the, the, this is dw news africa coming up on the program commands, choose a new president. how much will this decision hinge on the, on going to come on a crisis? it's been a hotly contested campaign for the top job to save the countries fortunes as inflation rises and the local currency lose its power morgan and sinking into poverty. we'll get the view from the crime also coming off the multi $1000000000.00 infrastructure project that's brought joe biden to an goal at the tail end of his presidency. we discussed the role of the lo vito car, a doing in us africa relations and justice at last, the victims of

a colonial era, abduction policy celebrate the victory over the belgian states. find out more the . i'm totally illogical. welcome to the program. voters in gonna heading to the polls at a time of economic hardship. the country is a major producer of gold, oil and coal coal, but it's struggling to recover from a debt crisis, leaving an as questioning the nation's economic direction. oh, bottling in the elections for a chance to change those fortunes, our vice president, my, how much do volunteer that on the left end representing the ruling new patriotic party and former president john jermanti mohammed of the main opposition national democratic congress. oh,

gonna has sustained its reputation as one of africa's most stable democracies. and its insured largely smooth transfers of palm between its main political parties. it now has another opportunity to continue this path them and avoid the insecurity in military coups that have engulfed some of its neighbors. some observe as of one that gunners democracy is showing signs of fragility. making this election a defining moment in charging away forward will get some analysis in a moment. but as mentioned the crucial issue for many good and is the economy. and ongoing cost of living crisis is proving to be a heavy burden for many citizens to bad. dw, it is kamani, and isaac collision centers report from across the picture of a successful in business woman virginia lobby can't afford any luxuries to wait. despite the blistering cry heat, she keeps her fan of utility bills,

a soaring and as a primary provider for her family. she must carefully balance conflict and survival, or a typical phase one in a gun in home. you assume sets in response to the piece and we are usually described as the 2nd pairing sites employees you would have siblings if you have any to take care of. so i have my mazda, i have my other siblings that i need to support today. julian works from home to reduce the fuel expenses, like many in gun as middle class. a disposable income has shrunk. i've made a lot of sacrifices where, but i need to buy myself a pair of shoes. i need to buy myself, maybe a car to boost my business to do something, but at the moment you can't do that. so i may have to use my personal car to run my business,

run my personal life across gunner families are struggling, high inflation, kyrese, depreciation, and mounting national debt have tightened. the group on middle income households pushing more people into poverty as a country heads into its next elections to presidential candidates, john mahatma and mama to bohemia each claim. they have the solutions to fix the economy. the top concern among voters here, but wondering where they will. yeah. living conditions have been harsh these days. even if you work hard and what you earn as income, kansas canyon long. it is a struggle. i'm just helpless to put on 3 young people are getting jobs these days, so it's very tough. sad where now we've been resorting to stealing to survive under the current economic conditions. a and many businesses, a barely surviving. like juliet's serial factory. she tells me supply costs keep

rising. i was also face high of bills at home, but julia can't afford to raise the pay. instead, she sometimes office free food to take home. julia, some of the grease was the corn meal. she's here to help her daughter out, but she doesn't really have a choice for farming google gun. i no longer produces an income she can live on when you would. yeah. and to me without my daughter thinks would be tough to me. she's the one managing the business and keeping it afloat. my earned my income from this business. so without my daughter who's always pushing hard to keep us in business, it would be difficult for me and other work as you might need to mean 14 . honda and cutting back is what many canadians are for us to do right now. but these are limited tools, humanly possible. things such as a is a father of 2. he juggles 2 jobs, weight,

2 tables full time while working as i make sort of just on the side. we snow days off. the exhaustion is wearing him down, but his worries go beyond his personal well being. cruise fee is for gun as future when people come preschools, and the dog jobs to do next is why you the house. you have to just wayne dolls in general, just for them to do the s way mission to make it easy for the that all, if all you, once i leaving you a, become, it doesn't have you have this idea of leaving the country. if i have family ties, as i'm talking to you, if i had an opportunity to tell me it's in the country, i will move quick. so the thing that prints has reflected on resonates with what i've had since i've been here in across the best thing for you know, for to anything. and even for those what highly educated villa meant the best skills, i think you mismatched what the job market needs. and so the question about the economy is, is it just the external pressures that are creating this problem?

