Africa Business

Kenyans anxiously awaited a Supreme Court ruling Monday on petitions challenging the outcome of the August presidential election, with weeks of political uncertainty looming if the poll is annulled.

Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner of the tightly fought race, scraping to victory by a narrow margin of less than two percentage points against Raila Odinga, a veteran opposition politician now backed by the ruling party.

Odinga filed a petition to Kenya’s top court last month, alleging fraud in the vote tallying process and claiming he had “enough evidence” to show he had in fact won the August 9 election, which ranks as one of Africa’s most expensive polls.

“Judgment day,” was the front-page headline in The Standard, while People Daily declared: “Moment of Truth”.  

Although voting day passed off peacefully, the results sparked angry protests in some Odinga strongholds and there are fears a drawn-out dispute may deepen widespread economic malaise and lead to violence in a country with a history of post-poll unrest.

“We have already wasted a lot of time and money so if we go back to election we will waste (even more) time and resources,” said Anne Karanja, a fruit seller in the capital Nairobi.

“I voted but I feel like I can’t vote again,” she told AFP, echoing the frustration felt by many Kenyans.

The court will examine whether any irregularities were substantial enough to nullify the election, as was the case with the August 2017 presidential poll, which Odinga also challenged.

Judges have spent the last two weeks rifling through boxes of evidence to figure out if the technology used by the election commission met the “standards of integrity, verifiability, security and transparency”.

Both the Ruto and Odinga camps have pledged to respect the court’s decision, which is due to be delivered at 12:00 pm (0900 GMT).

– Cost of living crisis –

After 2017’s annulment, the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission was under heavy pressure to deliver a clean poll.

But this year’s outcome sparked a rift within the IEBC itself, with four of its seven commissioners accusing chairman Wafula Chebukati of running an “opaque” process.

Odinga’s 72-page petition alleges that hackers broke into IEBC servers and uploaded doctored result forms. His lawyers also claim that Chebukati failed to tally around 140,000 votes. 

Chebukati has denied the claims, insisting he carried out his duties according to the law of the land despite facing “intimidation and harassment”.

After assessing the transparency of the poll, the court will finally rule on whether Ruto met the constitutional threshold of 50 percent plus one of the valid votes cast.

If judges order an annulment, a fresh vote must be held within 60 days, but the run-up to a new election is likely to be fractious.

Odinga has insisted that any fresh poll must be supervised by a new chairman. The 77-year-old boycotted 2017’s court-ordered re-run, accusing the IEBC of lacking credibility.

Since 2002, no presidential poll outcome in Kenya has gone uncontested, with many fearing that a prolonged electoral process and the resulting uncertainty will only worsen the country’s cost of living crisis.

– Voter disenchantment –

Moses Mungai said his flower business — already hit hard by the Covid pandemic — had taken yet another knock, with Nairobi’s streets deserted for several days following the election.

“People did not come out of their houses,” the 55-year-old told AFP, adding that he expected similar scenes to unfold after Monday’s ruling.

“People fear there will be skirmishes. They will close (shops) and then wait for things to be OK.”

At around 65 percent, turnout was sharply lower than in the August 2017 election, with observers saying it reflected growing disillusionment among citizens.

Odinga, who previously said he was cheated of victory in the 2007, 2013 and 2017 polls, has framed the legal battle as a fight “for democracy and good governance”.

Ruto in turn has urged the court to throw out the petition, accusing Odinga of trying “to have another bite at the cherry through a judicially-forced re-run”.

The 2017 poll saw dozens of protesters killed at the hands of police. Kenya’s worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote, when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.

If the court upholds the results, Ruto will become Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963, taking the reins of a country battling inflation, high unemployment and a crippling drought.

Ayo Aroloye was holding his newborn son when a power cut plunged the delivery room of the Lagos hospital into darkness.

The 34-year-old had to turn on his phone’s torch so that the doctor who was about to stitch up his wife could see what he was doing.

Even though he earned an above-average salary as a banker, Aroloye saw the traumatic event as a sign that his country was broken.

“The Nigerian dream died in me,” he said.

Like many other Nigerians, Aroloye decided it was time to “japa” — a word in the Yoruba language that means “to flee.”

After a two-year wait to get visas, he moved with his family to Canada, where he has now been living for four months.

Nigerians, rich and poor, have migrated to greener pastures for decades.

