Photo : Benoit Tessier, Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Benoit Tessier, Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prearana P
Central African Republic: Opposition condemns presidential tenure extension after passing of referendum
On 8 August, Al Jazeera reported that the Central African Republic (CAR) opposition has called out the adoption of a new draft constitution in the country that will enable the president to extend his tenure, saying that the president was aiming for life Presidency. On 7 July, the national poll body had announced that 95.27 per cent had voted favourably in the referendum with an overall turnout of 61.10 per cent. With this, current President Faustin-Archange Touadera is cleared to run again in the 2025 elections. However, the report cited that the turnout for voting in the referendum was low, a point that was reiterated by an opposition leader who said: “...we’ve all seen that people didn’t go out to vote and it doesn’t reflect the will of the Central African people.” (“Opposition cries foul as voters in CAR approve tenure elongation,” Al Jazeera, 8 August 2023)
Niger: Military snubs joint diplomatic effort from ECOWAS, UN and the African Union
On 8 August, a planned delegation comprising representatives of the African Union (AU), UN, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was denied permission to enter Niger by its military leaders. So far, Niger’s military leaders have not entertained any diplomatic efforts from outside, including the UN and the US. ECOWAS heads are scheduled to hold a meeting on 10 August to discuss further actions with regard to Niger. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who also holds the chair of ECOWAS, said: “diplomacy is the best way forward.” However, the possible use of force to overthrow the coup is not completely disregarded by the bloc. (“Niger coup leaders rebuff diplomatic overtures from AU, ECOWAS,” Al Jazeera, 8 August 2023)
Niger: Number of people in need of humanitarian assistance increases
On 8 August, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger Louise Aubin warned that regional sanctions and border and airspace closures will increase the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance. According to Aubin: “More than the 4.3 million people we had planned on supporting through emergency humanitarian assistance, we might see that number growing and growing fast.” Aubin added that the efforts of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) are being disrupted due to the airspace closure but are not completely suspended. On 7 August, UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths highlighted the crisis in Niger urging the international community to help. (Sanctions, airspace closures hamper UN humanitarian efforts in Niger,” Al Jazeera, 8 August 2023)