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Myanmar’s shadow government court names coup parades new armed force leader as interim president Mali constitutional court declares Assimi Goita transitional president

Coup leader’s appointment• raises In the coming days, the stakes as West the prime minister African leaders who will be appointed prepare to respond will carry out a broad to the coup in Mali Protesters hold up a banner supporting the People’s Defence Force during a consultation between demonstration against the military coup in Dawei the different factions. AFP | Cairo Either we accept Reuters | Yangon joining hands to save ali’s constitution- our country, or we he underground govern- al court on Friday Tment set up by opponents named Colonel Assimi wage clandestine wars of Myanmar’s military junta M and we will all fail Goita, leader of the post-coup said its first batch of recruits KNOW WHAT junta, as the country’s transi- ASSIMI GOITA have finished training for a tional president. new defence force, releasing Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of Malian military junta, attends the Economic The judgement stipulated that worried the country’s neigh- video of them parading in uni- Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consultative meeting in Accra, Ghana Goita would “exercise the func- bours, which have led efforts to form. The junta’s forces tions of transitional president failure to quell a bloody jihadist pointed will carry out a broad defuse the crisis. The National Unity Govern- have killed over 800 to lead the transition process insurgency. consultation between the differ- Diplomats told AFP Friday ment had announced it would people since the to its conclusion”, following his Goita had originally been ent factions,” Goita said. that the Economic Community form a People’s Defence Force coup, according to seizure of power this week. named vice president with oth- He asked those attending the of West African States would to challenge the army, which figures cited by the The constitutional court said er key posts given to fellow army meeting to support his prefer- discuss the situation in Ghana’s seized power on Feb. 1, ousting it had made the decision due to officers. ence of a prime minister from capital Accra on Sunday. elected leader Aung San Suu United Nations. More the “vacancy in the presiden- the opposition M5 movement, The 15-nation bloc has also Kyi and plunging the South- than 4,000 people cy” following the resignation of ‘We chose cohesion’ a once-powerful group which warned of reimposing sanctions east Asian country into chaos. have been detained caretaker president Bah Ndaw. Earlier Friday, Goita ex - the military sidelined after the on the country; as has the Unit- The video of the graduation Soldiers detained Ndaw and plained that the army had had August coup. ed States and former colonial ceremony was released on Fri- The video shows around 100 prime minister little choice but to intervene. “Either we accept joining master France. day in the name of Yee Mon, fighters marching on a muddy on Monday, before releasing “We had to choose between hands to save our country, or There are nonetheless fears the shadow government’s de- parade ground in the jungle. them Thursday after they re- disorder and cohesion within we wage clandestine wars and that sanctions will further dest- fence minister. They march in new camou - signed. the defence and security forces we will all fail,” Goita said. abilise the poverty-stricken na- “This military is established flage uniforms behind the flags But the twin arrests triggered and we chose cohesion,” he said. tion of 19 million people, which by the official civilian govern- of the new force, red with a a diplomatic uproar -- and He added that a new prime Crisis summit has been battling a brutal jihad- ment,” an unidentified officer white star. They are not shown marked the second apparent minister will be appointed with- The transition government ist insurgency since 2012. says at the ceremony. “The carrying weapons. coup within a year in the unsta- in days, in his first remarks since -- installed under the threat of Several hundred Malians ral- People’s Defence Force must Nearly four months after the ble country. seizing power this week. regional sanctions -- had the lied in during the day be aligned with the people and coup, the army is still strug- Ndaw and Ouane had led a The army officer made the an- declared aim of restoring full to voice their support for the protect the people. We will gling to impose order. transitional government tasked nouncement during a meeting civilian rule within 18 months. colonels, with many of them fight to win this battle.” Anti-military protests take with steering the return to civil- with political and civil society Ndaw and Ouane’s detention voicing hostility to France and A junta spokesman did not place daily in many parts of ian rule after a coup last August figures in Bamako, according came hours after a government calling for stronger ties with answer calls seeking comment. the country, strikes by oppo- that toppled Mali’s elected pres- to an AFP journalist, as inter- reshuffle that would have re- Russia. The military authorities say nents of the junta have par- ident, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. national pressure rises on the placed the defence and security Russia’s foreign ministry, for the National Unity Govern- alysed business and fighting Keita was forced out by young country’s ruling military admin- ministers, both of whom were its part, on Friday hailed the ment is treasonous and that has flared with ethnic armed army officers, led by Goita, istration. army officers who had taken release of Ndaw and Ouane but both it and the People’s De- groups that oppose the junta following mass protests over “In the coming days, the part in the August putsch. pressed Mali to eventually hold fence Force have been desig- and new militias formed to perceived corruption and his prime minister who will be ap- Political turmoil in Mali has “democratic elections”. nated as terrorist groups. oppose it.