Today, though, anecdotal evidence suggests that among the middle classes, the outflow has become a flood, fuelled by a slumping currency, worsening insecurity, spiralling inflation and corruption.

Accurate figures for net emigration are hard to come by, and a government agency, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, cautions that while people do leave, some “constantly” return.

But these days, asking an educated Nigerian “what are your japa plans?” is as common as asking about their work or health, according to eight people from different backgrounds who spoke with AFP.

Not everyone can afford to emigrate, especially to countries that middle- and upper-class Nigerians aim for, like Canada, the US, the UK or other European countries. 

Visas for those countries can be expensive and the authorities often require proof of funds for daily expenses, even after the visa has been paid. 

But armed with patience -– it can take years to secure the paperwork -– and often with financial support from relatives, increasing numbers are heading abroad for work or study.

– ‘Privileged poor’ –

“Nigerians’ assessment of their personal living conditions and the country’s economic situation have worsened dramatically over the past two years,” the pan-African survey group Afrobarometer survey wrote in August.

With almost 20 percent inflation in July, many Nigerians can no longer buy items they were once able to afford.

Chuka Okeke is a Lagos-based project manager with a degree in computer science who earns around 650,000 naira (about $1,500) a month.

“Three years ago, I would call myself middle class but now I’m just a privileged poor person,” he said, half-jokingly.

“I’m considering japaing via the study route,” said the 33-year-old father of one. “It’s a whole mess and I didn’t create the mess, so I don’t think I owe the country any loyalty to stay and fix it.”

For Stella Ohemu, a 30-year-old pharmacist living in the capital Abuja and who earns around 110,000 naira (about 260 dollars) a month, life is “a merry-go-round.”

“I’ve been working for three years. I had two jobs at one point, but it still wasn’t enough,” she said, abandoning at least for now her dream of opening her own pharmacy.

She is applying for visas to work in Europe or in the US, where she is “sadly open to doing anything.”

Even among those who earn much more, japa is enticing.

Augustine Ugi, a 36-year-old CEO of a software development company based in Lagos, earns “between five and ten million” naira (about 11,000 to 23,000 dollars) a month and employs more than 50 people.

“I am leaving because I have to sustain what I have built,” said the recent father of twins who is moving to London but will continue travelling back to Nigeria to maintain his operations. 

– Frustration –

On top of a sickly economy and ramshackle infrastructure, Nigeria’s rampant insecurity and corruption are also cited by some as reasons why they up sticks.

“A lot of people who are rich in Nigeria tend to be (involved) in things that are illegal… and you’re here trying to follow the law, to be a good citizen, so you get frustrated,” said Emmanuel Jimawo who arrived in Canada last week on a skilled worker visa.

The 32-year-old, who earned around 180,000 naira (about 420 dollars) a month as a business analyst at a utility company in Benin City, said he already had five interviews since moving, boosting his hopes of a brighter future.

A civil servant in Abuja who asked to be identified only by his first name Victor also cited graft as a factor for leaving.

“They (politicians) are keeping what they have for themselves and it affects everything else,” said the 34-year-old who earns about the same as Ohemu and is applying for a visa for Canada.

Many young people drew up plans to emigrate after a bloody crackdown in 2020 on protests for better governance.

“We had come out to say ‘no more’ and what we got was indiscriminate killings,” said Victor. “That was when some people realised ‘there are no options here, I’m done’.”

For Aroleye, moving to Canada with his wife and child was “like being born into a new world,” before adding it was still “very painful” to leave.

“Nigeria is where I was born, it’s who I am. But I had to run.” 

Kenyans anxiously awaited a Supreme Court ruling Monday on petitions challenging the outcome of the August presidential election, with weeks of political uncertainty looming if the poll is annulled.

Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner of the tightly fought race, scraping to victory by a narrow margin of less than two percentage points against Raila Odinga, a veteran opposition politician now backed by the ruling party.

Odinga filed a petition to Kenya’s top court last month, alleging fraud in the vote tallying process and claiming he had “enough evidence” to show he had in fact won the August 9 election, which ranks as one of Africa’s most expensive polls.

Although voting day passed off peacefully, the results sparked angry protests in some Odinga strongholds and there are fears a drawn-out dispute may deepen widespread economic malaise and lead to violence in a country with a history of post-poll unrest.

“We have already wasted a lot of time and money so if we go back to election we will waste (even more) time and resources,” said Anne Karanja, a fruit seller in the capital Nairobi.

