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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 7 February 2018

South Africa's embattled president won't give key speech

By CHRIS TORCHIA allegations of wrongdoing. only by about a week,
Associated Press "We have, regrettably, there were serious doubts
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — come to the conclusion about whether Zuma will
South African President that there is little likelihood deliver the address at a lat-
Jacob Zuma will not give of an uneventful joint sitting er stage. Opposition parties
the state of the nation ad- of parliament this coming have said the president is so
dress in parliament this Thursday," said parliamen- discredited that he has no
week because of concerns tary speaker Baleka Mbete, right to address the nation,
that lawmakers would dis- referring to the "disruption, while many former loyalists
rupt the speech, officials anarchy and chaos" of in the ruling African Na-
said Tuesday, reflecting past years in which oppo- tional Congress party want
the weakened state of a sition legislators heckled him to quit so they can try
leader under intense pres- Zuma and were dragged to recover lost popularity
sure to resign because of out of the chamber by se- ahead of 2019 elections.
scandals. curity guards. A key ruling party com-
The embarrassing deci- Parliamentary officials met mittee planned to meet
sion to postpone Thursday's Zuma to propose that the South African President Jacob Zuma, waves as he leaves parlia- Wednesday to discuss the
ment in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, after it
speech, a major event in speech be postponed to was announced that this years state of the nation address that president’s fate, amid re-
which the president lays out establish "a much more was to be delivered on Thursday will be postponed. ports that some members
a national agenda, added conducive political atmo- (AP Photo) might push for ANC lead-
to the momentum against sphere in parliament" and ers to demand that Zuma
Zuma, an astute political learned he was already confirmed that Zuma had parliament session. resign. “We flatly reject
operator who appeared to writing to parliament to sug- requested a delay "due to While parliamentary of- any amnesty agreement
be running out of options gest the same thing, Mbete certain developments" that ficials indicated that the or special deal for Jacob
after years of fending off said. The president's office would thwart a successful speech might be delayed Zuma,” Maimane said. q

Violence as South Sudan protesters denounce US arms embargo

By SAM MEDNICK confirmed. The petition a copy seen by The Associ- AP, a German freelancer "The security authorities
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — cited the demonstrators' ated Press. and a reporter for the South would have been there
Anti-Trump demonstrations anger over the arms em- Although the protest be- Sudan press. None were se- for the peaceful protest,"
in South Sudan's capital bargo and accused the gan peacefully, it turned riously injured. said government spokes-
turned violent on Tues- U.S. of supporting the rebels violent and the crowd ha- South Sudan's government man Ateny Wek Ateny. "If
day as people took to the through the U.N. mission to rassed and physically as- wouldn't comment on the violence took place it was
streets to protest the U.S. South Sudan and neighbor- saulted three journalists, embargo but condemned individuals taking the law
president's new ban on the ing countries, according to including a reporter for the the violence. into their own hands." q
supply of weapons to the
army and rebels.
On Friday, the United States
imposed a unilateral arms
embargo on South Sudan,
which is embroiled in a
5-year civil war. The State
Department said it is "ap-
palled" by the continuing
violence perpetrated by
both sides in the conflict.
Hundreds gathered out-
side the U.S. Embassy and
the nearby United Nations
base on Tuesday morning
to show their anger.
"Down Down Mr. Trump"
and "Don't weaken our na-
tion Mr. Trump" were post-
ers held up by some dem-
onstrators.
The protesters delivered a
petition to the U.S. Embas-
sy, an embassy spokesman