Wendell Roelf | CAPE TOWN
A South African government task team has rescinded the reinstatement of Brian Molefe as chief executive of state power utility Eskom and a new CEO will be appointed within 48 hours, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said on Wednesday.
Molefe resigned in November last year after a report by the Public Protector, a constitutionally mandated corruption watchdog, raised questions over Eskom coal deals.
Molefe&#8217;s surprise return two weeks ago highlighted divisions in the ANC and drew allegations from opponents that the ruling party and President Jacob Zuma weren&#8217;t tackling graft.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Joe Brock)

South Africa government removes Molefe as Eskom CEO

Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo | JOHANNESBURG
South Africa&#8217;s rand weakened early on Monday after media reports that President Jacob Zuma had survived a no-confidence motion against him at a meeting of senior officials of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday
At 0645 GMT, the rand traded at 12.9150 per dollar, 0.35 percent weaker from its New York close on Friday.
&#8220;The local markets were keenly awaiting the outcome of the ANC NEC, some optimistic views in the market that the President would not survive a motion of no confidence, but once again that is not the case, and Mr Zuma remains in his seat,&#8221; Nedbank analysts said in a note.
Zuma is facing mounting pressure against him from ANC members, opposition parties and civil society since he axed respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan in March, triggering credit rating downgrades.
Stocks were set to open flat at 0700 GMT, with the JSE securities exchange&#8217;s Top-40 futures index largely unchanged.
(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
&nbsp;

South Africa’s rand weakens on reports Zuma survived exit push

James Macharia | JOHANNESBURG
South Africa President Jacob Zuma defeated a no-confidence motion against him at a meeting of top officials of the ruling African National Congress party on Sunday, News24 reported on its website.
Zuma is facing mounting pressure against him within the ANC, opposition parties and civil society has swelled since he axed respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan in March, triggering credit rating downgrades that have hit chances of a recovery in the struggling economy.
Citing two unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), News24 said Zuma had survived a heated NEC meeting that lasted late into the night.
News24 said a source who attended the meeting that started on Friday in the capital Pretoria reported that as many as 70 party officials took part in the debate for and against the motion, and that the president had the support of most speakers.
Local news service Eye Witness News (EWN) said on its Twitter feed that the president was &#8220;hard hitting&#8221; in his response, and told detractors that he knew that &#8220;they are used by foreign forces&#8221;.
EWN said that of the 72 participants who spoke about motion, 18 spoke in support and 54 against.
The ANC said earlier it would hold a media briefing on Monday on the NEC meeting.
The ANC stood by Zuma at a similar meeting in November in a debate about whether he should step down.
Zuma is scheduled to step down from the ANC helm in December. His term as South African head of state runs until 2019.
(Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Mary Milliken)
&nbsp;

South Africa’s Zuma survives no confidence vote in ANC

ALGIERS (Reuters) &#8211; Algeria&#8217;s Energy Minister Noureddine Bouterfa, who has been active in pushing for an OPEC price cut deal, has been replaced in a cabinet reshuffle with former state gas agency chief Mustapha Guitouni, state radio said on Thursday.
The new finance minister is Abderahmane Raouia, the former tax agency director, the radio said.
(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; writing by Patrick Markey)