“I voted but I feel like I can’t vote again,” she told AFP, echoing the frustration felt by many Kenyans.

The court will examine whether any irregularities were substantial enough to nullify the election, as was the case with the August 2017 presidential poll, which Odinga also challenged.

Judges have spent the last two weeks rifling through boxes of evidence to figure out if the technology used by the election commission met the “standards of integrity, verifiability, security and transparency”.

– Economic slump –

After 2017’s annulment, the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission was under heavy pressure to deliver a clean poll.

But this year’s election outcome sparked a rift within the IEBC itself, with four of its seven commissioners accusing chairman Wafula Chebukati of running an “opaque” process.

Odinga’s 72-page petition alleges that hackers broke into the IEBC servers and uploaded doctored result forms. His lawyers also claim that Chebukati failed to tally around 140,000 votes. 

Chebukati has denied the claims, insisting he carried out his duties according to the law of the land despite facing “intimidation and harassment”.

After assessing the transparency of the poll, the court will finally rule on whether Ruto met the constitutional threshold of 50 percent plus one of the valid votes cast.

If judges order an annulment, a fresh vote must be held within 60 days, but the run-up to a new election is likely to be fractious.

Odinga has insisted that any fresh poll must be supervised by a new chairman. The 77-year-old boycotted 2017’s court-ordered re-run, accusing the IEBC of lacking credibility.

Since 2002, no presidential poll outcome in Kenya has gone uncontested, with many fearing that a prolonged electoral process and the resulting uncertainty will only worsen the country’s cost of living crisis.

Moses Mungai said his flower business — already hit hard by the Covid pandemic — had taken yet another knock, with Nairobi’s streets deserted for several days following the election.

“People did not come out of their houses,” the 55-year-old said, telling AFP that he expected similar scenes to unfold after Monday’s ruling.

“People fear there will be skirmishes. They will close (shops) and then wait for things to be ok.”

– Disillusionment –

At around 65 percent, turnout was sharply lower than in the August 2017 election, with observers saying it reflected growing disillusionment among citizens.

Both Odinga and Ruto — who has been named as a defendant in the case — assembled huge legal teams.

Odinga, who previously said he was cheated of victory in the 2007, 2013 and 2017 polls, has framed the legal battle as a fight “for democracy and good governance”.

Ruto in turn has urged the court to throw out the petition, accusing Odinga of trying “to have another bite at the cherry through a judicially-forced re-run”.

On the campaign trail, both men pledged to resolve any disputes in court rather than on the streets.

But worries about violence persist.

The 2017 poll saw dozens of protesters killed at the hands of police. Kenya’s worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote, when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.

If the court upholds the results, Ruto will become Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963, taking the reins of a country battling inflation, high unemployment and a crippling drought.

Kenya’s Supreme Court is set to rule Monday on the outcome of the nation’s August 9 presidential battle after defeated candidate Raila Odinga filed a legal challenge over the results.

It is the third time since its creation under Kenya’s 2010 constitution that the court has been called upon to adjudicate on election disputes.

The seven-member panel held several days of hearings last week to consider seven petitions filed by Odinga and other groups and individuals.

Odinga has described the results of the vote — which showed him losing by a margin of less than two percentage points — and its handling by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as a “travesty”.

– ‘The final arbiter’ –

The Supreme Court is the highest in the land, established “as the final arbiter and interpreter of the constitution”. 

Its rulings are final and binding.

The court comprises a president, vice president and five other judges. They are officially appointed by the head of state, although he does not have the power to choose them. 

Instead, candidates’ names are submitted to the presidency for approval after an open nomination process and public hearings, some televised, held by the judiciary.

The Supreme Court was established to rule on decisions by appeal courts regarding the law or interpretation of the constitution and is the only court permitted to adjudicate in election disputes.

Ahead of Monday’s ruling, constitutional lawyer Demas Kiprono said Kenyans “must appreciate that the country has had a paradigm shift in terms of election dispute resolution”.  

“The level of confidence we see in the court is due to the constitutional transformation that created an independent judiciary that is also financially and functionally independent,” he wrote in an opinion piece published in The Standard newspaper on Friday.

– 2017 vote annulment – 

In the August 2017 poll, the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner with 54 percent of the vote against 45 percent for Odinga.

Odinga petitioned the Supreme Court, claiming hackers broke into the IEBC database and manipulated the results.

