President Cyril Ramaphosa is in an urgent meeting with his Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapsia-Nqakula today following his announcement that he’s sent troops to Mozambique to evacuate South Africans trapped there by ISIS-affiliated jihadis fighting government forces.

At least on South African died in the Islamist attack on the town of Palma in the north of Mozambique earlier this week.

The palm-fringed fishing town was regarded as a safe zone in the violence plagued Cabo Delgado Province  which has one of the largest liquified natural gas projects on the planet.

subhead Total staff withdrawn

The French energy company Total, which has a primary involvement in the development, has withdrawn its staff from Palma.

Ramaphosa spoke about detaching the troops while attending a wreath-laying ceremony for the late Winnie Madikizela Mandela.

He did not specify how many South African soldiers had been sent into Mozambique, nor did he say how many South Africans were still in Cabo Delgado.

The terror campaign which began in 2017 with machete-wielding fighters claiming they had been marginalized in the search for gas riches, has become a sophisticated, foreign-financed operation that has seen more than 1500 local villagers killed and more than half a million displaced.

Seven people, including the South African Adrian New were killed in the latest jihadi attack.

subhead Trapped in hotel

At least 180 people who sought shelter in the Amarula Hotel in Palma are believed to be trapped there.

Forty three South Africans who were missing after the attack have been accounted for.

Hundreds have been taken by boat from Palma to the provincial capital of Pemba .

It is not possible to ascertain the condition of those trapped because the terrorists have cut communication lines to Palma. The last telephone contact there was on Wednesday.

The United States has sent a detachment of special forces to Mozambique to provide anti-insurgency training to government forces.

Portugal has made a similar offer to its former colony as has the European Union.

subhead Multilateral military assistance

Mozambique which has shown itself to be incapable of containing the insurrection initially asked neighboring ,South Africa for military assistance. Ramaphosa declined saying the country’s national defence force it was not able to acting unilaterally in conflict of this magnitude.

His hand has been forced by his nationals, mostly involved in the gas project, becoming imperiled.

There is no indication how long the South African troops will remain in Mozambique

Both the African Union and the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) have discussed providing multilateral military assistance to Mozambique. However, they do not have the financial means to do this without help from the United Nations or Western powers.

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The Ethiopian premier has his Attorney General Gedion Timotios out there telling the international media that his hand has been forced.

“Winning the Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t take away his responsibility as the Commander in Chief,” Timotios tells the BBC’s Hard Talk.

Ahmed is dealing with rebels bent on seizing weapons and taking military control of the north Ethiopia.

“No government anywhere in the world could accept that,” he says.

Pressed on the declaration from Ahmed’s military that there would be no mercy for the people of the Tigray capital Mek’ele, now facing its final onslaught, Timotios attributes this to a Colonel of the line who was actually referring to the leadership of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Forces.

The harsh reality is that there is a raft of frighteningly bellicose statements out there from Ahmed and his forces. 

There is also his admonition to the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union, who have expressed their fear of growing conflict in the Horn of Africa not to interfere.

Evidently Ahmed feels it is his personal responsibility to restore order in Ethiopia.

Anyone seeking peace and stability rather than retribution and revenge would surely appreciate the assistance of the paramount regional and international organisations.

It is not too late.

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He was speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York as the first of migrants started arriving in Rwanda.

Rwanda’s taking in the migrants as part of a deal with the African Union and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Most of them are from the Horn of Africa.

Libya reached a deal with the European Union to keep the migrants from crossing the Mediterranean into their territory.

President Paul Kagame insists his efforts to end the migrants’ misery in Libya does not involve him  taking any money from the EU 

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President Cyril Ramaphosa says attacks against foreigners are totally unacceptable.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has  sent a special envoy to his  to South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to express concern about the xenophobic attacks.

South African businesses in Lagos have been attacked by youths in retaliation for attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Zambia’s called off a friendly football match against Bafana Bafana and urged Zambian truck drivers to avoid travelling on South African roads white foreign lorry drivers are being attacked.

Ethiopia has advised its nations in South Africa to close their  businesses during the violence and avoid wearing expensive jewellery.

AU Commission head Moussa Faki has condemned violence against foreigners in South Africa.

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The European grouping calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to violence.

The EU statement notes that the African Union has serious doubts about the DRC poll results announced by the electoral commission and upheld by the constitutional court.

The Financial Times reports seeing documented evidence that proves Martin Fayulu won the election – confirming the information from more than 40 000 observers from the Catholic Church and justifying the misgivings of the African continental body and the governments of France and Belgium.

So far, the Presidents of South Africa and Kenya have congratulated Etienne Tshisekedi as President elect. 

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It follows two days of talks in the Sudanese capital between Juba’s President Salva Kiir and leader leader Riek Machar.

After three failed peace bids, caution is the watchword in reporting on  efforts to end South Sudan’s five year civil war.

Journalists in Khartoum say they’ve actually seen a framework agreement to be inked today.

It commits both sides to a permanent ceasefire and allows the regional grouping IGAD and the African Union to deploy troops to monitor this.

It allows the host country, Sudan to secure the oilfields in its southern  neighbour and reinstate the oil wells.

It establishes Wau and Malakal as capitals of South Sudan along with Juba. 

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They’re been asked to bring credentials enabling them to sign bilateral air service agreements.

Intra African travelers all to often have to spend time and money flying north to Europe to make continental connections.

It’s an expensive an time-consuming vestige of colonialism.

The Single African Air Transport Market was launched at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa last January.

Twenty five African countries, including South Africa, have signed up to it.

Since Friday their respective aviation experts have been working at achieving a single market.

The ministers have flown in to give it their seal of approval today.

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Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo says there’s still a long way to go to defeating Al Shabaab and reducing the number of troops will reverse Amisom’s success.

The UN Security Council and the Western funders  of AMISOM these past 11 years, say the Somali National Army has been rebuilt and trained and is strong enough to defend the country.

Not so say the AMISOM troop contributing countries.

At a summit in Kampala at the weekend, they delegated Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to explain to the world and continental bodies how dangerous a troop draw down will be.

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It will allow access for humanitarian aid to civilians caught in the four years of fighting and free abducted women and children.

The ceasefire’s been hailed by African Union Commission head Moussa Faki and by the governments of Britain, Norway and the United States who are supporting South Sudanese peace efforts by the regional grouping IGAD.

The fighting has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Just this week hundreds of South Sudanese fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo when they were caught up in  government forces chasing rebels from their headquarters in Lasu town.

A ceasefire agreed in 2015 broke down within a year.

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The run-off poll scheduled for next Tuesday has been delayed by the Supreme Court while allegations of electoral fraud are investigated.

Attempting to head off the political crisis, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf hosted Guinean President Alpha Conde and Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe .

Conde is currently serving as Chairman of the African Union, while Gnassingbe chairs the Economic Community of West African States.

They met with George Weah and Joseph Boakai , who are in the run-off contest to succeed Johnson Sirleaf as president.

It turns out that Boakai has also backed the claims of electoral fraud in the October 10 poll where he was beaten by Weah.

The Supreme Court has summoned Liberia’s electoral commission to explain any irregularities

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