwandan army -- the latest upheaval in a region devastated by three decades of war.
- Who is on the offensive? -
The blitzkrieg on Goma has been led by Rwandan soldiers and the M23 ("March 23 Movement") armed group, which had wrested control of the city in late 2012 before being driven out.
The M23, estimated to be 3,000 strong, has seen a spectacular revival since the end of 2021 with the support of Rwanda and its army.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, who are highly trained and have state-of-the-art equipment, are fighting alongside the M23, according to the United Nations.
The two allies entered the city on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, they wrested control of the city's airport.
- What is the Congolese army doing? -
On Saturday, Goma was still defended by several thousand soldiers from the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and local militias, grouped under the name "wazalendo", or "patriots" in Swahili.
The FARDC, known for being undisciplined, poorly equipped and corrupt, are supported by some 10,000 peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, soldiers from the Southern African Development Community regional bloc, as well as two private security companies.
They have never managed to stem the onslaught.
- Why Goma? -
Goma is the capital of North Kivu province, rich in natural resources, particularly minerals.
Adjoining the Rwandan border, it is one of the main export routes for products from eastern DRC and of key importance in a sprawling nation with shambolic infrastructure and abysmal roads.
Goma also has an international airport and a lake port, serving the large city of Bukavu, capital of the neighbouring province of South Kivu.
Control of Goma is of huge symbolic significance for the governments of both DRC and Rwanda.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to plunder the natural resources of the east, allegations partly confirmed by UN experts.
Rwanda alleges that its neighbour supports and shelters the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group created by former Hutu leaders of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda who massacred Tutsis.
- Can M23 govern Goma? -
The M23 denies it is supported by Rwanda and portrays itself as a homegrown movement aiming to overthrow the government of President Felix Tshisekedi.
In the areas under its control, the M23 instals a parallel administration -- a model that could be replicated in Goma. However, since 2021, the M23 has never taken a city of such size or importance.
The Congolese army, which has been losing ground to M23 for three years, does not appear to be able to retake Goma.
Before the offensive, hundreds of thousands of displaced people were already crammed in teeming makeshift shelters on the outskirts of the city in extremely precarious humanitarian and security conditions.
The recent escalation has forced half a million people to flee since the start of the month, according to the United Nations.
After the recent fighting, several humanitarian warehouses containing food and medicines were looted, exacerbating the situation.
- Risk of regional conflict? -
The conflicts in the region involve a multitude of players -- both armed groups and countries.
Uganda and Burundi have deployed troops in the east, officially to support the Congolese army, but both are accused of wanting to extend their influence in an area that is increasingly beyond Kinshasa's control.
The resurgence of the M23 in 2021 was partly caused by a rivalry between Rwanda and Uganda over resources in the region.
Eastern DRC experienced a relative lull after the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali in late July. However, the negotiations never led to a concrete peace agreement.
In December, a summit organised through Angolan mediation was cancelled as Rwandan President Paul Kagame refused to attend.
DRC: Statement from Crisis Group as the war escalates in the East
About Rwanda's role in the conflict:
"Evidence has piled up of their troops’ activities in North Kivu."
Fall of DRC’s Goma: Urgent Action Needed to Avert a Regional War
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On the morning of 27 January, Rwandan-backed March 23 (M23) rebels swept into Goma, capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, seizing control of the city of one million. The development marks a dramatic escalation in the long-running crisis.
The fighting has uprooted over two million from their homes, exposing thousands around Goma to predation by various militias. Rwanda and the M23 now control practically all of North Kivu province and by force of arms have forged a new reality in the region. Worse could well be on the way. Rebels are pushing deeper into the neighbouring South Kivu province and menacing its capital Bukavu, suggesting they have ambitions beyond Goma or at least are seeking to ramp up the pressure on a weakened Kinshasa.
Left unchecked, the fighting could spread throughout the Great Lakes region, recalling the horrors of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when millions died amid a multi-country war in the Congo.