In a shock decision September 1, the court ruled by a majority that the results were “invalid, null and void” and ordered a rerun, delivering a stinging rebuke of the IEBC.

The annulment was a first for Africa.

Although it won praise worldwide as a sign of judicial independence in Kenya, Kenyatta angrily called the judges “crooks” and the ruling led to bruising acrimony and unrest.  

The court headed by then-chief justice David Maraga cited widespread “irregularities and illegalities” in the counting process and mismanagement by the IEBC.

A rematch was held on October 26 but Odinga boycotted the race, saying the IEBC had failed to make necessary reforms, and Kenyatta went on to win with 98 percent of the vote.

In 2013, the court rejected another poll challenge by Odinga, upholding Kenyatta’s first-term election victory.

In an extraordinary turn of events in 2018, Odinga, a veteran opposition leader, joined hands with Kenyatta and was backed by the ruling party in this year’s election.

– Building Bridges Initiative –

 

In a major ruling in March 2022, the court — under Chief Justice Martha Koome — determined that a controversial bid to change the constitution was illegal, dealing a blow to Kenyatta who had spearheaded the proposals.

Known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the changes would have expanded the executive and increased the number of parliamentary seats, in the biggest revision of Kenya’s political system since the adoption of the constitution in 2010.

After a near two-year legal wrangle, the judges deemed the BBI “unconstitutional”, saying the president could not initiate such amendments, but left open the possibility for them to be submitted again by parliament or other means.

– First female chief justice –

Koome, 62, was appointed chief justice in May 2021, the first woman to occupy the post.

The staunch women’s rights campaigner had been seen as an unlikely candidate in a list of 10, including the lawyer who represented Kenyatta in the 2017 election case. 

Koome made a name for herself during the autocratic regime of late president Daniel arap Moi when she represented political prisoners, including Odinga. 

The University of London-trained Koome joined the judiciary in 2003 after practising as a lawyer for over a decade. In eight years, she rose to the Court of Appeal following stints at the environmental and family division courts. 

During her vetting, Koome promised to rid the judiciary of corruption and safeguard its independence.

“I am a judge who looks at society and Kenyans will feel safe with me,” she said. 

Residents of a Nile island in greater Cairo woke up in recent weeks to find officials taking measurements of their houses — a final step before enforcing demolition orders.

Since then, people from Warraq — some of whom have been on the working-class, agricultural island for generations — have renewed efforts to oppose a mega development project that would see the island’s character and their homes erased.

“Just give us a part of the island, even if it is behind a wall,” one resident in his thirties told AFP, requesting anonymity due to security concerns.

“We will not leave,” he added, insisting he has all the proper documentation for his house.

With its green fields, red-brick buildings, irrigation canals and livestock farming, Warraq — located in Giza governorate and home to around 100,000 people — is just a ferry ride away from Cairo’s traffic-choked streets. 

The government in late July evoked images of Manhattan as it unveiled an almost billion-dollar plan for the six-square-kilometre (over two-square-mile) island’s redevelopment, featuring glittering skyscrapers, helipads and marinas.

Minister of Housing Assem al-Gazzar has labelled those who oppose the redevelopment as “divisive forces of evil”, calling the old buildings “dilapidated”.

But residents like the man in his thirties remain defiant.

“We pay our taxes, our water and power bills, why can’t we benefit from the development of our island?” he said.

– ‘Ridiculous’ –

Authorities “gave some residents four days to leave their homes” in late July, a resident in his fifties told AFP, also requesting anonymity for security reasons.

The move triggered demonstrations, clashes and arrests the following month as the years-long fight against the project kicked off again.

The government has been promising massive returns on the redevelopment of Warraq since the administration of longtime president Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in 2011.

The project for the capital’s largest island was reactivated under current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose other “mega projects” include a sparkling new capital rising from the sands 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Cairo.

The general-turned-president has entrusted military engineers with the Warraq project — dubbed “Horus City” after the ancient Egyptian sky god.

In 2017, authorities moved to demolish “illegal” buildings on Warraq as part of a campaign aimed at restoring state-owned land.

At least one person was killed after the operation triggered clashes between residents and security forces.

Anti-eviction advocates defended residents’ legal rights to the land, with lawyer Khaled Ali sharing copies of residents’ property deeds on social media, as well as the birth certificate of one islander born there “100 years ago”.

