Africa

Egypt’s former president Mohamed Morsi buried in Cairo

Published

4 years ago

June 18, 2019

Eric

Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was buried in Cairo on Tuesday, his lawyer said, a day after he collapsed in court and died.

Rights groups called for an independent probe into the detention conditions and death of the Islamist, who was ousted in 2013 after a year of divisive rule.

State TV said the 67-year-old’s death was due to a cardiac arrest.

“He was buried in Medinat Nasr, in eastern Cairo, with his family present,” said Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud, one of his lawyer.

Morsi, also the country’s first civilian president, had appeared “animated” during a hearing in a retrial over charges of collaborating with foreign powers and militant groups, judicial and security sources said.

“The court granted him his request to speak for five minutes… He fell to the ground in the cage… and was transported immediately to the hospital. A medical report found… no pulse or breathing,” said the attorney general’s office.

“He arrived at the hospital dead at 4:50 pm exactly and there were no new, visible injuries found on the body.”

Another of Morsi’s legal defence team described the moment he received news of his death.

“We heard the banging on the glass cage from the rest of the other inmates and them screaming loudly that Morsi had died,” the lawyer, Osama El Helw, told AFP.

Since Morsi’s overthrow on July 3, 2013, his former defence minister, now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has waged an ongoing crackdown that has seen thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters jailed and hundreds facing death sentences.

A judicial source said Morsi had fainted during a break in the trial hearing.

The court officials “had just finished the session for the espionage case and they informed the judge that he had fainted and needed to be transported to a hospital where he later died”, he told AFP.

Morsi last saw his family in September 2018. A month later, one of his sons, Abdallah, was arrested.

Abdel Maksoud was the last member of his defence team to see the former Islamist president, in November 2017.

The Brotherhood’s political wing — the Freedom and Justice Party — accused Egyptian authorities of “deliberately killing him slowly”.

They “put him in solitary confinement… they withheld medication and gave him disgusting food… they did not grant him the most basic human rights,” it said in a statement.

Rights group Amnesty International called on Egyptian authorities to open “an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation probe” into Morsi’s death and his detention conditions.

Human Rights Watch echoed that demand, saying Morsi had suffered years of “insufficient access to medical care”.

“The United Nations Human Rights Council… should establish an investigation into ongoing gross violations of human rights in Egypt, including widespread ill-treatment in prisons and Morsi’s death,” it said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong ally of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, paid tribute to the “martyr”.

The Gaza-based Palestinian movement Hamas, originally an offshoot of the Brotherhood, also hailed Morsi’s influence.

Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi called his death “sad and unfortunate” and said that “while respecting the views of the great nation of Egypt, offers its condolences.”

– ‘Premature death’ –

Internationally he received some support, but in his homeland, Morsi has a chequered legacy.

He spent just one turbulent year in office after the 2011 uprising, before being toppled by the military after millions took to the streets demanding his resignation.

The Islamist leader has been in prison since his ouster, on trial in several cases including for spying for Iran, Qatar and militant groups such as Hamas.

Morsi was also accused of plotting terrorist acts.

He was sentenced to death in May 2015 for his role in jailbreaks during the uprising that ousted his predecessor, longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Following the news of his death, Egyptian television channels went into feverish overdrive, labelling the Brotherhood a “terrorist group” and playing a looping tagline: “The Brothers are liars”.

A group of British parliamentarians in March 2018 warned that his detention conditions had not met international standards and could lead to his “premature death”.

Other Brotherhood leaders have also died in custody.

The years following Morsi’s overthrow have seen a surge in bombings and shootings targeting security forces, particularly in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, now a stronghold of the Islamic State group.

Morsi’s turbulent rule was marked by deep divisions in Egyptian society, a crippling economic crisis and often-deadly opposition protests.

His death comes days before Egypt hosts the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, starting Friday.

Authorities have been on high alert, announcing on Facebook Wednesday that thousands of forces would be deployed to secure venues.

Africa

UN Warns of ‘Catastrophe’ As Sudan War Rages On

Published

1 month ago

May 2, 2023

Eric

Fierce fighting between rival generals raged on in Sudan Tuesday despite the latest truce, as warnings multiplied of the potential for a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Bloodshed has gripped Sudan since April 15 when tensions erupted into armed exchanges between regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded as air strikes and artillery exchanges have gripped swathes of greater Khartoum sparking the exodus of thousands of Sudanese to neighbouring countries.

Many more cannot afford the arduous journey to Sudan’s borders, and have been forced to hole up inside the city of five million people with dwindling supplies of food, water and electricity.

“We are hearing some sporadic gunfire, the roaring of a warplane and the anti-aircraft fire at it,” said one resident of south Khartoum.

In a Monday briefing, the top United Nations aid official in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, warned that the situation was turning into “a full-blown catastrophe”.

Kenyan President William Ruto said the conflict had reached “catastrophic levels” with the warring generals declining “to heed the calls by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the international community to cease fire.”

In a virtual meeting with senior UN officials, Ruto said it was imperative to find ways to provide humanitarian relief “with or without a ceasefire”.

Burhan and Daglo, who fell out after carrying out a 2021 military coup which derailed Sudan’s transition to elective civilian rule, have flouted multiple ceasefires, the latest a 72-hour extension agreed late on Sunday.

Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens. Over the past 10 days, thousands of foreigners have been brought to safety by air or sea in operations that are now winding down.

Russia’s armed forces said on Tuesday they were evacuating more than 200 people from Sudan on four military transport planes.

Nearly 500 people arrived in the Saudi port of Jeddah on Monday aboard two vessels, one a US Navy ship, the other Saudi.

