South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in the Western Cape, South Africa, ahead of the Young Presidents' Organisation dinner on 6 March 2019. Photo GCIS

The failure of southern African and Rwanda to coordinate their military interventions against Islamist insurgents in northern Mozambique could jeopardise the overall mission.

This week, Mozambique’s President, Filipe Nyusi, met separately with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali and with the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Lilongwe, Malawi, to discuss the war against the Al-Sunnah-wa-Jama’ah insurgents, who are affiliated to the Islamic State.

In Kigali, Kagame and Nyusi signed a formal cooperation agreement which included terms for the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) providing training to Mozambique forces. 

In Lilongwe, the SADC leaders agreed to extend the deployment of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (Samim). Both the RDF and Samim have been in Mozambique since July last year. 

The communiqué from the SADC summit did not say how long Samim’s mission had been extended for, but officials present said Samim would stay for another three months in its current form. This consists of mainly special forces from South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Lesotho conducting search-and-destroy missions against the insurgents. After that, the mission would be expanded to include infantry to consolidate territory seized from the insurgents and to reestablish civil infrastructure. Then the mission would be reassessed in July.

But, surprisingly to many observers, Rwanda and the SADC were not represented at each other’s meetings. This has raised concerns not only about dangers to the military mission but also to human rights and transparency of governance of the efforts to restore peace to the war zone, which is mainly in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado.

Adriano Nuvunga, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, asked on Thursday why Kagame had not been invited to the SADC summit in Lilongwe “so they could have one meeting instead of two”.

Speaking at a webinar organised by the Southern African Liaison Office and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Nuvunga noted that Rwanda had neither been mentioned at this week’s SADC summit, nor at the last one, held in October last year, when SADC leaders decided to extend Samim’s deployment for three months, until January 15.

“Rwanda seems the… elephant in the room,” he said. “They don’t talk about it.”

Nuvunga said the failure of the SADC to engage Kagame and of Mozambique to reveal the terms of its agreement with Rwanda was raising concerns by Mozambicans about what Rwanda’s responsibilities were. It was also raising concerns about human rights accountability. 

An official confirmed that Rwanda’s deployment had not been discussed at the Lilongwe summit. “It’s very unlikely that will ever come up,” he added, saying that the Samim and Rwandan militaries were coordinating in the field, so it was not necessary for the political leaders to cooperate. 

However, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said it still did not make sense that Kagame and Rwanda were not being included in the SADC discussions about overall strategy. 

“I think if [South African President Cyril] Ramaphosa invites Kagame to the next event, he can better control the narrative and make clear this is an SADC issue,” she said.

Louw-Vaudran added that she thought the lack of communication between the SADC and Rwanda was related to bad blood between Rwanda and South Africa over Pretoria’s belief that Kagame has targeted Rwandan dissidents in South Africa. This includes the murder in a Sandton hotel in 2013 of former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya.

The then defence minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, made it very clear in July last year that SA was unhappy about Rwanda deploying its military in Cabo Delgado before the SADC did. 

Louw-Vaudran said, though, that regardless of such tension, Kagame should have been at the SADC summit, as coordination of the troops was vitally important and Rwandan forces were playing a very important role in the fight against the insurgents. 

The SADC summit communiqué also failed to provide details about the financing of Samim. However, some sources have said it was agreed that an extra $29.5-million would be budgeted for. This appears inadequate to most observers, particularly as the special forces that have been fighting for six months complain that they are wholly underequipped. For example, two South African Oryx utility helicopters are transporting the special forces of four different countries. - Peter Fabricius, Daily Maverick

Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and royal patronages by the Queen after a US judge ruled his trial for sex offences could go ahead.

The Palace said in a statement: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.

“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”

According to ITV News, the 95-year-old Queen told Andrew in person on Thursday he would be stripped of his titles. 

The move by the palace comes ahead of the hugely embarrassing proposition of Andrew facing a civil trial over the sex assault allegations from Virginia Giuffre, which he denies. On Thursday, a source close to the duke said he would “continue to defend himself” against Ms Giuffre’s allegations.

Watch: Prince Andrew is to face a civil case in the US over allegations

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prince Andrew is to face a civil case in the US over allegations

A Manhattan federal court judge has ruled that a sexual assault civil lawsuit brought against British Royal Family member Prince Andrew can move forward.

Giuffre claims she was trafficked to have sex with the Queen’s second son when she was 17 and a minor under US law. A judge ruled on Wednesday the case could go ahead.

The Duke of York will no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity, something he has used since birth, and represents the duke’s complete removal from official royal life permanently.