But two years later, a committee of experts found the evictions to be “in the public interest”.

The Warraq resident in his fifties, who works in the agriculture sector, said he was not against relocating but demanded fair compensation, calling a recent government offer “ridiculous”.

“They proposed 1,400 Egyptian pounds ($73) per square metre,” he said. “You can’t buy anything off the island with that.”

– ‘Gentrification’ –

Residents of other islands fear the Warraq project is just the beginning.

This year, 17 Nile islands including Warraq were handed over to the army and subsequently lost their nature reserve status.

Opposing urban development projects can come at a cost.

Warraq activist Ramy Kamel spent more than two years in pre-trial detention on “terrorism” charges before being released in January.

“Kamel was one of the most committed activists in tracking state violations against Coptic displacement due to security concerns or urban development initiatives,” historian Amy Fallas told AFP, referring to Egypt’s main Christian minority.

While state bulldozers have recently targeted more affluent neighbourhoods, urban planner Ahmed Zaazaa said low socio-economic districts were the first to be razed.

“It’s a gentrification process — the city centre is being emptied of poverty to make way for investment,” he told AFP.

One-third of Egypt’s 103 million people live in poverty, according to World Bank figures, with another third vulnerable to becoming destitute.

Zaazaa says the Cairo redevelopments aim to prepare the city “to accommodate the new capital”.

“Historic and traditional districts of Cairo are being destroyed” so workers can reach the new area, he said. 

Some residents have been relocated to “mega public housing projects on the periphery”, but most find “other informal areas a better solution”, he added.

Using official statements, media reports and satellite imagery, Zaazaa has estimated that “15,000 buildings have been demolished” in Cairo since Sisi took power in 2013.

Residents of Warraq fear displacement will irrevocably rupture their tight-knit community, which is already feeling the pressure as development plans progress.

“Non-residents are not allowed on the island,” said the resident in his thirties.

“One of the ferries was recently closed,” he said, and the remaining two “are monitored by security services around the clock”.

The leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso’s juntas have agreed to strengthen their military partnership in a meeting in Bamako, the Burkinabe presidency said in a statement sent to AFP Sunday. 

On a “friendly visit” Saturday by Burkina’s Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to the Malian capital — his first foreign trip since seizing power in January — he and Colonel Assimi Goita agreed to “better examine and strengthen” their military partnership.

“The two countries… intend to pool their efforts in the fight against terrorism”, the statement said.

The Malian presidency confirmed the news in a separate statement.

A decade-long jihadist insurgency that began in northern Mali and later extended across the country and to Burkina Faso and Niger has claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than two million people across the three countries, according to official estimates.

Mali earlier this year pulled out of the regional G5 Sahel military force to fight the insurgents that also included Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. 

In late August, Burkina Faso and Niger urged Mali to reconsider.

The same month, France withdrew its last troops from the long-running Barkhane mission in Mali.

Damiba and Goita also discussed the contingent of Ivorian soldiers currently detained in Mali accused of being mercenaries, the Burkinabe presidency said.

On Saturday, Mali released three women among 49 soldiers held since July.

Damiba declined to comment publicly on the dispute. He is expected Monday in Abidjan.

Goita seized power in Mali in August 2020, then installed an interim government led by civilians. He deposed those leaders in May 2021 and was later sworn in as interim president.

In Burkina, Damiba overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in late January, accusing him of having been unable to curb the jihadist violence.

William Ruto, who was declared winner of Kenya’s presidential election in August, said Sunday he would respect the Supreme Court’s decision expected Monday confirming or invalidating the results of the vote, disputed by his rival Raila Odinga.

Ruto, the outgoing vice president, was proclaimed the victor by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC) with about 233,000 votes (50.49 percent to 48.85 percent) ahead of Odinga, a veteran opposition figure backed this year by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his Jubilee party. 

But Odinga has rejected the outcome of the August 9 vote and filed a petition at the top court alleging fraud in the vote tallying process.

He said the IEBC’s servers had been hacked to enter falsified results and that about 140,000 votes had not been counted. 

“Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will deliver its judgement on the Presidential election petition. Because we are country that adheres to the law, we will equally respect the decision of the court,” said William Ruto after a Sunday service in the central city of Nakuru.  

“That is how we will be able to have an all-inclusive country. There is no bigger or lesser Kenyans, all Kenyans are equal before the law.” 

