Photo : Souleymane Ag Anara, AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Souleymane Ag Anara, AFP
IN BRIEF
by Anu Maria Joseph, Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prerana P
Niger: 17 soldiers killed in jihadist attack; ECOWAS to discuss potential intervention post-coup
On 16 August, BBC Africa quoted the Ministry of Defence and the National Guard of Niger, which reported that at least 17 soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack in the Tillabéri region, close to the border with Burkina Faso. The ministry stated: "The prompt reaction of the military and the air-land response initiated at the scene of the clash made it possible to deal with the enemy." This is the seventh Islamist militant attack in the country since the coup on 26 July. Meanwhile, on 15 August, ECOWAS announced that army chiefs of the member states will be meeting in Ghana's capital Accra on 17 August to discuss a potential military intervention to reinstate civilian rule in Niger. (“More than a dozen Niger soldiers killed in attack near Mali border,” Al Jazeera, 16 August 2023)
Kenya: Public debt hits record high
On 16 August, according to Kenya’s treasury, the public debt rose to a record high of USD 10.8 in the past financial year amounting to USD 70.75 billion breaching the debt ceiling of KES 10.1 trillion. The Treasury stated: “The increase in the public debt is attributed to external loan disbursements, exchange rate fluctuations and the uptake of domestic and external debt.” The cost of debt servicing for the past financial year was USD 391 billion of which USD 743 million was to China. The Fitch Ratings reported that the state of Kenya’s capability to repay the loans changed from stable to negative. In June, lawmakers voted in favour of increasing the debt ceiling to the proportion of Kenya’s GDP which is yet to be amended. (“Kenya's public debt rises by a record $10.8 billion,” Africanews, 16 August 2023)
Nigeria: “No plan to increase fuel prices,” assures President
On 16 August, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu declared that there is “no plan to increase the prices of fuel at this time.” Several oil marketers’ alerted that the fuel price will go up for the third time since May 2023 due to the foreign exchange crisis. The President’s spokesman Ajuri Ngelale in an interview with BBC assured that the current price will be maintained without “reversing our deregulation policy by swiftly cleaning up existing inefficiencies within the midstream and downstream petroleum sector.” (Azeezat Olaoluwa, “No current plan to raise Nigeria fuel prices - Tinubu,” BBC News, 16 August 2023)
Libya: 55 killed in clashes
On 16 August, Al Jazeera reported that at least 55 people were killed and 146 were wounded in a clash between armed groups in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The fighting erupted on 14 August between two armed groups, the 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force (SDF), active since the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The clashes were triggered following the detention of the head of the 444 Brigade, Colonel Mahmoud Hamza, by the rival Special Deterrence Force. On 15 August, the social council in the eastern suburb of Souq al-Jumaa, an SDF stronghold, said that an agreement had been reached with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, head of the UN-recognized government based in Tripoli, for Hamza to be handed over to a "neutral party." The council said that a ceasefire would be initiated following the transfer of Hamza. Both armed factions are aligned with Dbeibah's government. (“Dozens dead as armed forces clash in Libya - medics,” BBC News, 16 August 2023)