African Briefs… President Abiy’s charm offensive on Somaliland ‘hits a snag’

ADDIS ABABA — A request by Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed to visit the capital city of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Hargeisa, while accompanied by Somalia’s president is facing strong headwinds, the East African newspaper reports.

The proposed visit was part of Abiy’s effort to thaw relations between Somalia and Somaliland. Since Somalia’s civil war and the collapse of government in 1991, Somaliland has been a self-declared independent state and has its own democratically elected government. But it is not officially recognised by any country or international organisation. Abiy earlier this month hosted a meeting between Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Somaliland’s Muse Bihi Abdi in his office after the AU summit.

Nigerian minister denies

spying on social media users

ABUJA — Nigeria’s ministry of communications has denied reports that it has been spying on mobile phone and social media users. This comes after a fake statement went viral and caused panic by claiming that all mobile phones are connected to the ministry’s systems and that government officials are monitoring conversations. A spokesperson for communication minister Isa Ali Pantami has urged Nigerians to “disregard the [viral] message and delete” it upon receipt. “The office of the honourable minister initially ignored the message which has been in the public domain for some time, so as not to give undue attention to the originators,” Suleiman wrote. “But its spread, the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians to get clarity and the need to ensure that all Nigerians are properly informed, has necessitated this disclaimer/public awareness”.

29 injured in bomb

attack at pro-Abiy rally in Ambo

AMBO — A ‘bomb attack’ on a rally in support of Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed injured nearly 30 people on Sunday, a police official said, in the latest sign of instability ahead of elections in August. The incident occurred in the town of Ambo, located roughly 100 kilometres west of the capital, Addis Ababa. “The bomb attack on a rally for Dr Abiy has injured 29 people, of whom 28 have been treated and sent home,” Arasa Merdasa, the top police official in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where Ambo is located, told the state-run Ethiopian News Agency. “Police have arrested six people who are suspected in the attack,” Arasa said. Ethiopia’s electoral board has scheduled landmark national polls for 29 August.

Opposition parties and civil society organisations have questioned whether the elections will be peaceful and credible, citing persistent ethnic violence since Abiy was appointed in 2018.

Zim looks to slash farm

sizes to improve productivity

HARARE — Zimbabwe has announced a legislative change that will see farms on its most arable land restricted to 250 hectares per farm, a move that will see several farms reduced in size. According to the government, the rationale behind the move is to provide more people with access to land, and to improve productivity and output. Perrance Shiri, minister of lands, agriculture, water and rural resettlement announced the new laws to restrict farm sizes – depending on the agricultural region in which the farm is located – in the government gazette of 7 February. Under the new legislation, farms in natural region 1 – where rainfall is generally above 1 000mm per year and precipitation may be experienced throughout the year – will be restricted to 250ha. Farms in region 2 may not exceed 500ha, while natural region 3 may not exceed 750ha. Zimbabwe is divided into five farming regions.

– Nampa-AFP-BBC News-News24