Algerian Energy Minister Bouterfa replaced in cabinet reshuffle: state radio

Nqobile Dludla and Ed Cropley | JOHANNESBURG
South Africa&#8217;s ruling African National Congress dismissed a media report on Tuesday that President Jacob Zuma&#8217;s removal would be discussed at an ANC meeting this weekend as untrue.
Analysts also poured water on the likelihood of Zuma being ousted or stepping down before his term as ANC head ends in December. Zuma faces a no-confidence vote in parliament that analysts said is likely to fail due to the broad support and control he enjoys over the ruling party and the economy.
Opposition to Zuma inside the ANC and from opposition parties and civil society groups, however, has swelled since he axed respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan in late March, triggering credit downgrades to &#8220;junk&#8221; by two rating agencies.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg quoted two anonymous sources as saying the ANC would discuss the removal of Zuma at a meeting of top party leaders at the weekend, a report that firmed the rand by 1.5 percent against the dollar.
<blockquote>ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa denied the report, saying it was &#8220;a complete fabrication and not true&#8221;.</blockquote>
A senior member of the ANC&#8217;s National Executive Committee (NEC) told Reuters he was unaware of any changes to the draft agenda of a major policy meeting at the end of June.
NKC African Economists analyst Gary van Staden said Zuma wielded enough control over the ANC to defeat the no-confidence vote in parliament as well as any internal party challenges.
<blockquote>&#8220;The cabinet reshuffle has demonstrated one clear problem. To characterise Zuma as a weakened president on his way out would be to underestimate the patronage networks he has around him and supporting him,&#8221; he said.</blockquote>
&#8220;We need to understand that the ANC would know exactly which lawmakers are likely to rebel and vote against the president and I&#8217;ve no doubt they are being persuaded otherwise.&#8221;
The firming currency highlighted the perception by investors that an early Zuma exit would be a positive for the economy, which is on the brink of a technical recession after contracting in the final quarter of 2016.
&#8220;There might be a very short-term positive impact especially in the markets. We would see the rand exchange rate appreciating a lot and bond yields declining,&#8221; said economist Elize Kruger.
A bid to remove Zuma by at least three cabinet ministers during a party meeting in November saw the currency gain nearly 4 percent in two days before retreating when Zuma prevailed.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla and Ed Cropley; Writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia/Mark Heinrich)

South Africa’s ANC dismisses Zuma removal report as “fabrication”

Ed Stoddard  JOHANNESBURG
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, seen as a top contender to lead the ruling ANC into 2019 general elections, said on Sunday that the country must not become a &#8220;mafia state&#8221; as he admitted his party had become associated with corruption.
Ramaphosa&#8217;s comments were among the strongest he has made on governance as the race heats up to replace President Jacob Zuma, whose administration has been hit by scandals and missteps, prompting street protests and calls for him to resign or be removed.
In televised remarks at an event in the platinum mining town of Rustenburg organised by the South African Communist Party (SACP), Ramaphosa responded to a warning this week from the influential South African Council of Churches that graft is turning South Africa into a mafia state.
<blockquote>&#8220;If we as the ANC are to counter this grave threat, if the ANC is to recover its leadership role in society, then it is absolutely imperative that we act with urgency and purpose and make sure that we never become a mafia state,&#8221; Ramaphosa said.
&#8220;Because once we become a mafia state all the wheels have come off,&#8221; said Ramaphosa, whose delivery was at times passionate, a marked contrast to his normally reserved manner.</blockquote>
The SACP setting was a pointed one as the party is a key political ally of the ANC and has called for Zuma to resign.
Relations between Zuma and Ramaphosa, 64, a former trade union organiser who led negotiations to end white rule in 1994, have become increasingly strained, according to local media reports.
Zuma has consistently denied allegations of corruption leveled against him, his government and some associates, and branded protesters calling for his resignation &#8220;racist&#8221;.
Clad in a leather jacket bearing the ANC&#8217;s black, green and gold colours, Ramaphosa said the party was saddled with an image problem when it came to corruption.
&#8220;In the public mind, the ANC and its government are increasingly associated, fairly or unfairly, with wrong things that the public continues to see us doing. Like corruption, like pursuing narrow personal enrichment,&#8221; he said.
Ramaphosa also said that he had met with ratings agency Moody&#8217;s on Friday and their view was that the ANC was on the verge of a split. He said he assured them that would not happen.
Both S&amp;P Global Ratings and Fitch downgraded South Africa&#8217;s credit rating to below investment grade in April after Zuma fired respected former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a move Ramaphosa opposed and triggered nationwide unrest.
Zuma is to step down as head of the ANC in December but can remain head of state until the 2019 elections. He has signaled his preference that his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a former cabinet minister and head of the African Union, replace him.
(Editing by Richard Lough)
&nbsp;