Regional and international diplomacy has failed to meet the moment, even as concerted efforts to halt the fighting have never been more urgent.
Right now, the most promising forum are talks convened by Kenyan President William Ruto, the current chair of the East African Community, which begin 29 January.
All interested parties – including leaders from the DRC, Rwanda and Angola (which has run its own mediation track at the request of the African Union) should be at the table for this and future rounds. These negotiations will need to focus on short-term measures to stabilise Goma and prevent fresh urban combat which would devastate the city’s traumatised population.
Regional diplomats should work with the UN to create humanitarian corridors to supply thousands stranded in and around the city, and seek a caretaker arrangement for Goma, rather than leave Rwanda or the M23 in control while talks continue. Influential external actors, notably the EU and U.S., should throw their weight behind this effort while warning Kigali against advances deeper into its neighbour’s territory.
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Having gained control of Sake on 23 January, the M23 and Rwandan special forces advanced on Goma the next day, using long-range artillery to successfully sow panic in the ranks of the Congolese army and its auxiliaries. During the weekend of 25 and 26 January, Congolese troops and pro-Kinshasa militia flowed back into the city as fighting engulfed the outskirts. While soldiers from the national army, Southern African regional force and UN tried to hold the lines, including around the airport, they were rapidly overwhelmed and encircled.
Over the course of 27 January, M23 columns were increasingly visible, and uncontested, in the centre of the city while international forces kept a low profile or evacuated their bases. On the morning of 28 January, some locals reported pockets of fighting, although some gunshots are likely linked to pillage rather than organised resistance to the M23, with the exception of the airport which was still contested ground. Most worrying are reports that Congolese troops have landed shells on the Rwandan side of the border, reportedly leading to some deaths.
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The risk is real that the situation could escalate into a regional conflagration if talks are not successful. Kigali’s desire to use its superior force to push negotiation positions in its favour is particularly worrying.
Western and regional diplomats ... must continue to press Kigali to rethink and abandon its bellicose positioning.
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> Read on from ICG'w website: https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/great-lakes/democratic-republic-congo/fall-drcs-goma-urgent-action-needed-avert-regional-war?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
New post on my newsletter: On journalism
My latest (and not so latest...):
Why news need to improve and to tone down US focus
As the new government sets in Washington, with rapid measures promoting conservatism and openly praising fascist ideas, it's more than ever time to see solutions from the rest of the world.
26/01/2025
26 January: War worsens in the DRC; Gaza in danger of ethnic cleansing
Waking up to worsening news...
Congo severs ties with Rwanda as eastern conflict escalates
Jan 25 (Reuters) - Congo has severed all diplomatic ties with Rwanda and South Africa said on Saturday that nine of its peacekeepers had been killed amid a surge in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels in mineral-rich eastern Congo.
The three-year M23 insurgency in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified in January with the M23 rebels seizing control of more territory than ever before, prompting the U.N. to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.
Congo and its allies said on Saturday they had pushed back M23 fighters, who were advancing on the provincial capital Goma.
The sound of nearby heavy bombardment rocked the city in the early hours of Saturday.
Congo, the U.N. and others accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the conflict with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this, but Congo's army said on Saturday that Rwandan snipers were responsible for the killing of North Kivu's military governor on the front line this week.
Congo has recalled its diplomats from Rwanda and asked the Rwandan authorities to cease diplomatic and consular activities in the Congolese capital within 48 hours, according to a letter from the foreign ministry to the Rwandan embassy dated Jan. 24.
A representative of the ministry on Saturday said the letter represented "the most severe form of diplomatic breakdown." The Rwandan authorities could not immediately be reached for comment due to the late hour.
In a sign of heightened international concern, the U.N. Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss the crisis, diplomats said. It had earlier planned to meet on Monday.