or is it a problem of poor management? the economic analyst abdul estimate certainly we think so of a numerous problem that we have of course mismanagement is despite the ritz carlton is by the re lock a full size of the leadership based on the lack of a long term planning. there's also another um, excessive fight isn't quite as complex as soon as it's a serious concern for us. and of course, um, the general fred jealousy of the nice night economy. so which has been for the tribes out for sue's independence. are you hopeful that the leaders who take over the next government are going to do anything for the end of the, for the economy? i doubt, except that you can have some work on your phone relatively better than the other. but with all honesty, i can tell you that we don't have confirmation. i leadership,

not julia and her mother like many in gun as middle class struggling to hold on, hoping for change to them. the choice of who to elect is more than political. it's about personal survival. let's go more from gone. all right, now we've got christiana sweetie. i bought, she was a journalist with joy to the news channel in a cry. good, so have you with us christiana, we've just seen in our report how the economy is affecting people, how much will this hardship influence the way people vote or this would influence the way people, hugely, this a little bit easier than around that i'm say around the front on the wrong part of crisis issues and others, but specifically on the economy. we kind of talk about it with the cases and the information is high. unemployment rate is high. we sense of apartments. our reports is that most done in some uh, between the ages of 18 and 54,

do not have any employment or community skills, jones and so on and so forth. now i'm going into this election, most kind of games one to know how the next step means. well, i basically have changed because of the economic was the space and how many the car, the countries in get nearly over 700000000000, gonna save you some debt to the so many things happening right now on what you put a boat in a market to 3 years ago we kind of going to see these, which is like a $100.00. it's about half what you can get right now with the same amounts of money. the hyphen surprises, it's appears as if nothing we is working. meanwhile, the only need for chelsea, katia tell scratch v o and a possible recovery. and for most people we're saying that it's not reflecting enough cutting up. okay, so by that you mentioned a lot of these issues. you've got them say, which is the, the problem of, of the legal, of an unlicensed mining and how that's affecting people. and that's how that's

affecting water supply. you've mentioned electricity. i mean, at the moment now you're having a problem with, with a power blackout where you are, there's yeah, of course, the day to day issues. but the, the cost of food and, and all of that. how are these candidates promising to tackle the issue as well as the money specials? they've made lots of promises, but with the past 34 weeks may lead up to the december 7th dimensions. you've seen that most of these presidential candidates are making more and more promises that on marketing government officials, for example, the kinds of distribution is pushing that to do so is over and that is fixed. the pop costs is such a huge factor, but we can reason dining will set as default present undermining mama. but as you can see, what is about to get on this interview and my lights went out. it's something that's been happening to me since power outages and there is, but i'll go and say specifically the company is no longer able to could use 70

percent, which was all i did. this is just because of ego aligning activities in a far as reserves. and you know what, 1040, they don't have this the central to possibly teach to remove heavy metals from the water. we don't do with vessels moses. and so the, what kind of wanting to us hops right now, i want to, you know, mean contains heavy metals that cannot be removed easily. and this is because the government us allows people to mind, you know, for us to be this would be the legislature, the estimates do for fix full, which demands us to repeal the allies stop comes the activities and somehow, oh, that's not happening. we're just trying to install what's um, what it's called access and you tell us that what i'm saying is the leadership problem. and so the issue is what's lead? yeah, come to live. i will kind of solve this. many of them see that is each another voided chromecast, where the verify, right, the old one is the build. so about good,

i'm say yes, people are wondering what you do for us differently so that we can drink cooling was, i know what size and then i'll, i'll take this will, government has permission. so new plans you're seeing that the main issue really is that we do not have enough money to pay for you to pay a lot of times. right? it's is looking like a tight bottle. the possibly elections running up to them. we've seen parties come to get assigned a piece packed because this is also part of what upheld, gone as a, as a, as a beacon of democracy in africa. but somehow that wasn't exactly smooth this time. why was that an issue? why? why with the parties. so reluctant to come together and commit to this piece agreement as well, that the spouse has become sort of a tradition with going into wherever you election. all major pointed to the lenses and supporters. but mainly the presidents are nice for as a candidate sign a piece spots to see that they are committing these peaceful means to resolve any

issues during it before now. so the big since the cx means it's going to fall, the opposition national democratic all the way switches and d, n d c. refuse to sign the piece by. and they're saying that last election in the 2nd lives, when most we have in accounted for those nice and yet it appears nothing is being done about it. although yes, we are the beacon of them, you know, democracy in the, on the confidence and we have relatively peaceful the lexia and the balance of the email. and then which is why the nbc saying that if you want peace, you must, you know, we must give us justice. those lives that were lost must be accounts a full. i'm somehow be because that wasn't happening. they refused to sign the piece that they need up to about 16 months. they also ask, that's all really about stick with is that is the attorney general, the chief justice, the idp on the card that sits in precedence,

