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A United Nations Security Council delegation will pay a working visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 9 to 12, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) announced on Wednesday via a press release.

The main objective of this visit is to assess the security situation in the DRC and the implementation of MONUSCO's mandate, in accordance with Resolution 2666 (2022) adopted by the Security Council, according to MONUSCO.

During the delegation's stay in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital, the delegation will meet political actors, representatives of civil society, the diplomatic community, MONUSCO, and the UN system in the DRC, said the press release.

The Security Council delegation also plans to visit Goma, the capital of the eastern province of North Kivu, in order to assess the security and humanitarian situation on the ground, and oversee the mandate of MONUSCO, said the press release, adding that a press conference will be held on March 12 in Goma at the end of the delegation's visit. Xinhua

NAIROBI: Kenya’s shilling weakened on Thursday, undermined by demand for dollars from importers, especially oil retailers, traders said. At 0736 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 128.70/90 per dollar, compared with Wednesday’s closing rate of 128.30/50.

The shilling touched a new record low of 128.90/129.10 per dollar at the start of the session, Refinitiv data showed.

The central bank has been selling dollars to the market in small amounts in recent days, traders said, to stem the pressure on the currency.

Kenyan shilling stable; to weaken due to increased importer demand

The bank did not respond immediately to a request for comment but it has said in the past that it only intervenes in the foreign exchange market to curb volatility.

 

 

French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed by President of Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on March 04, 2023. ( Samy Ntumba Shambuyi - Anadolu Agency )

YAOUNDE

France's President Emmanuel Macron may run into trouble trying to implement his new Africa strategy, according to some African experts and academics.

Last week, Macron visited Gabon, Angola, the Congo Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to renew relations between Paris and Africa and proclaim his intention to make French interference on the continent a thing of the past.

In Gabon, the first leg of his tour, Macron announced "the end of Francafrique," vowing that Paris would be a "neutral interlocutor whose role is not to interfere in domestic politics."

However, some experts on the continent assert that this declaration is nothing more than a veil for more meddling as locals increasing oppose France's presence on the continent.

Unilateral strategy

"Francafrique" was is a term coined by French intellectuals after World War II to describe the updated version of the French colonial system, a professor at Yaounde University in Cameroon's capital, Ntuda Ebode Joseph Vincent, pointed out.

"With its Francafrique policy, France interferes in African countries' domestic affairs on the military, economic, and other levels, and makes sure to create secret economic ties between the African regimes and French politicians," he said.

Ntuda Ebode, who heads the university's International Relations and Strategic Studies Center, accused France of seeking to "write the history of Africa on its own, as it has done in the past."

"It's impossible to implement the New Africa Strategy which was not prepared inclusively and jointly," he stressed.

Changing discourse for popularity

Citing surveys conducted in 2021-2022, Mursel Bayram, head of Africa Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, Türkiye's capital, said African opinion leaders saw China, Germany, Canada, and Türkiye as Africa's most beneficial partners.

"France is even behind new actors like Japan, and India," Bayram added. "The French government, aware of this, seeks to change the discourse."

A Senegalese expert in international relations, Daouda Kinda also argued that Macron's remarks did not reflect reality.

Kinda said that the West had not given up on the colonial system and kept it alive through economic ties such as the African franc currency.

France seeks to regain popularity in countries such as the Central African Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where locals have staged protests against French military presence in recent years, according to Kinda.

"France is changing its strategy, as did the other colonial powers," the expert said. "After seeing that military interventions in Africa no longer had any influence, France is trying to implement a 'soft power' policy through civil society and the young people."

Kinda asserted that Macron "never considered ending this colonial system," and instead wants to restore France's lost popularity on the continent.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk, Anadolu Agency

 

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Wednesday night dismissed his Foreign Minister Mayiik Ayii Deng, who has served in the role for only 18 months.

In a presidential decree obtained by Radio Tamazuj, Kiir has tasked Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Dau Deng, to perform the job in an acting capacity until a new minister is appointed.