Deputy President Ramaphosa says South Africa must avoid “mafia state” fate

Elias Biryabarema | KAMPALA
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered his security chiefs on Tuesday to stop torture by their personnel after media images of a detained politician with septic wounds on his body stirred public outrage.
Human rights activists said those images and other recent incidents where suspects have appeared in court with torture marks on their bodies point to escalating brutality and impunity on the part of Ugandan security personnel.
Pictures began circulating online and in local media last week of Geoffrey Byamukama, mayor of a small town in western Uganda, who was arrested last month on suspicion he participated in the murder of a senior police official in March. [
<blockquote>In a letter emailed to news media, Museveni told heads of the military, police and intelligence services that torture was &#8220;not consonant with logic &#8230; The use of torture is unnecessary and wrong and must not be used again&#8221;.</blockquote>
Opposition supporters and activists have long said they have been subjected to excessive force by Ugandan security services as a show of loyalty to Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and is one of Africa&#8217;s longest serving rulers.
Security personnel often disperse opposition meetings and demonstrations with arrests, tear gas and beatings.
Critics say Museveni increasingly relies on brute force by security personnel to blunt growing opposition to his rule. Ugandan officials have denied such accusations.
Maria Burnett, associate director at Human Rights Watch&#8217;s Africa division, told Reuters that torture was pervasive in Uganda and &#8220;overlooked and ignored on a daily basis&#8221;.
She said Museveni&#8217;s directive was notable for lacking any call for investigations and accountability into past incidents of torture. &#8220;Without accountability, the government&#8217;s statements smack of public relations and not a fundamental commitment to root out this abusive practice.&#8221;
Ugandan law criminalises torture and police have pledged in the past to investigate and prosecute officers accused of engaging in it. But such prosecutions have been extremely rare.
In his letter, Museveni warned that torture posed &#8220;possible mistakes that may even interfere with the fight against crime&#8221;.
He said there was the risk of torture being used on entirely innocent people and of some detainees being forced into false confessions to escape their ordeal.
Museveni won re-election to his latest term last year but the vote lacked credibility and transparency, international monitors said. His main rival, Kizza Besigye, maintains he won the election but that Museveni stole his victory.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by George Obulutsa and Mark Heinrich)
&nbsp;

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

Ed Stoddard | BOTHAVILLE, South Africa
South Africa&#8217;s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is not likely to approve any expropriation of land from white farmers without paying compensation, the agriculture minister said on Tuesday after President Jacob Zuma mooted such an idea.
Faced with opposition mainly from ANC&#8217;s urban base, Zuma appealed to the rural poor in February with promises to seize land without paying the owners and then handing it out.
Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana said the ANC was unlikely to back such a policy at a party conference in June and July, particularly given government efforts to attract investment.
&#8220;I don’t think so,&#8221; he told Reuters on the sidelines of an agricultural conference and exhibition when asked about the possibility of seizures. &#8220;It will be challenged in the courts. You would need to first amend the constitution to do that.&#8221;
<blockquote>&#8220;The issue is that to attract investors in any industry you need policy certainty. If you are not sure whether you will find your farm tomorrow or you will find shacks around it, you will not invest in that land,&#8221; he added.</blockquote>
Analysts have said they did not expect farm seizures in South Africa, where most agricultural land is still owned by whites more than two decades after the end of white rule.
Violent seizures in Zimbabwe sent its economy into tailspin. But analysts said that even talking about the idea of expropriations in South Africa unnerved investors.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform says only 8 million hectares of arable land has been transferred to black people since 1994, less than 10 percent of the 82 million hectares available and a third of the ANC&#8217;s 30 percent target.
On a government proposal to establish a strategic grain reserve, Zokwana said one of the aims was to have enough maize to satisfy domestic demand for 120 days, which equates to about 3.5 million tonnes at current consumption rates.
&#8220;If you can have a cushion of 120 days, then you won&#8217;t have a situation where you have no maize at all,&#8221; Zokwana said, although he said commercial farmers with whom he discussed the idea opposed it, saying it risked distorting the market.
Zokwana said one proposal involved buying surplus maize from smallholders who lacked storage facilities but were producing more than needed, as yields rose with the use of genetically modified (GMO) crops and improved farming techniques.
Neighbouring Zimbabwe and Zambia both hold such reserves. But it would require a major policy shift in South Africa, where agriculture is driven by market forces not state purchases.
A strategic grain reserve usually requires a government to buy and store crops, releasing them at times of need.
Zokwana said private business could have a role in setting up the strategic reserves, but did not give details.
South Africa was set to reap 14.54 million tonnes of maize in 2017, almost double last year&#8217;s harvest and its second largest ever due to good rains, the government&#8217;s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said last month.
Industry body Grain SA said on Tuesday it expected a surplus of 3.5 million tonnes this season and aimed to export all of it. [L8N1II45X]
(Editing by Edmund Blair)