all political actors, the presidential candidates, let us find a piece past that did not happen. i'm but the for the presidential under money mama, regardless of what the policy will see because the proxy chem and johnson the season kids. yeah. was very, i was the man he again, signing the piece. spend it these 2 months. we're not met the demand hopkins being met by gender money. mama says that, well, go in until the election he is committing and he's speaking on behalf of the apache to see that let's find a piece back as to what to was resolving these conflicts. so yeah, really just looking for to how electro commission, the chief justice, i mean, the judicial system, everything and all that can come together to ensure we fix on sprint selection this fine without losing lives or without focus on the balance that we encountered over the past. elections, grades as jen list. christiana, sweetie edwards, thank you very much for speaking to us.

joe biden has become the 1st us president to visit, and gola is also his 1st state visit to africa during his administration. the trip is aimed at strengthening ties between the 2 countries and promoting us investments . and at the heart of biden's visit is the low b to a car. it'll a new international railway connecting the city of low vito on goal as atlantic coast to zambia and the democratic republic of congo. the aim is to ease the export of minerals and this $5000000000.00 investment is the largest us funded infrastructure project in africa. as long as washington's attempt to counter chinese influence on the continent from washington dc with joins now by journalist and commentate to ready slide b. thank you for joining us. ready? um, why, in your opinion,

do you think this little project is so important to the us? as me, thank you so much for having me. well, this is a very important to visit to for, by that, i mean, he's in the twilight or he's presidency, india to venture it out to a country in southern africa. it is strategically important to the united states for 2 reasons. the united states relies on africa for some minerals that needs to paula electric vehicles. it needs of because mineral resources know to be pulled out to nicole oil. and i'm going that is rich in both. so while biden is in, on google, that he's going to announce at if we um, shift in multi 1000000000 lovita inquiry or development project. what is this one? it is a crucial rail project that links middle are, which is m b, i can go and then go left to the atlantic. that means that the united states can move these assets with ease towards its stores,

so that it can power its economy. that's on the economic front, on the geo political front, this visit is so important because the united states has been fast asleep when it comes to africa. it has not been purposeful and intentional in investing in africa . what was the result of that? china took advantage of the vacuum that was created by the united states and china has made some significance to prometric and economic strides on the african continent, extending loans to countries like kenya, like zambia, and others. these countries of course indebted but it allowed try not to have influence on the african continent, which is something that causes a lot of things inside to teach the united states. i will touch on china in just a 2nd, a bit more, but for on goal, i'm guessing. what do you think they would be? one thing from, from this relationship from this project, from the us at the moment. as it was actually quite surprising that the was

a bid for this. we will project in china did also bid, but i'm going to went with the united states. i think it's because noises, but the united states is still the most powerful nation in the world. military lead and in other ways, and a lot of countries still remain vulnerable to civil war to civil strife internally . and so the united states often comes in with ministry support to humanitarian aid and so on. but i also think there's another effect that, that is important. and that is the historical relationship between countries, but with supported by the soviet union, which is of course, now russia and others and of the united states during the cold war. what is important to you is that the soviet union back to the current government off of, of, of, on go to. so you would have thought that the would turn against the united states and go with china and so on. but the is a system sentiment that is flipping through some african countries,

and that is the non aligned kind of style stance that says when no longer in the cold war period. and i believe that to bite and spokes person fit that 2 journalists were traveling with them that were not in the cold war. africa doesn't have to choose between russia, china and the united states. we are looking for economic ties. and either reminds me of something that we can do to the present of can use it to me in a recent visit to the us to indeed state for that. i austin, with the episode of a team, away from china and towards the united states. and i think it is relevant for ongoing that as well. and he's on so to me was we are not going to east we on the kitchen west. we are looking forward. so i think for, i'm go, let the do want to submit to those good relationships with the united states on the issue of china. isn't the us a bit late in the game, considering the gains china has made over the past couple of decades in the us is late in the game. but here's the thing. it is not an off because interest to just look to one partner. it is not good for economies. we need to diverse, the 5,

