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African Nationals
The European Union is failing to draw important lessons on how to discourage migrants from Africa leaving for Europe without authorization and could do more to limit abuses against people trying to make the journey, the EU's financial watchdog warned on Wednesday. The findings come in a European Court of Auditors report into the bloc's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, a multi-billion-euro program hastily set up in 2015 after more than 1 million migrants arrived on Europe's shores, many of them fleeing war in Syria, overwhelming services in Italy and Greece. It was meant to help tackle the root causes of migration in Africa, like poverty, conflict or unemployment. At first, 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) was available to distribute on hundreds of projects, but that amount has swelled to about 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) today. The fund is managed by the EU's powerful executive branch, the European Commission. Despite the lessons learned the commission is still unable to identify
Senegal's little-known opposition figure who was elected president this week in a tightly contested race won over 54 per cent of the votes, according to results released on Wednesday. The presidential election on Sunday marked a stunning victory for 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was freed from prison less than two weeks ago and is now due to be the youngest leader of the West African nation. The government-backed candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, conceded to Faye on Monday. President Macky Sall, who had backed Ba, also declared Faye the winner. At a news conference in Dakar, the court of appeals announced Wednesday that Faye won 54.28 per cent of the vote. Ba garnered 35.47 per cent of the votes cast. The results are preliminary -- after all the votes have been counted -- but are expected to be confirmed on Friday. Faye's release from prison followed a political amnesty granted just in time for the balloting. He was little known until popular opposition leader .
Sudanese paramilitary leader Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo said Thursday he was committed to a cease-fire to end the devastating war that has wrecked his country, even as fighting continues and there has been no progress on proposed peace talks between Dagalo and Sudan military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan. Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces, said in a statement following a meeting in Pretoria with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he had briefed Ramaphosa on the considerable efforts taken to end this war. I emphasized our unwavering commitment to cease hostilities, Dagalo said, although he didn't say if or when he would meet with Burhan. The warring generals agreed last month to a face-to-face meeting and to start talks over a possible cease-fire, according to the East African regional bloc IGAD. No date or location for the talks have been announced. During Thursday's meeting with Dagalo, Ramaphosa said he hoped there would be an "imminent face-to-face dialogue"