A royal source told the PA News Agency the issue had been widely discussed with the royal family, making it likely that the Prince of Wales, as well as Andrew, was involved in crisis talks over the matter.

The source said the military posts would be redistributed to other members of the royal family, meaning Andrew's removal from public life is a permanent one.

Reacting to the news the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood MP, welcomed the news, telling the BBC's Newscast podcast. 

"Prince Andrew already had stepped back from many of his public duties - I think all of them, as well - so I think this was anticipated, indeed it was expected, from this perspective, so I'm actually not surprised."

The move to remove his titles comes after calls from veterans to strip him of his honorary military roles.

In an open letter to the Queen, more than 150 former members of Royal Navy, RAF and British Army described their “upset and anger” at Andrew retaining the titles, saying his position was “untenable”.

The letter said: “Please do not leave it any longer.”

A former commanding officer of one of Andrew's former regiments made similar calls last week.

Colonel Tim Collins, an Iraq War veteran, said at the time Andrew should "jump before he is pushed".

He said the publicity around the Giuffre lawsuits was "embarrassing" for everyone.

The Queen is head of the armed forces, and honorary military appointments are in her gift.

The duke had held the title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest and most emblematic regiments in the British Army.

His other British honorary military titles were: Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps; Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm; Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers; Deputy Colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths’ Own); and Royal Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

On Wednesday, Judge Lewis A Kaplan dismissed a motion by the duke’s lawyers to have the civil case thrown, out after they argued Giuffre had waived her right to pursue Andrew by signing a confidential settlement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

A source close to the duke said he was unsurprised by the judge's ruling: “Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling.

“However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations. This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”

Andrew remains in the line of succession to the throne and as such is still a Counsellor of State.

In the event that the Queen cannot undertake her official duties as sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in her place.

The role of Counsellor of State is undertaken by any spouse of the monarch and the next four adults in the line of succession, currently the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York. By Matilda Long, Yahoo News

There's a growing global potato shortage - a real problem for a planet addicted to french fries and chips.

A number of popular items, including marmite and cream cheese, have faced scarcities amid supply chain disruptions wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and extreme weather. Potatoes are the latest to join the list, becoming unevenly available in some countries and fast-food chains because of a confluence of factors.

In Japan, McDonald's locations stopped offering large and medium-size french fry orders late last month, after pandemic-related supply chain issues and floods in the Port of Vancouver delayed potato shipments.

Days later, South Africa's leading makers of potato chips warned that potatoes were in disturbingly short supply after a bad frost and excessive rains led to low local yields, on top of global sourcing shortages.

In Kenya this month, Kentucky Fried Chicken locations struck french fries, known locally as chips, from menus, as virus-related shipping delays held up containers full of potatoes for more than a month.

"You love our chips a little too much, and we've run out," KFC Kenya tweeted on Jan. 3. "Sorry!"

In the meantime, the chain offered customers the chance to swap in other menu items - chicken, buns, soda, coleslaw and maize-based ugali - in place of fries in combo meals.

Other Kenyan fast-food restaurants were able to offer the goods.

"We have enough fries for everyone," Kenya's Burger King wrote in a January 4 Instagram post.

Beyond the inconvenience, the shortage attracted some anger among Kenyans over KFC's reliance on imported instead of local potatoes, which are in their harvest season.

KFC's chief executive for East Africa, Jacques Theunissen, told Kenya's Business Daily that it could not easily switch to Kenyan potatoes because of global quality standards.

"All suppliers need to go through the global QA [quality assurance] approval process, and we cannot bypass that even if we run out to ensure that our food is safe for consumption by our customers," he said.

Some called for a KFC boycott on social media and asked why the franchise had not sought approval for local suppliers from the start.

National Potato Council of Kenya chief executive Wachira Kaguongo told local media that the country's farmers produce 62 varieties, and "with the proper arrangement, proper planning" they could supply KFC.

Pandemic or no, potato shortages crop up from time to time because of bad weather, blights or labour disputes.

China, Russia, India and the United States are the world's top potato producers. But last year, US farmers had to destroy a glut of millions of potatoes after lockdowns and stay-at-home orders led to a steep decline in demand, including from restaurants. The US potato crop declined by 2 per cent in 2021, according to a November report by the US Department of Agriculture.

Japan is the United States' largest oversees market for potatoes, according to the USDA. Japan has more than 3000 McDonald's franchises, and relies on potatoes grown in the United States and sent by ship from North America.

McDonald's in Japan said it was considering flying in potatoes to meet demand until the backup in Vancouver was resolved. But after heavy snow in early January further delayed shipments, the company announced that it would be sticking with its small-order maximum for at least another month. - Miriam Berger, The Washington Post/stuff.co.nz