🔅 Is Congo about to make peace?
Today’s Issue: Bitcoin facilitates payments to 3 African countries, Kenya bans boarding schools, and Moroccans goes wild... ☕
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Photo of the day: Morning in Bansoa, Cameroon
Markets
🔺 Nigerian SE: 48,426.49 (+0.12%)
🔻 Johannesburg SE: 74,133.73 (-0.57%)
— Ghana SE: 2,460.62 (0.00%)
🔺 Nairobi SE: 126.08 (+0.71%)
— US S&P 500: 3,941.53 (0.00%)
🔻 Shanghai Composite: 3,199.62 (-0.40%)
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Ghana: The country's parliament barely passed the proposed 2023 budget, despite resistance from opposition lawmakers. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented a budget last month to tackle the country’s worst economic crisis in a generation, with spending cuts and new revenue-generating measures. Ghana will freeze hiring public and civil servants and extend a moratorium on government car purchases and non-essential travel. It’s also looking to restructure its debt and increase consumption taxes. The country is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a support package to secure a staff-level agreement in the coming weeks.
SECURITY
M23 says it is ready for peace, but clashes continue
What’s happening?
The M23 rebel group in Congo threw a major curveball in the mix, releasing a statement on Tuesday saying it’s ready to withdraw from occupied territory and support regional peace-making efforts.
The M23 has staged several significant offences in east DRC this year. The conflict has displaced thousands of people and inflamed diplomatic tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, which Congo and UN experts accuse of backing the M23 (Rwanda denies this).
Now, the M23 say they’re ready to start disengagement and withdraw from occupied territory, even though they weren’t part of a summit during which this recommendation was made a few days ago.
The group also requested a meeting with the regional force to discuss modalities and renewed its request for a meeting with the mediator and facilitator, Kenya's ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Who are M23?
The M23 insurgency stems from the long fallout from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The group was formed in 2012, claiming to defend the interests of Congolese Tutsis, the ethnic group targeted in the genocide and to which Rwanda's President Paul Kagame belongs, against Hutu militias.
This weekend, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had a “productive conversation” with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. He urged Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 and call for its retreat. Rwanda’s foreign minister Vincent Biruta responded that “differences in understanding of the issue remain” and that “M23 should not be equated to Rwanda. It is not Rwanda's problem to solve”.
So, what’s the latest?
The situation is still far from peaceful. The leaders of Congo and Rwanda have met several times to attempt to solve the crisis, but fighting has continued since. Indeed, Congo’s government accused the M23 of massacring 272 civilians only last week. M23 denies this.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Other Headlines
🇰🇪 Looks like boarding school will soon be a thing of the past for Kenyan students. Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang recently announced that Kenya plans to abolish boarding schools for students up to Grade 9 (about 14-15 years) next year, which includes primary and junior secondary schools. Parents will now have to take their children to day schools. Nomadic pastoralist communities are exempt from this rule, but the rest of Kenyans must make other arrangements. 28% of Kenyan primary school children are currently in boarding facilities, which is high compared to other countries. Kipsang believes it’s the responsibility of parents to take care of their children, saying, “we can’t outsource parenting to teachers.”
🇲🇦 What a wild night for African football fans. After Morocco’s epic victory over Spain in the World Cup, celebrations broke out in cities across Europe and the Middle East. In Rabat, people were overjoyed that the Atlas Lions were the first Arab team to make it to the quarterfinals in World Cup history. King Mohammed VI praised the team and sent his “heartfelt congratulations.” In Barcelona, fans of FC Barcelona and beyond lit firecrackers and waved flags from Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Palestine. In Ceuta, a Spanish exclave which borders Morocco, cars honked horns, and people lit firecrackers and smoke bombs. Youssef Lotfi, a 39-year-old construction worker who feels love for both Morocco and Spain, said the win was a “once in a lifetime” experience. And in Paris, people streamed towards the Champs-Elysees, cheering and shouting, “Allez, Allez!”
🇸🇴 Somali forces and allied militias have captured a major town from al Shabaab, the Islamist group that’s been in control for the past six years. According to Mayor Mahamud Hasan Mahamud, the town of Adan Yabal in Middle Shabelle region is an essential location for al Shabaab, as it connects the central and southern regions of Somalia. The troops have reported killing around 700 members of al Shabaab and recapturing scores of settlements as part of a months-long campaign to weaken the group’s control. But al Shabaab wasn’t about to go down without a fight. The militants took residents of the town as human shields and destroyed infrastructure before making a retreat. The battle may be over, but the government often fails to hold recaptured territory, allowing the militants to return.
Elsewhere:
🇷🇼 Reviving Rwanda's dramatic hairstyles.
IN TECH
Bitcoin Lightning company Strike enables payments to 3 African countries.
Bitcoin payments company Strike has enabled payments to Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana for U.S. users. This is all thanks to a partnership with African payment platform Bitnob, which powers Strike's new "Send Globally" feature. How it works is simple: Bitcoin payments are converted into naira, cedi or shillings and deposited into the recipient's bank, mobile money or Bitnob account. This is excellent news for people looking to send money to their family members in Africa, as it eliminates high fees and slow settlement times. Plus, Strike is even exploring integrations and partnerships with African peer-to-peer and cross-border payment service provider Chipper Cash.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“Unity is strength, division is weakness.”
— Swahili Proverb.