France genocide acknowledgement Brazil on drought alert, faces worst dry spell in 91 years a ‘big step’ says Kagame AFP | Brasilia

razil’s government agen- Bcies warned of droughts BETTER this week as the country faces its worst dry spell in 91 years, increasing fears of energy ra- KNOW tioning, hitting hydroelectric power generation and agricul- ture while raising the risk of The lack of rain across Amazon fires. Late on Thursday, the Elec- much of Brazil has tricity Sector Monitoring Com- negative implications mittee (CMSE), which is linked for grain cultivation, to Brazil’s Mines and Energy livestock and elec- Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame speaks during an interview Ministry, recommended that the tricity generation, as water regulator ANA recognize a Brazil relies heavily AFP | Paris in acknowledging that Paris state of “water scarcity,” after a on hydro dams for its backed the genocidal regime prolonged drought hit Central and ignored warnings of loom- and Southern parts of Brazil power. The dry weath- wandan President Paul ing massacres. along the Paraná river basin. er could lead to severe Some survivors had been Separately, a weather moni- fires in the Amazon RKagame says France’s re- An aerial view shows a cow standing amongst a dry area at a ranch in the cent acknowledgement over its hoping for a formal atonement, toring agency linked to the Agri- Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, in Pocone, Mato Grosso state, Brazil rainforest and Panta- role in the 1994 genocide in his and were left disappointed. culture Ministry issued its first nal wetlands country is “a big step” -- even if But Kagame, who lead the “emergency drought alert” for The CMSE said the lack of rain Energy said on Friday that it it didn’t come with an apology. Tutsi rebellion that ended the June to September, saying rains makes it important to relax re- has sought to expand the supply His counterpart Emmanuel genocide, has regularly ac- are likely to remain scarce in strictions on some hydroelectric of energy in Brazil, but ruled largest supplier of those prod- Macron, during a historic visit cused France of complicity in five Brazilian states during that plants to allow greater energy out carrying out an emergency ucts, pushing up futures prices to the east African nation this the crimes. period. generation or more storage in process for hiring new capacity. for the commodities. week, recognised France’s role He applauded Macron for The lack of rain across much certain regions. That will re- “The current situation is chal- Coffee futures touched a 4-1/2 in the killing of 800,000 mostly “speaking the truth” and said of Brazil has negative impli - quire difficult talks with politi- lenging,” it said in a statement, year high on Friday with traders Tutsi Rwandans and said only his words were “more valuable cations for grain cultivation, cians, the ANA and environmen- citing lower than usual reser- worried that critical soil mois- the survivors could grant “the than an apology”. livestock and electricity gener- tal protection agency Ibama. voirs. ture in Minas Gerais could af- gift of forgiveness”. Expanding on his remarks ation, as Brazil relies heavily on “Energy rationing is not en- “There is no provision for fect the 2022 coffee crop as well. Stopping short of an apol- in an interview with AFP and hydro dams for its power. The visaged, but if there is no relax- emergency energy contracting,” The Mines and Energy Min- ogy -- and stressing France France Inter, the veteran dry weather could lead to severe ing of restrictions, there is no it added. istry said dry conditions will “was not complicit” in the ac- Rwandan leader expressed fires in the Amazon rainforest other way,” said a source with Drier-than-normal weather persist in coming months, par- tual violence -- Macron went doubt about ever “getting an and Pantanal wetlands, scien- knowledge of the situation. has hurt production of sugar ticularly in the Southeast and further than his predecessors entirely satisfactory answer”. tists said. The Ministry of Mines and and coffee in Brazil, the world’s Center West regions.