Tanzania lifts ban on teen mothers attending schools

Yahoo – AFP, November 24, 2021 

Former President John Magufuli had vowed that no student who became
pregnant would finish their studies under his watch (AFP/TONY KARUMBA) 

Tanzania said on Wednesday it would allow pregnant students and teenaged mothers to continue with their studies, reversing a heavily-criticised policy instituted by its late autocratic leader John Magufuli. 

In 2017, the East African country began expelling pregnant girls from state schools and banned them from returning to class after giving birth, in a crackdown slammed by rights campaigners. 

Following Magufuli's death earlier this year, his successor Samia Suluhu Hassan has sought to break away from some of his policies and on Wednesday, Education Minister Joyce Ndalichako said that "pregnant school girls will be allowed to continue with formal education after delivery." 

"I will issue a circular later today. No time to wait," she said at a ceremony in the capital Dodoma. 

Magufuli had vowed that no student who became pregnant would finish their studies under his watch, saying it was immoral for young girls to be sexually active. 

"I give money for a student to study for free. And then, she gets pregnant, gives birth and after that, returns to school. No, not under my mandate," he said in mid-2017. 

The decision was widely criticised by human rights lobby groups and international donors, who cut their funding to the country in response to Magufuli's policies. 

At the time, Human Rights Watch published a report saying school officials in Tanzania were conducting pregnancy tests in order to expel pregnant students, depriving them of their right to an education. 

'Welcome step' 

The World Bank, which froze a $300-million loan for girls' education in protest against the ban, hailed Wednesday's decision. 

"The World Bank welcomes the government of Tanzania's announcement to remove barriers to access to education," it said in a statement. 

The Swedish embassy in Dar es Salaam, which cut its funding to Tanzania last year citing shrinking freedoms, also applauded the move. 

"This is a welcome step for many girls, allowing them to unlock their full potential," the embassy said on Twitter. 

Opposition party Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) said their push to reverse the policy had paid off. 

"We did it! A clear example of one struggle, many fronts. Everyone who was involved did something towards this achievement," said ACT Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe. 

Covid-sceptic Magufuli, nicknamed the "Bulldozer" for his uncompromising leadership style, died of a heart condition on March 17 after a mysterious three-week absence. His political opponents insisted he had coronavirus. 

In the weeks after her swearing-in, his successor Hassan reached out to Tanzania's political opposition, vowing to defend democracy and basic freedoms, and reopening banned media outlets. 

But hopes that Hassan would usher in a new era were dented by the arrest of a high-profile opposition leader on terrorism charges and a crackdown on independent newspapers.

Sixty years on, Africa still seeks right model for growth

Yahoo – AFP, Marie WOLFROM, December 29, 2019

Socio-economic changes in sub-Saharan Africa since 1960 (AFP Photo/
Thomas SAINT-CRICQ)

Paris (AFP) - As 1960 dawned, sub-Saharan Africa braced for historic change: that year, 17 of its countries were destined to gain independence from European colonial powers.

But six decades on, the continent is mired in many problems. It is struggling to build an economic model that encourages enduring growth, addresses poverty and provides a future for its youth.

Here are some of the key issues:

A lack of opportunity for Africa's swelling ranks of youths could spell trouble (AFP 

Photo/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI)

Youth 'explosion'

Africa's population grew from 227 million in 1960 to more than one billion in 2018. More than 60 percent are aged under 25, according to the Brookings Institution, a US think tank.

"The most striking change for me is the increasing reality of disaffected youth... a younger population that is ready to explode at any moment," Cameroonian sociologist Francis Nyamnjoh told AFP.

"They are hungry for political freedoms, they are hungry for economic opportunities and they are hungry for social fulfilment ."

Joblessness is a major peril. Unemployed youths are an easy prey for armed groups, particularly jihadist movements in the Sahel, or may be tempted to risk clandestine emigration, often at the cost of their lives.

The continent's population is expected to double by 2050, led by Nigeria, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Even if poverty rates have fallen across much of Africa, the continent is still beset 

by enormous inequality (AFP Photo/RODGER BOSCH)

Poverty and inequality

The proportion of Africa's population living below the poverty line —- less than $1.90 (1.7 euros) per day —- fell from 54.7 percent in 1990 to 41.4 percent in 2015, according to the World Bank.

But this average masks enormous differences from one country to another, exemplified by Gabon (3.4 percent of the population in 2017) and Madagascar (77.6 percent in 2012).