South Africa farm minister sees no land expropriation without payment

Jean-Baptiste Vey | PARIS
President Emmanuel Macron will visit French troops in Africa on Friday, a source close to the new leader said on Tuesday.
Aides have said he is expected to go to Mali where about 1,000 soldiers are based as part of Paris&#8217; West African counter-terrorism force.
<blockquote>The source added that the new French government&#8217;s first cabinet meeting would take place on Thursday.</blockquote>
(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; writing by John Irish; Editing by Adrian Croft)
&nbsp;

French President Macron to travel to Africa on Friday – source

TJ Strydom | JOHANNESBURG
Former South African mines minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi said on Tuesday, without giving evidence, that power utility Eskom&#8217;s CEO and chairman asked him in 2015 to suspend Glencore&#8217;s mining licences to put pressure on the commodities firm to sell a coal mine.
Khulani Qoma, a spokesman for Eskom board&#8217;s, denied the allegation, saying it was &#8220;devoid of logic&#8221;.
Glencore in 2015 placed its Optimum coal mine under protection from creditors and later sold it to South Africa&#8217;s Tegeta Exploration and Resources, a firm controlled by the Gupta brothers, who deny allegations they wield excessive influence over President Jacob Zuma.
&#8220;They (Eskom&#8217;s CEO and chairman) insisted that I must suspend all the Glencore mining licences,&#8221; Ramatlhodi told local media, adding he declined to give in to the pressure.
(Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by James Macharia and Mark Potter)
&nbsp;

Former S.Africa mines minister says Eskom tried to influence him

James Macharia | JOHANNESBURG
Lawyers for South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday requested legal permission for an appeal against a High Court order to give reasons for his decision to fire finance minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet reshuffle, eNCA television said.
Gordhan&#8217;s firing led to sovereign debt downgrades, large street protests and calls for Zuma&#8217;s resignation.The president has never given specific reasons for removing Gordhan and replacing him with Malusi Gigaba.
Zuma&#8217;s spokesman and lawyers were not immediately available to comment on the request for an appeal.
The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which requested the High Court order, also called for a no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament saying his cabinet changes were harmful to the economy.
<blockquote>&#8220;The President is clearly hell-bent on keeping these reasons from the people of South Africa and is using every possible court process to do so,&#8221; James Selfe, a DA lawmaker and head of its executive, said.</blockquote>
On Friday, the ruling African National Congress accused the judiciary of pandering to the opposition in ordering Zuma to explain why he fired Gordhan, and urged Zuma to appeal against the High Court&#8217;s ruling.
(Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Louise Ireland)

South Africa’s Zuma requests permission to appeal Gordhan order: eNCA TV

Wendell Roelf | CAPE TOWN
South Africa needs to provide policy clarity to boost investor confidence, after a cabinet reshuffle and a pledge to introduce &#8220;radical economic transformation&#8221;, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Tuesday.
Gigaba&#8217;s comments echo those of President Jacob Zuma about redistributing wealth, which remains largely in the hands of the white minority more than two decades after apartheid ended, raising uncertainty about South Africa&#8217;s policy direction.
&#8220;We know that we need to continue acting conscientiously to do what we have to do, including providing policy clarity on a number of areas &#8230; to boost business and investor confidence,&#8221; Gigaba told parliament&#8217;s finance committee.
Both S&amp;P Global Ratings and Fitch downgraded South Africa&#8217;s credit rating to below investment grade last month, citing likely changes in economic policy after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was fired, shaking investor confidence.
Lower ratings typically make it more expensive to borrow, particularly when they fall below investment grade, and risk deterring the foreign investors on whom South Africa relies to finance its big budget and balance of payments deficits.
&#8220;The debates around radical economic transformation are ongoing,&#8221; Gigaba told the finance committee. &#8220;How do you get the majority of South Africans &#8230; to participate in the economy, to own some assets, to become self-sustaining?&#8221;
He said the ruling African National Congress, which steers government policy, had not yet defined what the transformation entailed.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by James Macharia, Larry King)
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South Africa needs to clarify policy to boost confidence, Gigaba says