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Trump says Jordan, Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Jan 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Jordan and Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel's military assault has caused a dire humanitarian situation and killed tens of thousands. When asked if this was a temporary or long-term suggestion, Trump said: "Could be either."
Washington had said last year it opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians. Rights groups and humanitarian agencies have for months raised concerns over the situation in Gaza, with the war displacing nearly the entire population and leading to a hunger crisis.
Washington has also faced criticism for backing Israel but has maintained support for its ally, saying it is helping Israel defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
"I said to him I'd love you to take on more because I'm looking at the whole Gaza strip right now and it’s a mess, it's a real mess. I'd like him to take people," Trump, who took office on Jan. 20, said about his call on Saturday with Jordan's King Abdullah.
"I'd like Egypt to take people," Trump told reporters, adding he would speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.
"You’re talking about a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing," Trump said.
The population in the Palestinian enclave prior to the start of the Israel-Gaza war was around 2.3 million.
25/01/2025
'After the End' - video introduction
New decolonial exhibition at Pompidou Metz:
An exhibition opening in Metz at the Pompidou Centre brings artists from the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and other post-colonial areas to reflect on an alternative future.
‘After the End – Cartographies for Another Time’ discusses how artists from former colonies see the world, and what responses they can offer to a world led by the West, facing crisis after crisis...
My video insight here:
23/01/2025
Arts: 'After The End' in Metz
Great day at Centre Pompidou Metz with RFI colleagues, art journalists and Madrid-born curator Manuel Borja-Villel for the opening of 'After The End':
A beautiful, global, inspiring exhibition about a post-colonial dialogue from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
More soon...
22/01/2025
Online-nomad journalist...
Our jobs as journalists are changing profoundly...
The level of disinformation and propaganda is through the roof.
Sometimes, I feel that we don't even have any impact on people anymore... And now social media have been turned against us too.
For all these reasons, I've decided to stop using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
I'm active on LinkedIn and on Bluesky.
New podcast episode: Africa’s changing diplomacy in 2025
Spotlight on Africa
Africa’s changing diplomacy as G20, Ecowas divisions and new global alliances loom
Issued on:
In this edition of the Spotlight on Africa podcast, experts and analysts delve into Africa's evolving diplomacy as the continent approaches 2025. Topics include South Africa's G20 leadership, the division within the West African bloc ECOWAS, and emerging partnerships with the US and China.
And from Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/africas-changing-diplomacy-as-g20-ecowas-divisions/id1241972991?i=1000685000813
How will 2025 shape up for African nations and their global partnerships? Will Africa secure a more central role in the global diplomatic landscape? To understand what's at stake on the continent, the Spotlight on Africa podcast consulted three experts in African politics and diplomacy.
Cameron Hudson from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CISC) in Washington DC discusses priorities for South Africa as it takes on the rotating presidency of the G20 group, and in particular its relationship to the United States.
Michael Dillon from King's College, London, UK, looks at China's new strategy that aims to deepen its influence in Africa.
Thierry Vircoulon from IFRI in France analyses the legacy of France in Africa, notably in the Sahel where French troops have been pushed out by military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
These countries have since established their own Alliance of Sahel States and made the decision to withdraw from the West African bloc Ecowas. Set to take effect on 29 January, security experts and members of the diaspora have voiced concern over what lies ahead.
Listen from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20250122-africa-s-changing-diplomacy-as-g20-ecowas-divisions-and-new-global-alliances-loom
And from Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/africas-changing-diplomacy-as-g20-ecowas-divisions/id1241972991?i=1000685000813
20/01/2025
Reflections on friendship
When you're disappointed at a friend for letting you down when you needed someone...
And their response is to be mad at you...
I guess you know they're not a friend anymore?
19/01/2025
Substack's new post
Ceasefire in Gaza, diplomatic changes in Africa... New global equilibrium in sight?
Groundbreaking progress and coming summits or deals can give hope this week, despite huge challenges. Let's tour the world.
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