"The inequalities between countries are as extreme as in Asia and the inequalities within countries as as high as in Latin America, where landless peasants coexist with huge landowners," said Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo.

Christophe Cottet, an economist at the French Development Agency (AFD), pointed out that inequality in Africa is "very poorly measured."

"There are notably no figures on inequalities of inherited wealth, a key issue in Africa."

Shanty communities are not unusual in African cities as housing fails to keep 

pace with the population (AFP Photo/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI)

Mega-cities and countryside

Recent decades have seen the expansion of megacities like Lagos and Kinshasa, typically ringed by shantytowns where people live in extreme poverty, although many medium-sized cities have also grown.

More than 40 percent of Africans now live in urban areas, compared with 14.6 percent in 1960, according to the World Bank.

In 1960, Cairo and Johannesburg were the only African cities with more than a million residents. Consultants McKinsey and Company estimate that by 2030, about 100 cities will have a million inhabitants, twice as many as in Latin America.

But this urban growth is not necessarily the outcome of a rural exodus, said Cottet.

"The population is rising across Africa as a whole, rather faster in towns than in rural areas," said Cottet.

"There is also the problem of unemployment in towns -- (rural) people have little interest in migrating there."

Attempts by African countries to get around fiscal constraints didn't always end well, 

such as this Zimbabwean man who decorated his hat with worthless currency 

(AFP Photo/ZINYANGE AUNTONY)

Lost decades of growth

Growth in Africa slammed to a halt in the early 1980s, braked by a debt crisis and structural adjustment policies. It took two decades to recover.

Per-capita GDP, as measured in constant US dollars, shows the up-and-downs, although these figures are official and do not cover Africa's large informal economy: $1,112 in 1960, $1,531 in 1974, $1,166 in 1994 and $1,657 in 2018.

"If you do an assessment over 60 years, something serious happened in Africa, with the loss of 20 years. But there is no denying that what is happening now is more positive," Cottet said.

The IMF's and World Bank's structural adjustment programmes "broke the motors of growth," said Nubukpo, whose book, "L'Urgence Africaine," (The African Emergency) makes the case for a revamped growth model.

The belt-tightening programmes "emphasised the short term, to the detriment of investments in education, health and training."

Nearly all of Africa's cotton is exported without having been processed (AFP 

Photo/Khaled DESOUKI)

New thinking needed

Africa has a low rate of industrialisation, is heavily dependent on agriculture and its service sector has only recently started to emerge.

"We have not escaped the colonial model. Basically, Africa remains a producer and exporter of raw materials," said Nubukpo.

He gave the example of cotton: 97 percent of Africa's cotton fibre is exported without processing -- the phase which adds value to raw materials and provides jobs.

For Jean-Joseph Boillot, a researcher attached to the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, "Africa is still seeking an economic model of development."

"There is very little development of local industries," he said.

"This can only be achieved through a very strong approach, of continental industrial protection -- but this is undermined by the great powers in order to pursue free trade.

"The Chinese, the Indians and Westerners want to be able to go on distributing their products."

Sub-Saharan Africa has half of the countries deemed to the world's most corrupt 

by Transparency International (AFP Photo/Jekesai NJIKIZANA)

Governance problem

Lack of democracy, transparency and efficient judicial systems are major brakes on African growth, and wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, said the experts.

Of the 40 states deemed last year to be the most world's most corrupt countries, 20 are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Transparency International.

"Africa is not developing because it is caught in the trap of private wealth and the top wealth holders are African leaders," said Nubukpo.

"We must promote democracy, free and transparent elections to have legitimate leaders who have the public interest at heart, which we absolutely do not have."

Nyamnjoh also pointed to marginalised groups -- "There should be more room for inclusivity of voices, including voices of the young, voices of women."

Related Articles:

G20 launches plan to fight poverty in Africa

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text-Version)

" .... Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."

The Recalibration of Awareness - Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The Future of the Illuminati

Now, I want to tell you something that you didn't expect and something I've reported only one other time. What about all of the money that the Illuminati has? There are trillions and trillions of euro in banks, under their control, waiting. What are they going to do with it and where are they going to use it? It's still here. They're waiting.

This group is waiting for something to happen that they know is going to happen, for they see it coming as much as I do. However, I would like to tell you something that they don't expect. With awareness comes generational shift. Those in charge of this money will not always be elders. The indigos eventually will have it.