Aaron Ross | KINSHASA
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on Tuesday named a new transitional government, state television said, defying opponents who say he is in violation of a previous agreement.
Kabila, in power since 2001, struck a deal in December with Congo&#8217;s main opposition bloc to allow him to stay on after his mandate expired provided he held elections by the end of 2017. But talks to implement the deal broke down in March when Kabila refused to commit to the bloc&#8217;s choice of prime minister.
The roughly 60 ministers and vice-ministers read out on state TV are largely holdovers from the previous government and key ministries &#8211; including foreign affairs, interior, justice and mines &#8211; remain in the hands of Kabila loyalists.
Political tensions are high after security forces killed dozens during protests over election delays last year. Worsening militia violence in recent months has also raised fears of a backslide toward the civil wars of the turn of the century that killed millions.
Despite resistance to Kabila&#8217;s remaining in power, he has successfully co-opted large portions of the opposition. The new prime minister Bruno Tshibala, whom he named last month, is a former member of the country&#8217;s largest opposition party.
The new government faces a number of stern tests. Congo&#8217;s franc currency has half its value since last year and authorities are struggling to mobilise the resources needed to hold the election by the end of the year.
(Reporting By Aaron Ross; Editing by Emma Farge)

Congo’s Kabila names transitional govt, defying main opposition

Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Tanisha Heiberg | JOHANNESBURG
Police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at protesters in southern townships of Johannesburg on Tuesday to quell the latest violence over lack of housing and jobs, piling pressure on President Jacob Zuma&#8217;s government.
Residents in the Eldorado Park and Ennerdale townships in South Africa&#8217;s economic hub pelted police cars with stones and blocked a highway with burning tyres and rocks, prompting riot police in protective gear to fire back at them.
Police said at least 15 people were arrested during the unrest, which started as a protest against the lack of housing and jobs there, and several shops were also damaged and looted.
Poor South Africans in black townships and shanty-towns complain they have not seen any benefits since white minority rule ended more than two decades ago.
But the government is limited by South Africa&#8217;s weak economy and is wary of polices that might further tarnish its image as an investor-friendly emerging market.
Protester Marlene Loggenberg told Talk Radio 702 she has been on a waiting list for a subsidised house for over 30 years.
<blockquote>&#8220;They told me that my salary is too little for a (mortgage) bond and too much for an RDP house,&#8221; she said, referring to government-funded low-cost housing units.</blockquote>
&#8220;We are fed up with what&#8217;s happening here,&#8221; community leader Martha Pitt said, saying unemployment and poor local services were also fraying residents&#8217; nerves.
Another protester, who would not give her name, said she joined the demonstration to demand the government build her a subsidised house or give her a piece of land to build a shack.
Gauteng police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini said police would remain in the area until the situation is under control.
(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

Protesters over lack of jobs, houses clash with South African police

Ulf Laessing and Felix Onuah | ABUJA
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to London on Sunday night for follow-up medical tests, handing over power to his deputy Yemi Osibanjo, his office said.
Buhari, 74, returned to Nigeria two months ago after receiving medical treatment in Britain. Officials have refused to disclose details of his medical condition.
http://cnbc.africa/news/2017/03/10/nigerias-ailing-president-buhari-returns-home/
The president met on Sunday a group of 82 girls who had been released after being held captive for three years by Islamist militants, but he did not attend a cabinet meeting last Wednesday. That was his third consecutive absence from the weekly meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
<blockquote>&#8220;The length of the President&#8217;s stay in London will be determined by the doctors,&#8221; the president&#8217;s office said in a statement.</blockquote>
&#8220;Government will continue to function normally under the able leadership of the vice president,&#8221; it said, adding that there was no cause for worry.
Buhari, a former military ruler, returned home in March after nearly two months&#8217; medical leave in Britain and said he would need more rest and then go back to Britain for follow-up tests.
The president&#8217;s office said Buhari had notified both chambers of parliament of his trip, which will put Osinbajo formally in charge.
Osinbajo, a lawyer who is seen as more business-friendly than Buhari, has played an active role in driving policy changes, chairing cabinet meetings during the president&#8217;s medical leave.
Officials have sought to avoid a scenario seen in 2010 when political infighting broke out when then-President Umaru Yar&#8217;Adua was sick for months.
Osinbajo was already given full powers to act during Buhari&#8217;s previous absence, in contrast to his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan who only took over after Yar&#8217;Adua&#8217;s death in 2010 ended a power vacuum.
(Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Felix Onuah; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Susan Fenton)
&nbsp;

