Daybreak Africa - VOA Africa

On Daybreak Africa: Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Sunday against President Kais Saied, accusing him of deepening authoritarian rule and stifling political competition two weeks before a presidential election. Plus, the UN urges Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces to halt its attack on El Fasher. UNICEF says more deaths are being recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi due to an mpox outbreak. A woman in DRC creates jobs by recycling plastics. Kenya’s President William Ruto visits the country’s police contingent in Haiti. Tanzania’s main opposition will hold a peaceful protest Monday despite police disapproval. Bipartisan calls are made to cool heated political rhetoric in the US presidential campaign. For this and more tune in to Daybreak Africa!

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he is gravely alarmed by reports of a full-scale assault on El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that the Secretary General called on RSF leader Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedit” Dagalo to halt the attack. Meanwhile, five members of the US Congress, including Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, have written to President Joe Biden expressing concern about United Arab Emirates support for the RSF. Hussein Shingrai, foreign affairs secretary of the People’s Democratic Party of Sudan, tells VOA’s James Butty, the RSF is a terrorist organization and should not be treated the same as the Sudan military

Kenya will deploy 600 more police officers to the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti. During his impromptu visit to the officers in Port-au-Prince, Kenyan President William Ruto called on the United Nations to provide more resources to the Kenyan-led mission. Maureen Ojiambo reports

Tanzania’s main opposition Chadema party says it will hold a peaceful protest Monday as a memorial to its leaders who it says have disappeared or been killed under suspicious circumstances. But the police have banned any demonstration in the name of protecting lives and property. Mohamed Ali Kibao, a senior member of Chadema, was abducted on September 6 in broad daylight. His body was found in a Dar es Salaam neighborhood. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered a swift and thorough investigation. Some foreign diplomatic missions in Tanzania, including the United States, have called for an independent investigation. Tundu Lissu, former Chadema presidential candidate, tells VOA’s James Butty, Chadema wants a foreign-led investigation because it does trust the government

The United Nations Children’s Fund says more deaths are being recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi following the outbreak of mpox. Doctor Douglas Noble is UNICEF’s Associate Director Health for Emergency Preparedness and Response. He tells VOA’s Chinedu Offor that more work needs to be done to break community transmission and save lives

Former Liberian President George Weah has officially responded to a request by President Joseph Boakai’s administration asking for his support for Liberia’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026 and 2027. Liberia will officially launch its bid on September 27 in New York. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti asked Weah to do a minute-long video message endorsing Liberia’s bid and to join in the launch. Weah’s office responded Thursday saying that while he has always supported Liberia’s aspiration for a UN Security Council seat, the country’s domestic policies must reflect the values it seeks to promote globally. Eugene Nagbe, chief of staff of Weah’s office and a signatory to the letter, tells VOA’s James Butty, those values include good governance, promotion of political freedoms, and the rule of law.

Uganda and Mozambique have signed bilateral agreements to work together to promote agriculture, trade, and commerce. But above all, they agreed to work together to promote peace and fight terrorism. In a related matter, former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is visiting Uganda, says African countries can use their comparative advantages to achieve economic integration. Reporter Mugume Davis Rwakaringi has more from Kampala.

After the cancellation of a third round of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia that had initially been set to take place in Ankara on Tuesday, Turkey plans to meet separately with Somalia and Ethiopia as part of its efforts to resolve a dispute between the two sides, according to the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Edgar Githua is an International Security and Diplomatic Expert at the US International University in Nairobi, Kenya. He tells VOA’s Douglas Mpuga that he is hopeful that Turkey could help resolve the dispute

Some religious leaders in South Sudan have criticized the transitional government of national unity for the government’s decision to prolong the transitional period for another two years, while others support it. For VOA news, Manyang David Mayar reports from Juba

South Africa is exhuming the remains of citizens who fought against the country’s apartheid regime but died in exile in neighboring Zimbabwe. Some of the exhumations are taking place in a region where many Zimbabweans were killed by the country’s own security forces in the 1980s. As Columbus Mavhunga reports, families of the Zimbabwean victims are hoping their loved ones can be removed from mass graves and be given a proper burial, too