They are waiting for something to happen in Africa - the building of a new civilization, a continent that has nothing to unlearn. Once Africa is cured, once it's ready, a new civilization can be created from the ground up. Africans will be ready to learn everything about building a foundation for the most advanced civilization ever and will do it with the most modern and inventive systems available. Eventually, this new continent will even beat the economics of China.

This is the prediction and always has been, and the Illuminati's money will fund it. Did I say the Illuminati will fund it? [Kryon laugh]The Illuminati's money will fund it, but there is a difference from the past, dear ones. The ones who inherit the positions in the Illuminati will be a different consciousness. Listen, they are not suddenly going to be the ones who have the good of everyone in their hearts - hardly. They want to make money, but what they will see instead is a way to make a great deal of money through this investment. In the process, it will automatically help hundreds of thousands, and they will be at the beginning, the foundation, that builds the new Africa. The new African states of unification eventually will create a continent stronger than any of the others, and it will have one currency. The resources alone will dwarf anything in the world.

"Wow, Kryon, how long is that going to take?"

The Humans in the room control that and those listening later and reading. When you leave this room, what are you going to do? Go home, report this, rub your hands together, and wait for it to happen? It won't. For the Humans in the room and the old souls hearing and reading have got work to do, and I've told you this before. You've got work to do.

There's an alliance that you're going to have to create with one another and with another group - the young people of Earth. The youth of this earth are changing the way things work. Can you see it? You're not supposed to sit around and watch them either, because they need you, old soul.

It's time for you to align with the indigos and the concepts of the youth of the planet. Do not think for a moment that their age shows their wisdom. These two attributes are not commensurate with one another; they're not linear. These young people may be older souls than you are! Don't think that because they've got technology that you don't understand that you can't be one with them. Their technology is social networking, the very thing we are talking about, where everyone can talk to everyone. The new consciousness on the planet starts in two areas - the children and the old souls.. …”

Namibia's first female candidate vows to 'restore dignity'

Yahoo – AFP, Sofia CHRISTENSEN, November 24, 2019

Esther Muinjangue, Namibia’s first woman to run for president, told AFP of her
bid 'restore dignity' to the southwest African country (AFP Photo/HILDEGARD TITUS)

Windhoek (AFP) - Calm and confident, Esther Muinjangue, Namibia’s first woman to run for president, says she feels a "wind of change" softly blowing through the southwest African country which goes to the polls on Wednesday.

From her modest home in a quiet suburb of the capital Windhoek, Muinjangue spoke to AFP about her bid to "restore dignity" to the country's 2.45 million inhabitants -- struggling through an economic recession after nearly 30 years of independence from South Africa.

"You hear a lot of people complaining about the (ruling) SWAPO-led government," she said on Saturday, before heading into the final day of campaigning for her National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) party.

"There was apathy among the youth," added the 57-year-old former social worker. "But now you see at every rally... more and more young people coming on board."

Namibia's South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) has remained in power since its founder Sam Nujoma won the first democratic election in 1990, after decades of guerrilla war against colonial rule.

But President Hage Geingob, elected in 2014, has faced increasing disgruntlement amid SWAPO's inability to redistribute wealth to the majority black population.

Supporters of Namibia's National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) wear 

traditional Herero dress at a presidential campaign rally in Windhoek (AFP Photo/

HILDEGARD TITUS)

'Empty glass'

Namibia "was like a full glass of water," said Muinjangue, but "the first president brought it down half, the second drank further"

"So when Hage took over we were already in the mess that we are in today."

Despite vast mineral wealth, abundant fish reserves and a growing tourist industry, Namibia remains the world's second most unequal country after South Africa, according to the World Bank.

Low commodity prices and drought caused the economy to slump in 2016, and Geingob has come under fire for expanding his cabinet at the expense of other sectors.

Muinjangue is campaigning on a promise to cull the bloated government and invest more in education, health and affordable housing.

She said Namibia has resources to take care of its needs, but corruption has taken root.

"Top leaders... are selling the land, they are selling the country, they are selling mines to foreigners."

NUDO won just two percent of the vote in 2014, when SWAPO's Geingob swept to victory with more than 87 percent.

But Muinjangue was confident her party would perform better this time and that disgruntlement with the regime could drive more voters towards the opposition and break SWAPO's two-thirds parliamentary majority.