Odinga’s running mate Martha Karua said Friday that the pro-Odinga coalition would also respect Monday’s decision.  

“Our Constitution stipulates that if one is dissatisfied with the results, they have to seek legal redress and that is what we did,” she said, according to The Nation daily. 

“When the verdict is out, we all respect that. We want to maintain peace but for this to be achieved there must be justice because peace without justice is not sustainable.” 

During the last presidential election in 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the election and ordered a new vote, a first in Africa. 

Elections in Kenya have repeatedly been sources of violence. 

The deadliest, in 2007, left more than 1,100 people dead in politically motivated clashes and displaced hundreds of thousands. 

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi said his team have belief again after snapping a long win drought in Australia, with their focus now on a crunch double-header against Argentina in a wide-open Rugby Championship race.

South Africa had not tasted victory in Australia for nine years, and in Sydney since 1993, but put their demons to bed in a fiery 24-8 bonus point win over the Wallabies at a heaving Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

The Springboks dominated territory and possession in the four-tries-to-one victory to bounce back after two straight defeats in the four-nation southern hemisphere tournament.

“The coaching staff had a certain game plan they wanted us to play because they wanted us to win. But the biggest change was the belief that we could do it,” said Kolisi, who led from the front with an inspirational performance.

“It was a tough week for us as a team, and we understand that our fans were hurting too, so I’d like to thank them for sticking with us. 

“We really wanted to stay in the Rugby Championship race, and it has been a long nine years since we last won here.”

The win leaves South Africa level on points with Australia and Argentina and just one behind leaders New Zealand with two matches to go in a tight title tussle. 

Kolisi’s men travel to Buenos Aires in two weeks to face a rattled Pumas, who came crashing back to earth in a 53-3 thrashing by the All Blacks in Hamilton.

“They are going to be tough, we know we have two challenging games ahead,” Kolisi said of Argentina.

– ‘A big step-up’ –

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said he was particularly pleased with how his team converted their chances after squandering too many in their 25-17 loss to the Wallabies a week earlier.

“Last week we created opportunities and didn’t take them and that was better,” he said. 

“We also weren’t happy with the intensity last week and are pleased that we also made a big step-up in that regard.”

Injuries and a desire to experiment has seen Nienaber use 32 players across South Africa’s opening four Rugby Championship games, which he admitted had been disruptive.

But it is all part of his long-term planning for the defence of their title at the World Cup in France next year.

“It is tough on teams, but at the same time it gives us answers with an eye on the Rugby World Cup,” he said.

None of the southern hemisphere teams have been able to show consistency this year, with all four winning two and losing two Rugby Championship games.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said it “highlights how tough international footy is at the moment” and that “the teams are so even, if you’re five percent off you get hurt”.

He was left frustrated after Australia again failed to back up a win as they turn their attention to a tough double-header against New Zealand in their search for a first title since 2015.

The Wallabies have injury worries after backs Hunter Paisami and Noah Lolesio went off with head knocks and forward Taniela Tupou appeared to tweak his calf in the warm-up.

“They certainly defended and we struggled to get any continuity -– they strangled us pretty well,” Rennie said. “The quality of our carry and the urgency around our cleanouts has got to be better.

“Our job is to make sure we can get that sort of stuff going against the All Blacks in a couple of weeks.”

Three women among the 49 Ivorian soldiers held since July in Mali accused of being mercenaries have been released, Malian, Ivorian and Togolese officials said Saturday.

Talks are underway for the release of the other soldiers, said Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey. 

“I would like to announce that the President of the transition, President Assimi Goita of Mali, has agreed… to proceed with the release of some prisoners,” Dussey told reporters in Togo’s capital Lome.

He was speaking alongside Mali’s foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, and Ivory Coast’s cabinet director, Fidele Sarassoro.

The three Ivorian soldiers were present in uniform.

“Discussions are underway to ensure that the other soldiers in detention can very quickly regain their full freedom”, Dussey added.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe has been acting as a mediator in the dispute that sparked a diplomatic crisis between military-ruled Mali and its West African neighbour.

Ivory Coast “deplores the fact that shortcomings and misunderstandings were at the origin of this highly regrettable event”, Sarassoro said at the news conference.

His country, “anxious to maintain good neighbourly relations with Mali, undertakes to respect the procedures of the United Nations as well as the new Malian rules and provisions enacted concerning the deployment of military forces in Mali”, he added.