we need to have a relative of options we need to. so our boss gets with a whole lot of options just as china is doing. so i don't think that you know, that i'm going that should be worried about who's coming unit should be about a cannot make returns and strengthening those economic ties. and talking about the united states being late or cost that has lead to but it is also worried about the rise of china and it wants to kind of a truncate or frustrate to time those advances on the african continent. and on that note, i'll take you back a few years when donald trump came to to power. and he looked at africa through the lens of china and russia. when joe biden became president, he didn't necessarily depart from that. in fact, this is at the end of his private presidency when he was making that, that, that 1st johnny 2 and a half ago. so i'm sorry,

i'm african country. when does this place africa in terms of priority? when it comes to the us, is that such a brilliant question because it speaks to a multiplicity of things. the 1st is that my understanding of u. s. foreign policy is that it often doesn't matter who's in the white house. the us have particular she loves to it's foreign policy. they see themselves as a country of, of dominance as a strong country, as, as it were, the orbits how he's of who's democratic and who's not the use the economic and military mind to influence how the world is structured. and so with that, it's a bite and presidency in obama presidency or a trump presidency. it still comes with those kind of values that intrinsic to foreign to us foreign policy. and since the end of the cold war, i want to see one final thing on this job. i didn't saw this trip as

a necessary revenge. i. people are saying, but he's, you know, he's the one he lost. the democrats lost the election and he should really 18 we had to withdraw in july at the very last minute. why does he bought a building on the state to visit? precisely because of what you mentioned when we started this, this conversation, the crucial will be to court all and also i think that's true. biden's administration would have calculated that this quarter would be important for trump as well. from the point of view of china dominance, we know this. we know that donald trump is a fest with cutting china down to 5. and if he also sees that it will be to, according to as a way of closing the door to china, then he will run with it and build on it from with it. but it will bite and i took off or left off. i beg your pardon. all right, we appreciate your thoughts and analysis, journalist and commentator. very useful. i be many thanks. thank you so much for

having me. as a court in brussels has rules that belgium committed a crime against humanity by forcibly separating 5 mixed res women from the mothers during the colonial era in watts. now the democratic republic of congo. this landmark ruling addresses a systematic state policy that targets had children born to black mothers and white fathers placing them in orphanages. the court found this was part of a deliberate segregation policy by the belgian colonial state. it's a big day for monique b to b. c. is one of 5 women suit, the belgian state for what they say for crimes against humanity. so this is happiness. it was a struggle that lasted for 6 years. and today we won monique lives in belgium, but was born in today's democratic republic of congo when it was still

a belgian colony. her father was a belgian man, her mother, the congolese teenage girl. this made her a target for the belgians who wanted to stop all racial mixing. it was just, this is me right there. so say, well, when when equals 3, she was kidnapped from her family and placed in a catholic orphanage where she was told she was a child of sin. the nuns taught the children to think of the belgian, stayed as the father to call it pilot tom fringe for that estate. no. and that is all for the year we were the children of daddy state, but there is no difference from the village. childrens. they put us in nice dresses for the photos, but we're barefoot. you can see that no one is wearing shoes and no one is smiling . everyone has said, well, yep, it's sunny can go to the dentist, at least in the k us of 1960, after congo one independence, the nuns left the orphanage, abandoning the children in the middle of what was effectively

a civil war. let me test some of the soldiers came, they took us, there were some girls who were raped by the soldiers. it was hell every night. they use us like toys of the sucker saw it at the vineyards with monique is one of likely thousands of mixed race conquer least children who belgian authorities stove from the families many warehouse and or send them just like monique others were taken to belgium in 2019, then prime minister showing michelle apologized on behalf of the federal government . i apologize to the may teach defendants of belgium colonization and their families for the injustices and suffering they have endured. no, it is all serving, but that apology was not enough for monique, and her friends. they were determined to get with the court has now delivered lift . that is, the belgian state has recognized this mistakes and recognized that these were crimes against humanity and it will pay reparations. it's

a victory against the state for the women whose childhood square shaped by its cruelty. that's it for now by the the

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when, oh, you lost under the stops december 18th. on d w the this is dw knows line from berlin, moscow grand syrian present about charl us, that asylums that's according to russian state media. beside the flood, the syrian capital damascus as rebels seized the city and ransacked his palace outside in the streets. syrians are celebrating with rebels or calling a new era for the country. and they are joined by millions of syrians living in an exile around the world, from greece to france, the u. k. and here in germany as well. and they are now seeing the return to their homeland after fleeing serious 13 year old civil war.