Namibian President Hage Geingob, elected in 2014, has faced increasing
disgruntlement amid the ruling SWAPO party's inability to redistribute wealth
to the majority black population (AFP Photo/GIANLUIGI GUERCIA)

'Expecting miracles'

"We are expecting a lot of miracles to happen this year," said Muinjangue.

As a member of Namibia's minority Herero group and daughter of an exiled politician, Muinjangue learnt to challenge the status quo against a backdrop of tradition.

"I have never been conforming to the norms of my community," she said, describing it as an environment "where women are expected to have their places in the kitchen".

Wearing a traditional Herero dress, Muinjangue spoke of women's empowerment, gay rights and legalising abortion in Namibia.

Her ascent to the NUDO presidency touched off a "paradigm shift" that prompted members of the majority Herero party to question "their old way of thinking".

Namibia's National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) presidential candidate 

Esther Utjiua Muinjangue (C) campaigns on the streets of Windhoek (AFP Photo/

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA)

'Same as the Holocaust'

Aside her new role as party leader, Muinjangue continues to fight for reparations for the German-led slaughter of thousands of Herero and Nama people who rose up against colonial rule in 1904-08.

Germany -- which controlled Namibia before South Africa took over in 1915 -- has so far failed to officially apologise for the massacre and refused to pay any compensation.

Muinjangue, whose grand-father was "the product of a German soldier" and a Herero woman, said the case deserves "exactly the same" treatment as the Holocaust.

She blasted SWAPO for being soft-handed in its negotiations with Germany.

While Germany formally handed back Herero and Nama remains to Namibia in 2018, it maintains bilateral aid makes up for compensation.

"Being a social worker, social work is a value-based profession, and one value of social work is social justice.

"So for me it’s more about social justice. It’s more about why is the German government treating our issue different from the issue of the holocaust - which is exactly the same."

Rwandan opposition leader launches new political party

Yahoo – AFP, November 9, 2019

Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has created a new opposition party
called Dalfa Umurunzi (Development And Liberty For All) (AFP Photo/Cyril NDEGEYA)

Kigali (AFP) - Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire announced Saturday she was launching a new political party, hoping it will be allowed to operate in a country where the ruling regime has no real rival.

Ingabire's previous party FDU-Inkingi, which she founded while in exile in 2016, was not recognised by the government of long-ruling President Paul Kagame.

She was imprisoned until receiving a presidential pardon last year from Kagame, whom she regularly accuses of suppressing freedom of speech, repressing the opposition and neglecting the country's poor.

"I am announcing the launch of a new opposition party," Ingabire told AFP, saying it would be called Dalfa Umurunzi (Development And Liberty For All).

"This will help me to continue the mission that had been assigned to me by the FDU-Inkingi party," she added.

"The political space in this country is very limited but we are ready to fulfil all legal requirements for registration and conduct our activities in accordance to the laws of the nation."

She returned from exile in The Netherlands intending to run for president in 2010 as FDU-Inkingi's leader.

But she was arrested, charged with terrorism and sentenced to more than a decade in jail during a widely criticised trial. She was unexpectedly granted early release alongside more than 2,000 other prisoners in September last year.

Ingabire, an ethnic Hutu, was accused of "genocide ideology" and "divisiveness" after publicly questioning the government narrative of the 1994 genocide of mostly Tutsi people that killed around 800,000 people.

Numerous FDU-Inkingi members have disappeared or been killed in mysterious circumstances over the last few years. The party accuses the government of brutally cracking down on dissenting voices.

One member was stabbed near the capital Kigali in September, while party spokesman Anselm Mutuyimana was kidnapped in March, his body later found in a forest.

Although Rwanda is constitutionally a multi-party system there is practically no opposition, with most of the recognised parties supporting the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).

Kagame, the de facto ruler since his rebel army stopped the genocide in 1994, has been praised for bringing stability and economic growth to his tiny nation but often comes under fire for restricting political freedom.

He commonly wins re-election with more than 90 percent of the vote.

Newly sworn-in Tunisia president pledges to heal divisions

Yahoo – AFP, Kaouther Larbi, 23 October 2019

Tunisia's new President Kais Saied, an academic nicknamed "Robocop" for his rigid
and austere manner, takes the oath of office after his upstart election victory earlier this month

Tunisia's new President Kais Saied vowed Wednesday to defend women's rights, reunite the country and restore trust in its leaders as the political outsider outlined his agenda following a surprise election victory.