A statement from Mali’s Public prosecutor Samba Sissoko Saturday said that the magistrate in charge of the case had approved a request for the release of the three soldiers and the dropping of charges against them.

– Long list of charges –

The soldiers were arrested after their arrival at Bamako airport on July 10. 

Ivory Coast says they were unfairly detained after being sent to provide backup for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA. They say their role within the mission was “well-known to the Malian authorities”.

Mali’s government however says they were detained after landing on a special flight without supporting documents and has described them as mercenaries.

A day after the detention of the troops, MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado backed Ivory Coast’s position, but the peacekeeping mission later acknowledged there had been “dysfunctions” in deploying the Ivorian troops.

The ruling junta expelled Salgado from the country for having published “unacceptable information” on the affair.

It also suspended rotations of UN peacekeeping troops, although they have since resumed.

In mid-August, Malian prosecutors filed charges against all 49 soldiers.

Public prosecutor Sissoko on August 15 said the charges comprised “criminal association, attacking and plotting against the government, harming state external security, holding, carrying and transporting combat weapons and complicity in these crimes”.

But negotiations continued, according to diplomatic sources, and Saturday’s announcement appears to be the first concrete result from those talks.

– Talks continuing –

Diplomats close to the talks have said that Mali has also been demanding that Ivory Coast acknowledge its responsibility in the affair and express its regrets for the deployment of the soldiers.

Bamako also wanted Abidjan to hand over people who have been on its territory since 2013 who are wanted in Mali, said the sources in mid-August.

The junta has accused Ivory Coast of encouraging regional partners to impose harsh sanctions on Mali that were lifted in July.

Mali has been dominated by the military since an August 2020 coup ousted elected leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita following mass protests over the handling of a long-running and bloody jihadist insurgency.

MINUSMA is one of the forces in the Sahel state to help it fight rebels linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which began their operations in 2012 and have spread their influence across northern and central Mali.

Fighters from the Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab have killed at least 19 civilians in a night-time attack in central Somalia, clan chiefs and local officials said on Saturday.

The attack comes two weeks after Al-Shabaab, which has waged a long insurgency against the Somali state, besieged a hotel in the capital Mogadishu for 30 hours, leaving 21 people dead and 117 injured.

The sources said at least eight vehicles were travelling on a road between the towns of Beledweyne and Maxaas when the insurgents intercepted and burned them and killed the passengers overnight Friday to Saturday by Afar-Irdood village.

“The terrorists massacred innocent civilians who were travelling… last night. We don’t have the exact number of victims, but 19 dead bodies have been collected,” local clan elder Abdulahi Hared told AFP.

“The dead bodies are still being collected, including women and children. They could be more than 20,” said Ali Jeyte, the governor of the Hiiraan region where the attack happened.

“This was a horrible attack that has never happened in our region. These were innocent civilians who did nothing to deserve this,” added another local clan leader, Mohamed Abdirahman.

Al-Shabaab in a statement said they targeted fighters from a local sub-clan that recently helped government forces and that they killed 20 “militiamen and those who were transporting material for them”, destroying nine of their vehicles.

Local fighters and the security forces recaptured several villages from Al-Shabaab in the region in late August.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud “strongly condemns the despicable acts of murder against innocent civilians”, the Somali presidency said on Twitter.

“The President underscored that his government will leave no stone unturned in the fight against terrorism in Somalia and the region.”

Ali Gudlawe, president of Hirshabelle state where the attack took place, released a statement offering condolences to the victims’ loved ones and promising to continue “operations to cleanse” the region of Al-Shabaab.

“The only way we have is to be united to fight and liberate our country from them. I call upon the society not to be discouraged,” said his counterpart in Jubaland state, Ahmed Madobe.

– ‘All-out war’ –

The Al-Qaeda-linked group has been fighting Somalia’s internationally backed federal government since 2007.

It has been driven out of the country’s main cities, including Mogadishu in 2011, but remains a serious security threat in large areas of the countryside.

Mohamud, elected in May after a protracted political crisis, promised to wage “an all-out war” to eliminate Al-Shabaab following the Mogadishu hotel attack.

The bloody siege drew international condemnation from partners including the United States, Britain, Turkey and the United Nations.

After Mohamud’s election, President Joe Biden said he would restore a US military presence in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab.

The Pentagon had recommended the move, considering the rotation system of Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump as too risky and ineffective.