No reasons were given for the sacking of Mayiik, who hails from Warrap state.

Mayiik was first appointed presidential affairs minister in April 2016 in a transitional government and again in the same position in February 2020, following the formation of the unity government before being sacked following a botched oil-for-roads deal.

Last week, President Kiir fired the country's defence minister Angelina Teny, who is also opposition leader Riek Machar's wife, and interior minister Mahmoud Solomon in a presidential order.

No decision had yet been made on their replacements.

Last week’s move is seen by observers as an attempt by Kiir to firm his grip on power amid international pressure on the peace partners to conduct democratic elections by the end of the transitional period.

President Salva Kiir, SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar and other political leaders signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended five years of civil war.

Implementation of the peace agreement has been slow, and the opposing parties have frequently disagreed over how to share power.

In August last year, the parties to the peace agreement announced the extension of the transitional government's time in office for another two years, meaning general elections would be conducted in December 2024. - Radio Tamazuj

Times Tower, Kenya Revenue Authority headquarters in Nairobi. File I Nation Media Group

The High Court has thrown out a case in which the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) sought to collect Sh900 million from soft drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola. 

Justice Chacha Mwita upheld the decision of the Tax Appeals Tribunal to block the KRA from demanding the tax from Coca-Cola Central East and West Africa Limited.

The dispute involved VAT input refund on export services related to marketing and promotion of the Coca-Cola brands in Kenya through vernacular media stations and roadshows.

 

The judge upheld the tribunal’s finding that the beverages maker paid the disputed VAT in the USA following the service agreement between Coca-Cola Africa and Coca-Cola Export.

The Coca-Cola Export, which was based in the USA, commissioned the agreement with Coca-Cola Africa based in Kenya to promote through advertising, Coca-Cola brands to local potential customers.

“I, therefore, agree with the Tax Appeals Tribunal that in accordance with the destination principle, this was an export service and the USA had the taxing rights,” said Justice Mwita.

The dispute started after Coca-Cola Africa applied for a refund of input VAT in 2017 for Sh903,182,037.

Destination principle

The Commissioner of Domestic Taxes audited Coca-Cola Africa’s VAT returns for April 2014 to June 2016, a period during which Coca-Cola Africa had undertaken customised advertising in Kenyan local dialects through the media, roadshows, and brand activation.

The Commissioner issued preliminary findings disallowing Sh725,082,158 from the claim for input VAT due to undeclared output tax on locally consumed services and local sales. 

Coca-Cola Africa explained the services supplied to Coca-Cola Export were exported services and thus exempted from VAT.

However, the Commissioner confirmed its findings in an assessment dated June 15, 2017, and upheld his decision that the marketing and promotion services attracted VAT at the general rate of 16 percent and that his assessment was final.

But Coca-Cola Africa objected, setting the stage for the legal dispute that went to the tribunal after the parties failed to resolve the issues in a technical forum.

Mr Van Der Part, a witness for Coca-Cola Africa, pointed out that charging VAT on business-to-business marketing services would result in double taxation.

For his part, the Commissioner argued that although the marketing and promotion services were provided to Coca-Cola Export, a foreign company, the service was consumed in Kenya and was, therefore, subject to VAT.

In his judgment, Justice Mwita said that consumers in Kenya were not receiving any service from Coca-Cola Africa in the course of marketing.

“Consumption, if any, would come in only after Coca-Cola Export decided what to do with the brands that had been marketed and promoted, or if the brands were offered for sale usually on a future date,” said the judge.

He also upheld the tribunal’s finding that although marketing and promotion took place in Kenya, there was no proof that every Kenyan who saw the adverts purchased a beverage.

According to the tribunal, the test was where the consumer was located, and agreed with Coca-Cola Africa, that the public in Kenya was the target audience of the advertising and promotion services. But the benefit accrued to Coca-Cola Export for purposes of enhancing the business of sales. By Joseph Wangui, NMG

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