Saied, a conservative academic with no previous political experience who won the overwhelming support of younger voters in an October 13 runoff, was sworn in before members of the constituent assembly and other top state bodies.

He thanked all Tunisians for delivering "this historic moment", after handily winning over his controversial opponent, businessman Nabil Karoui, in an election that reshaped the country's post-revolution political landscape.

Tunisians, he said, "needed a new relationship based on trust with their politicians and those in power".

After sweeping 72.71 percent of the vote in this month's runoff, Saied has won a clear mandate to fight corruption and promote social justice, even though his role focuses on security and diplomacy.

The poll followed the death in July of Beji Caid Essebsi, Tunisia's first president freely elected by universal suffrage.

'Reuniting' all Tunisians

A constitutional law professor whose rigid and austere demeanour earned him the nickname "Robocop", Saied vowed as president to "reunite" all Tunisians.

Despite having spearheaded the Arab Spring revolt that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 and gaining unprecedented freedoms along the way, Tunisians have been bitterly divided between old political classes and Islamist forces.

Saied said his countrymen were "free in their beliefs and choices" but stressed the state must be immune from "political calculations".

Tunisia's new President Kais Saied received a rousing round of applause 

from a packed parliament when he vowed to uphold women's right

"The people (Tunisians) have waited for so long...wanting to move from despair to hope", he added.

Honing his main talking points that distinguished him in the electoral race, Saied promised to uphold the rule of law.

He also reassured the chamber that "women's rights would not be diminished", which received a rousing round of applause from a packed parliament.

He went on to stress that he would "strengthen the rights of the Tunisian woman, especially her socio-economic rights".

Saeid has previously rejected a bid to overhaul Tunisia's inheritance law -- which remains based on Islamic law, meaning that women inherit half of their male siblings' part.

'Will of the people'

An international novice with no real foreign policy experience, he emphasised Tunisia's respect for "various international agreements but also to revise them according to the interest and will of the people".

The professor who up until his swearing-in Wednesday lived in a middle-class Tunis neighbourhood will now be moving to the presidential palace in Carthage.

Tunis, which currently chairs the Arab League, could renew diplomatic ties with Syria, severed since 2012, and play a role in the return of the war-torn country to the bloc.

He has made strong statements against Israel, considering any ties with the Jewish state to be "high treason" -- an Arab nationalist position that earned him praise among supporters.

While the security situation has significantly improved since a series of high-profile attacks on tourists in 2015, Tunisia has maintained a state of emergency for four years, with assaults against security forces persisting.

On June 27, a suicide attack killed two people in the heart of the capital Tunis, reviving the spectre of violence.

During the campaign debate, Saied said a key to fighting terrorism was education, arguing that improving primary education would "immunise" youth against extremism.

Another significant task he will face is reforming the police force, which was a cog in the dictatorship toppled by the Arab Spring revolt of 2011 and which continues to be accused of human rights abuses.

Outsider Saied set for landslide in Tunisia presidency: exit polls

Yahoo – AFP, Kaouther Larbi, October 13, 2019

Conservative academic Kais Saied (C), flanked by his wife Ichraf Chebil (R),
celebrates his victory in the Tunisian presidential election (AFP Photo/Fethi Belaid)

Tunis (AFP) - Conservative academic Kais Saied, a political outsider, was headed for a landslide victory Sunday in Tunisia's presidential runoff, sweeping aside his rival, media magnate Nabil Karoui, exit polls said.

In a contest which reflected Tunisia's shifting post-revolution political landscape, Saied, an independent, scooped almost 77 percent of the vote, compared to 23 percent for Karoui, Wataniya television said.

Another exit poll from market research group Emrhod gave him almost 73 percent of the vote.

The official results are expected Monday, but news of the projected victory triggered celebrations at the retired law professor's election campaign offices in central Tunis, as fireworks were set off outside and supporters honked car horns.

In his first reaction, Saied thanked the country's young people "for turning a new page," and vowed to try to build "a new Tunisia".

"Kais Saied, voice of the people," a gathered crowd chanted. "Long live Tunisia!"

"We are very happy. Tunisia has an honest man at the helm now. The difference between the two candidates was the work he has been doing," said Mustafa El Ghali, a family member.

The runoff was contested by two political newcomers -- pitting Saied nicknamed "Robocop" against businessman, Karoui, who is dubbed Tunisia's "Berlusconi".

