COP29: Africa Demands ‘Grants Not Loans’ to Confront Climate Crisis
As talks hit the mid-way point at this year’s United Nations climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, African leaders and activists have called for a shift from loan-tied climate funding to grant-based solutions, to address the continent’s climate crisis. Dozens of climate groups from across the continent under the aegis of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), asked world leaders to refrain from increasing the continent’s debt burden with loan instruments disguised as climate finance… [Mithika Mwenda, PACJA’s Executive Director] noted that the climate finance to be secured under the new collective quantified goal (NCQG), ought to contribute to climate justice rather than Africa’s growing debt portfolio…A report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) puts this in perspective: African countries and their counterparts in the world’s poorest and most climate-vulnerable regions service their debts with twice as much as they receive to mitigate their climate crisis. This reality makes loan-based financing an unsustainable and unsuitable solution. Premium Times
Zambia, Zimbabwe Seek Move to Wind, Solar to Avert Power Shortages
Zimbabwe and Zambia are holding a summit this week in Victoria Falls to identify ways to attract investors for energy projects and development. The talks come as the neighbors experience their worst recorded drought, which is drying up the Kariba Dam reservoir and causing hourslong power cuts. Speaking at the inaugural Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit, officials from both countries said depending so heavily on hydropower leaves them vulnerable to lengthy lapses in electricity. Recently, power outages reached 20 hours. They say they want to increase investment in wind and solar energy generation. VOA
MSF Sudan: ‘16 per Cent of Khartoum’s Hospital War-wounded Are Children’
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report that 16 per cent of patients treated for trauma at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum since January 2024 are children under 15…Many of these young patients have suffered gunshot, blast, and shrapnel wounds, sparking concerns over rising child casualties amid the ongoing conflict. MSF’s medical teams, working alongside local staff, have treated over 4,200 patients for trauma injuries, with children making up a significant proportion…MSF also reported a disturbing rise in acute malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women. Of the 4,186 individuals screened for malnutrition, over 1,500 were severely malnourished. Radio Dabanga
Sudanese Who Escaped from War-torn Tuti Island Speak of Hunger, Disease
[Dozens of people] escaped Sudan’s Tuti island earlier this year amid a siege by the Rapid Support Forces, finding refuge at a shelter after surviving for months on scant food and the risk of disease. The island in the middle of the Nile serves as a microcosm for the devastation unleashed by a war that began in April 2023…Activists report that the RSF charged people large sums to evacuate them…The island is one of 14 places across Sudan at risk of famine, according to experts. Dengue fever has ravaged Tuti, a close-knit farming community…Charity kitchens have been forced to close in Tuti and elsewhere in the capital Khartoum due to lack of funding and supplies, and high prices. Reuters
Acute Food Insecurity to Hit Most People in South Sudan Next Year, Says UN
Almost 60 percent of South Sudan’s population will be acutely food insecure next year, with more than two million children at risk of malnutrition, warns data from a United Nations-backed review. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) review published on Monday estimated that starting in April, 57 percent of the population would be suffering from acute food insecurity, which the UN defines as when a “person’s inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger”. Almost 7.7 million people will be classed as acutely food insecure, according to the IPC, an increase from 7.1 million people the previous lean season. Al Jazeera
What to Know about Namibia’s Upcoming Presidential Election
Namibians are set to vote for a new president and parliament on Nov. 27, after Hage Geingob died and was replaced as president on an interim basis by his deputy, Nangolo Mbumba. The election could mark a historic shift in the country’s political landscape if the ruling SWAPO party, in power since independence in 1990, loses control of the presidency or parliament for the first time. The president is directly elected by voters and needs to garner more than 50% of votes to win. Support for SWAPO dropped from 87% in the presidential election in 2014 to 56% in 2019. Reuters
Ghana: Opposition NDC Boycott of Parliament Threatens Key Deals amid Electoral Tensions
The political standoff has deepened just weeks ahead of Ghana’s general elections on 7 December, with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) instructing its lawmakers to boycott any emergency recall of parliament. The directive…follows a controversial Supreme Court ruling on 12 November that overturned a decision by Speaker Alban Bagbin to declare four parliamentary seats vacant. The ruling restored the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s slim majority, with 138 seats, including one independent MP aligned with the party, against the NDC’s 137…The NDC’s boycott effectively halts parliamentary proceedings at a time when critical mining agreements and budget approvals hang in the balance, potentially derailing economic recovery efforts…The gridlock has overshadowed critical national issues, including economic recovery efforts and youth employment initiatives. Analysts believe the inability to pass key legislation could become a major campaign issue, with both parties blaming each other for the stalemate. The Africa Report