Nigeria’s Buhari to go to London for more medical tests

Ed Stoddard | JOHANNESBURG
South African President Jacob Zuma made a hasty exit from a May Day rally on Monday after the crowd of workers that he was due to address became rowdy, with some booing and chanting slogans against him.
The labour federation Cosatu abruptly cancelled Zuma&#8217;s speech and other addresses at the rally it had organised, as TV footage showed scuffles breaking out in the crowd, apparently between supporters who voiced their backing of Zuma and opponents of the president.
Zuma and his entourage could be seen on live TV leaving the podium and being whisked away from the rally, in the central city of Bloemfontein, in a motorcade.
Cosatu, a key political ally of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), last month called on Zuma to step down after his sacking of the finance minister triggered a sovereign credit rating downgrade to &#8220;junk&#8221;.
Marches calling on Zuma to quit have drawn tens of thousands of protestors but the ANC has rejected such calls ahead of two conferences this year, one where it will chart its policy direction, the other where it will pick Zuma&#8217;s successor to lead the party in 2019 general elections.
The May Day public holiday is an important date in South Africa&#8217;s political calendar, when party leaders try to woo a working class that has been hard hit by lay-offs in key sectors such as mining.
Zuma has become a focus of mounting public discontent over government missteps, rising unemployment and a stagnant economy.
Cosatu has signalled its preference for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a former trade unionist turned business tycoon who was the ANC&#8217;s key negotiator in the talks that lead to the end of white-minority rule in 1994.
At a separate Cosatu May Day rally, in rural Hectorspruit in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, Ramaphosa&#8217;s speech was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd, the South African Government News Agency reported.
Weeks ago, Ramaphosa openly disagreed with Zuma&#8217;s decision to sack former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who was widely respected by markets and regarded as a staunch opponent of the corruption that critics say has undermined the ANC&#8217;s moral authority.
Zuma is widely believed to want his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a former cabinet member who just finished a term at the helm of the African Union, to succeed him.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