Tunisians celebrate the victory of Kais Saied in the country's presidential 

polls runoff (AFP Photo/Fethi Belaid)

They trounced the old guard in a September 15 first round, highlighting voter anger over a stagnant economy, joblessness and poor public services in the cradle of the Arab Spring.

Adding controversy and suspense to the contest, Karoui only walked free on Wednesday, having spent more than a month behind bars on suspicion of money-laundering.

The poll, Tunisia's second free presidential elections since its 2011 revolt, followed the death of president Beji Caid Essebsi in July. Turnout was higher than in the first round, and estimated at around 57 percent.

'Peaceful transition'

In one polling station, voters said they were divided between "the one who will apply the law" and the one "who helps the poor," referring to a charity television show that boosted Karoui's popularity.

The 56-year-old business tycoon Karoui portrayed himself as a bulwark against political Islam, which he accused his rival of supporting.

Saied, a 61-year-old constitutional law expert, whose low-cost, door-to-door campaign caught fire in the country, called for Tunisians "to make a choice today in complete freedom".

"You have created a new concept of revolution, let your conscience guide you," he said, casting his ballot.

Some Tunisians travelled far to their hometowns to vote taking 

advantage of car-sharing rides (AFP Photo/FETHI BELAID)

Saied campaigned upon the values of the 2011 revolution, based on opposition to Westernised and corrupt elites, and in favour of radical decentralisation.

"Congratulations to Tunisia; less for whom they voted, and more for showing a continued commitment to resolving differences via peaceful transitions," said H.A Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, in a tweet.

For what was the third election in four weeks, some Tunisians organised car-sharing and free transport for students who had to travel far to their hometowns to cast their ballots.

"I am doing it out of love for my country. I support the one who embodies hope for Tunisia," said taxi driver Bakri who offered free rides to Saied supporters between Tunis and the coastal city of Nabeul.

The Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which won the most seats in parliament in general elections earlier this month, had called on supporters to back Saied.

But the runoff outcome had remained uncertain, with a ban on opinion polls.

Saied topped the first round with 18.4 percent of votes, while Karoui followed with 15.6 percent.

Presidential contender Nabil Karoui only walked free days before the vote 

having spent more than a month behind bars on suspicion of money-laundering 

(AFP Photo/ANIS MILI)

Sharp contrast

While the candidates were both seen as anti-establishment figures, the contrast between them was sharp, with Saied earning his nickname for his rigid and austere manner.

A social conservative, he has defended the death penalty, criminalisation of homosexuality and a sexual assault law that punishes unmarried couples who engage in public displays of affection.

Saied taught at the Tunis faculty of judicial and political sciences for nearly two decades.

Karoui presented himself as a candidate for the poor and the appeal of the flamboyant candidate, who always appeared in designer suits, stemmed largely from his media empire and philanthropic activity.

After the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Nessma TV channel that Karoui founded turned from entertainment programming towards news, becoming one of Tunisia's largest private broadcasters.

Karoui has dismissed the allegations against him as politically motivated.

Abiy Ahmed: Meteoric rise of the man trying to remould Ethiopia

Yahoo – AFP, Robbie COREY-BOULET, October 11, 2019

Since taking office in April 2018, Abiy has aggressively pursued policies that have
the potential to upend Ethiopian society (AFP Photo/Zacharias Abubeker)

Addis Ababa (AFP) - The son of poor villagers who became a spy boss, and now the man behind dizzying attempts to reform Africa's fastest-growing economy and heal wounds with Ethiopia's neighbours, Abiy Ahmed has seen an unpredictable and peril-strewn rise to fame.

Another chapter was added to his remarkable tale on Friday when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since becoming Ethiopian prime minister in April 2018, the 43-year-old has aggressively pursued policies that have the potential to upend his country's society and reshape dynamics beyond its borders.

Within just six months of his swearing-in, Abiy made peace with bitter foe Eritrea, released dissidents from jail, apologised for state brutality, and welcomed home exiled armed groups branded "terrorists" by his predecessors.

More recently he has turned to fleshing out his vision for the economy while laying the groundwork for elections currently scheduled to take place next May.

But analysts fret that his policies are, simultaneously, too much too fast for the political old guard, and too little too late for the country's angry youth, whose protests swept him to power.

Despite the challenges, Abiy's allies predict his deep well of personal ambition will prompt him to keep swinging big.