– Relief trickles in –

Top UN humanitarian official Martin Griffiths arrived in Nairobi on Monday on a mission to find ways to bring relief to the millions of civilians trapped inside Sudan.

“The situation unfolding there (in Sudan) since April 15 is catastrophic,” he said on Twitter.

Sudan’s turmoil has seen hospitals shelled, humanitarian facilities looted and foreign aid groups forced to suspend most of their operations.

At least 528 have been killed and some 4,600 wounded in the violence, according to the health ministry.

The United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was bracing for “the possibility that over 800,000 people may flee the fighting in Sudan for neighbouring countries”.

The World Health Organization warned that the fighting was pushing Sudan’s already ailing health sector toward “disaster” with only 16 percent of health facilities in Khartoum still functioning.

The WHO said that it had delivered six containers of medical equipment to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, including supplies for treating trauma injuries and severe acute malnutrition. It had also distributed scarce fuel to hospitals which rely on generators for power.

– Darfur chaos –

Beyond Khartoum, lawlessness has engulfed the West Darfur state capital, El Geneina, where at least 96 people have been reported killed since the start of the fighting, according to UN figures.

More than 330,000 people have been displaced, over 70 percent of them in West and South Darfur states, according to the International Organization for Migration.

“The health system has completely collapsed in Geneina,” the doctors’ union said, adding that looting of clinics and camps for the displaced had forced several agencies to carry out “emergency evacuations” for their teams.

On Friday, Doctors Without Borders said the fighting had forced it to halt “almost all activities in West Darfur”.

The Darfur region is still scarred by a war that erupted in 2003 when then hardline president Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes, against ethnic-minority rebels.

The scorched-earth campaign left at least 300,000 people dead and close to 2.5 million displaced, according to UN figures.

The Janjaweed — which rights groups have accused of atrocities in Darfur — later evolved into the RSF, which was formally created in 2013.

AFP

Africa

Violence Erupts in Sudan over Struggle for Power

Published

2 months ago

April 17, 2023

Eric

The power struggle between two generals in Sudan and its associated violence escalated dramatically on Saturday and Sunday, with at least dozens of civilians and soldiers killed.

It remains unclear who has the upper hand in the power struggle, according to media reports, which said fighting around the Sudanese army’s general command in the capital Khartoum had intensified.

At least 83 people have died and 1,126 others have been injured in heavy fighting in Sudan between the army and the influential paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday.

A Sudanese medical organisation said on Sunday that so far at least 56 civilians and dozens of soldiers had been killed.

According to WHO, the hospitals in Khartoum, which is home to around six million people, have been overwhelmed.

Among those killed on Saturday were three employees of the UN World Food Programme, which announced on Sunday that it had stopped its aid mission due to the killings.

Two other WFP employees were injured in the clashes between the army and paramilitaries.

WFP executive director Cindy McCain said the staff had been delivering relief supplies to people in the village of Kabkabiya in North Darfur.

She called for “immediate steps” to ensure the safety of other WFP staff in Sudan.

The events triggered worldwide fears of a potential civil war in the state with about 46 million inhabitants and prompted calls from the international community for an immediate ceasefire.

As the situation escalated, two important regional organisations convened emergency meetings on Sunday. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union consulted on Sunday afternoon on the “worrying” situation in Sudan. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa also convened an extraordinary summit of heads of state and government.

The IGAD wants to discuss how best to “de-escalate the situation in Sudan and restore calm for the good of the country,” executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said on Twitter.

The clashes follow tension between Sudan’s de facto president and commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, the leader of the RSF.

The RSF and the military have effectively held power in the country since the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

In the course of the delayed transition to a civilian government, the RSF were to be integrated into the armed forces, which led to a rift between the allies. RSF leader Daglo accused al-Burhan of clinging to power.

Fighting broke out unexpectedly on Saturday morning in Khartoum.

The RSF claimed Sudanese soldiers had entered their headquarters in the south of the city.

RSF forces attacked the airport in the north of the city and the presidential palace.

The army used fighter planes and tanks.

On Sunday, fighting continued to concentrate on the nearby army headquarters and the state radio building.

Both sides repeatedly reported combat successes that contradicted each other.

The claims of both sides could not be independently confirmed.

Fighting was also reported in other parts of the country such as Darfur and North Kordofan provinces.

Heavy fighting was also reported in the town of Merowe in the north of the country.

As the situation escalates, the UN Security Council called on all parties to the conflict to stop the fighting and start talks to end the crisis.

Humanitarian workers must also be given safe access and UN staff must be protected from attacks; the UN’s most powerful body demanded on Sunday.

The statement stressed the goal of the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the republic of Sudan.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock demanded a ceasefire.

The Punch

Africa

South Africa: Gunmen Attack Birthday Party, Kill Host, Eight Others

Published

4 months ago

January 30, 2023

Eric

Gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday at the weekend in a township in South Africa, killing eight and wounding three others, police said on Monday.

The birthday celebrant was among those gunned down in the mass shooting in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

“The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unknown gunmen entered the yard” on Sunday evening “and started shooting at the guests,” police said in a statement.

The gunmen “randomly shot at guests,” police said, adding “eight people died while three others are still fighting for their lives in hospital. The homeowner is among the deceased”.

The motive of the attack is yet unknown.

Nomthetheleli Mene, the provincial police chief for the Eastern Cape province, condemned the killings as “a blatant disregard for human life”.

An investigation has been launched into the attack and police said a manhunt for the perpetrators was underway.

Shootings are common in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates, fuelled by gang violence and alcohol.

South Africa last year saw string of shootings that killed nearly two dozen at separate bars in working class suburbs in Johannesburg and in the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, the national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, and crime experts were scheduled to visit the scene of the attack later Monday morning.

AFP