South Africa’s Zuma quits May Day rally after boos from the crowd

Patrick Markey and Samia Errazzouki | ALGIERS/RABAT
The United Nations Security Council unanimously backed attempts to restart talks between Morocco and the Polisario independence movement over the Western Sahara conflict, and extended its peacekeeping mission there for another year.
The resolution came after the U.N. mission confirmed the Polisario had withdrawn troops from the Guerguerat area of the territory, a vast swath of desert bordering the Atlantic Ocean that has been contested since 1975.
They had faced off in Guerguerat since 2016 with Morocco, which pulled its forces back earlier this year.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month called for Morocco and the Polisario Front, which fought a war over the region until a 1991 ceasefire, to enter new negotiations that would include proposals from both sides.
&#8220;This action should improve the prospects of creating an environment that will facilitate early implementation of Mr. Guterres&#8217;s determination to relaunch the negotiating process,&#8221; the U.N. spokesman said in a statement noting Morocco&#8217;s early pullback and confirming Polisario&#8217;s withdrawal.
Morocco claimed Western Sahara after colonial Spain left, but Polisario fought a guerrilla war for independence for the Sahrawi people there until the U.N.-backed ceasefire.
U.N. talks have long failed to broker an agreement on how to decide on self-determination. Morocco wants an autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty. But Polisario wants a U.N.-backed referendum including on the question of independence.
The U.N. resolution on Friday extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, until April 30, 2018 and called on the parties to resume a fifth round of talks.
Against a backdrop of decades of past political failures and mistrust, the resolution noted Morocco&#8217;s 2007 autonomy proposal and welcomed Rabat&#8217;s &#8220;serious&#8221; efforts to progress.
It also emphasised Polisario&#8217;s 2007 proposal, which calls for a referendum between independence, integration with Morocco and self-governance.
Past attempts to broker a deal have been fallen apart over details mostly on referendum terms, including who should be allowed to vote.
REGIONAL HOPES
Morocco&#8217;s foreign ministry said in a statement the kingdom was satisfied with the resolution, and hoped for a &#8220;real process&#8221; toward a solution, which it said should be the autonomy initiative.
Morocco also called for neighbouring Mauritania as well as Algeria, which backs Polisario and maintains tense relations with Rabat, to be involved in negotiations.
&#8220;All parties must assume their responsibilities, Algeria must assume its responsibility,&#8221; Foreign Minister Nacer Bourita told reporters in Rabat. &#8220;Algeria is the missing key.&#8221;
That position has in the past been rejected by Polisario which sees the conflict only between itself and Rabat.
Algeria&#8217;s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra on Saturday called the resolution a victory for the Sahrawi cause that put the process &#8220;back on track&#8221;, according to the APS state news agency.
The dispute also reflect splits in the security council. France backs former colony Morocco, and Polisario&#8217;s self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been supported by some non-permanent council members and South Africa.
Friday&#8217;s UN resolution noted the need for more support for Sahrawi refugees who fled the conflict and have since lived in camps in the south of Algeria.
Since the 1991 ceasefire, the region has effectively been split by an earthen wall separating an area controlled by Morocco that it claims as its southern provinces, and territory controlled by the Polisario with a U.N.-mandated buffer zone between them.
U.N. peacekeepers intervened in a standoff last year after Moroccan forces crossed beyond the earthen wall in Guerguerat near the Mauritania border and Polisario responded by dispatching troops to the area.
(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Toby Chopra and John Stonestreet)

politics

South Africa government removes Molefe as Eskom CEO

South Africa’s rand weakens on reports Zuma survived exit push

South Africa’s Zuma survives no confidence vote in ANC

Algerian Energy Minister Bouterfa replaced in cabinet reshuffle: state radio

South Africa’s ANC dismisses Zuma removal report as “fabrication”

Deputy President Ramaphosa says South Africa must avoid “mafia state” fate

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

South Africa farm minister sees no land expropriation without payment

French President Macron to travel to Africa on Friday – source

Former S.Africa mines minister says Eskom tried to influence him

South Africa’s Zuma requests permission to appeal Gordhan order: eNCA TV

South Africa needs to clarify policy to boost confidence, Gigaba says

Congo’s Kabila names transitional govt, defying main opposition

Protesters over lack of jobs, houses clash with South African police

Nigeria’s Buhari to go to London for more medical tests

South Africa’s Zuma quits May Day rally after boos from the crowd

UN Security Council backs new Western Sahara talks push

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politics

South Africa government removes Molefe as Eskom CEO

South Africa’s rand weakens on reports Zuma survived exit push

South Africa’s Zuma survives no confidence vote in ANC

Algerian Energy Minister Bouterfa replaced in cabinet reshuffle: state radio

South Africa’s ANC dismisses Zuma removal report as “fabrication”

Deputy President Ramaphosa says South Africa must avoid “mafia state” fate

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

South Africa farm minister sees no land expropriation without payment

French President Macron to travel to Africa on Friday – source

Former S.Africa mines minister says Eskom tried to influence him

South Africa’s Zuma requests permission to appeal Gordhan order: eNCA TV

South Africa needs to clarify policy to boost confidence, Gigaba says

Congo’s Kabila names transitional govt, defying main opposition

Protesters over lack of jobs, houses clash with South African police

Nigeria’s Buhari to go to London for more medical tests

South Africa’s Zuma quits May Day rally after boos from the crowd

UN Security Council backs new Western Sahara talks push

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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