Ethiopians have celebrated some of Abiy's reforms including allowing the
return of dissidents (AFP Photo/YONAS TADESSE)

Tareq Sabt, a businessman and friend of Abiy's, says one of the first things that struck him when they met was the prime minister's drive: "I always said to friends, when this guy comes to power, you'll see a lot of change in Ethiopia."

"I have said often that winds of hope are blowing ever stronger across Africa. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is one of the main reasons why," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said after Abiy's Nobel victory was announced.

'Sleeping on the floor'

Born in the western town of Beshasha to a Muslim father and Christian mother, Abiy "grew up sleeping on the floor" in a house that lacked electricity and running water.

"We used to fetch water from the river," he said in a wide-ranging radio interview with Sheger FM last month, adding that he didn't even see electricity or an asphalt road until the seventh grade.

Yet Abiy progressed quickly through the power structures created by the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), after it took power from the Derg military junta in 1991.

Fascinated with technology, he joined the military as a radio operator while still a teenager.

He rose to lieutenant-colonel before entering government, first as a securocrat -- he was the founding head of Ethiopia's cyber-spying outfit, the Information Network Security Agency.

He then became a minister in the capital Addis Ababa, and a party official in his home region of Oromia.

Abiy has sought a role in shaping events across the Horn of Africa (AFP Photo/
ASHRAF SHAZLY)

Seizing the moment

The circumstances that led to Abiy's ascent to high office can be traced to late 2015.

A government plan to expand the capital's administrative boundaries into the surrounding Oromia region was seen as a land grab sparking protests led by the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, and the Amhara people.

States of emergency and mass arrests -- typical EPRDF tactics -- worked to quell the protests but failed to address the underlying grievances.

When then-prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn abruptly resigned, many feared a power-struggle within the EPRDF, or even an unravelling of the coalition that would leave a dangerous vacuum.

Instead, the coalition's member parties chose Abiy to become the first Oromo prime minister.

"He's the only one that could have saved the EPRDF," said Mohammed Ademo, a journalist who accompanied Abiy on his first visit to the large Ethiopian diaspora community in the United States last year.

"My feeling is that he's prepared for this moment all his life."

As prime minister, Abiy has sought to shape events across the Horn of Africa, fuelling criticism that he is taking on too much at once.

The immediate demands of Ethiopian politics may leave Abiy with no choice but 

to shift his focus inward in the months to come (AFP Photo/MICHAEL TEWELDE)

Beyond the rapprochement with Eritrea, for which he was cited for the Nobel, he has played a leading role in mediating Sudan's political crisis and has also tried to revive South Sudan's uncertain peace deal.

Yet whether any of these initiatives will ultimately succeed is an open question.

Even the Eritrea deal, which many see as Abiy's signature achievement to date, has been undermined by a lack of tangible progress on critical issues like border demarcation.

"Abiy has had real foreign policy successes, but there has been some misguided optimism from abroad that he can transform the Horn of Africa," said James Barnett, an analyst specialising in East Africa at the American Enterprise Institute.

"The Horn is volatile. I'm sceptical that one leader can undo decades of competition and mistrust."

Assassination bid

The immediate demands of Ethiopian politics may leave Abiy with no choice but to shift his focus inward in the months to come.

Holding credible elections by next May, the current timeline, is a daunting task, yet Abiy is keen on scoring the kind of victory that would give him a mandate with the general public.

First, he must contend with Ethiopia's formidable security challenges.

Ethnic violence has been on the rise in recent years, causing Ethiopia to record more internally displaced people last year than any other country.

And last June, Abiy faced the greatest threat yet to his hold on power when gunmen assassinated high-ranking officials including a prominent regional president and the army chief.

Abiy seems well aware of the danger he faces, and from time to time makes public reference to attempts on his own life, including a grenade attack at a rally just two months after he took his post.

For now, as he noted in the Sheger FM interview, he remains in control.

"There were many attempts so far, but death didn't want to come to me," he said. "Death shied away from me."

Profile of the winner of the #NobelPeacePrize 2019: Ethiopian Prime Minister #AbiyAhmed pic.twitter.com/yDOWu09gTG

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 11 oktober 2019

Map of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the history of their relations after #AbiyAhmed was awarded the #NobelPeacePrize for his efforts to establish peace on the Horn of Africa pic.twitter.com/nZJDA0y3wE

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 11 oktober 2019