Wife of Ugandan Opposition Figure Besigye Says He Was Kidnapped and Is Being Held in a Military Jail
The wife of Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye said Wednesday he was kidnapped in neighboring Kenya and is being held in a Ugandan military jail. Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, wrote on the social platform X that her husband was last seen Saturday in Kenya, where he was attending a politician’s book launch. She said she was “reliably informed” that he was being held in a military jail…Besigye, a fierce critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has on previous occasions been arrested and assaulted…Besigye, who was once Museveni’s personal doctor, has contested and lost four presidential elections. AP
At Least 50 Insurgents Killed, Seven Nigerian Officers Missing after Convoy Attack
At least 50 Boko Haram fighters were killed on Tuesday and seven members of Nigeria’s infrastructure security force were missing following an insurgent ambush on a convoy monitoring the country’s power grid installations, a spokesperson said. Boko Haram, which has waged an insurgency for 15 years mainly in the northeast, has been weakened by the military and internal fighting but remains a threat as it makes deadly attacks against civilians and government targets. Reuters
PPDC Unveils Court Management Technology to Improve Justice Delivery in Nigeria
The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) re-introduced its Court Administration and Case Management (CACM) technology on Tuesday, Nov. 19, during a ‘Access to Justice’ Parley in Abuja, North-central Nigeria. The initiative, already deployed in six states, including Adamawa, Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa, aims to revolutionise Nigeria’s judicial system by addressing procedural delays and enhancing efficiency. Supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and developed by Devon Tech, a PPDC subsidiary, the CACM project integrates advanced features such as real-time speech-to-text transcription, digital case scheduling, and secure cloud storage…Future phases include introducing virtual court sessions to facilitate remote participation and reduce logistical burdens. HumAngle
On Board with Senegal’s Navy as It Searches for Migrants on a Popular but Deadly Route toward Europe
Dozens of people [in Senegal] pile onto the wooden fishing vessels known as pirogues and risk their lives on a journey toward Spain’s Canary Islands, which have become the preferred landing point for West African migrants dreaming of a better life in Europe…[Navy commander Assane Seye, captain of one of three new patrol vessels tasked with patrolling waters off Senegal in search of vulnerable boats carrying migrants] said the navy is obliged to get the migrants to safety, whether they call for help or not…The patrol teams bring the migrants on board and take them to shore. Once there, they are free to walk away — and perhaps try again. But if they’re from another country, they are repatriated. AP
Congo Accuses Rebel Group of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Country’s East
Congo’s government on Tuesday accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of “ethnic cleansing” in the central African nation’s east. The minister of the interior, Jacquemain Shabani, denounced the “massive arrival of foreign populations” in the territories of Rutshuru and Masisi in North Kivu province, where locals were “expelled by violence.” “This is what constitutes ethnic cleansing,” Shabani said. Congo’s accusation comes after M23 last week appointed administrators in the areas it claims to control…M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army just over a decade ago. AP
Extortion Nation: How SA Neighbourhoods are Gripped by Fear
Facing threats to their safety, [News 24] reporters visited a range of communities across the country and found that this criminal enterprise is spreading rapidly, harming every part of the economy and permeating every aspect of society. Small businesses operating on thin margins are forced to pay regular “protection” fees to avoid becoming victims of violence or having their property destroyed…The police’s response is sluggish at best, with allegations that they either turn a blind eye or participate in extortion schemes…Criminologists warn that there will be catastrophic consequences if the government doesn’t take extortion seriously and develop effective strategies to dismantle these syndicates, such as forming specialised task forces and protecting whistleblowers. News 24
Department of Defence Still Reviewing SA-Cuba Agreements
The department of defence is still reviewing South Africa’s bilateral agreement with Cuba, Project Thusano, and all sub-contracts associated with it, the office of the auditor general told parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday. Inked in 2012, the controversial and costly project was supposed to last for only five years. It has, to date, cost taxpayers more than R2.6 billion. Project Thusano was initially intended to focus on the maintenance and repair of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) operational vehicle fleet but has morphed to include expensive supplementary agreements such as training soldiers as medical practitioners and mechanical engineers in Cuba. Mail & Guardian