Skyrocketing Violence against Children in Sudan Demands Urgent Protection Measures: UN Report
The report on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan, released on Tuesday, documented a staggering 2,168 grave violations against 1,913 children in 2022 and 2023 – a significant increase compared to the previous reporting period. The most prevalent violations included killing and maiming (1,525 cases), recruitment and use of children in combat (277 cases), and sexual violence (153 cases). In addition, 33 children were abducted, 118 schools and hospitals attacked, and there were 62 incidents of denial of humanitarian access to children in need. The situation worsened dramatically following the outbreak of hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April year…The report also noted that the termination of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the departure of its dedicated child protection staff have exacerbated the crisis, reducing the capacity to monitor and report on grave violations against children. UN News
Hundreds Gather across Nigerian Cities to Protest Cost of Living Crisis
Nigerian police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters in the capital city Abuja on Thursday, as hundreds rallied against the escalating cost of living and governance issues in Africa’s most populous nation, according to eyewitness accounts. Protesters gathered across various Nigerian cities to voice their discontent with government reforms that they claim have worsened the living cost crisis. Authorities have deployed armed security personnel in a bid to preempt any potential violence. In Lagos, the country’s commercial capital, protesters marched towards the government house under the watchful eye of armed policemen, before proceeding to the two locations designated for the protest. Reuters
Nigeria Security Forces Deploy, Government Offers Dialogue as Protests Loom
Nigerian security forces deployed in major cities and the government said it was open to dialogue ahead of planned protests on Thursday against a cost of living crisis and poor governance that authorities fear could turn violent. After taking office more than a year ago, President Bola Tinubu swiftly removed some fuel subsidies, devalued the naira currency and later hiked electricity tariffs, moves that have sent inflation soaring past 34%, eroding incomes. Nigerians are also grappling with widespread insecurity, which has damaged the farming sector, while armed gangs kidnap residents and school children for ransom in the north. Inspired by Kenyan protests, Nigerians are mobilising online to demand reinstatement of petrol and electricity subsidies, free primary and secondary education and an end to the insecurity, among other demands. Reuters
Many Killed as Suicide Bombing Hits Market in Nigeria’s Borno State
A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated a bomb at a marketplace in Kauri, a rural community in the Konduga area of Borno state, North East Nigeria. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, at the market area, which operates at night every day, bustling with people…The areas, mainly settlements of roadside communities situated along the Bama-Maiduguri road, have been frequently terrorised by Boko Haram. This recent attack is one of several that the communities have faced in the past couple of months. In a similar attack in June, Boko Haram reportedly deployed multiple female suicide bombers, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people and injuries to 42 others in Borno state. HumAngle
Guinea Court Finds Former Junta Leader Guilty in 2009 Stadium Massacre
A court in Guinea on Wednesday found former junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and seven other accused military commanders guilty of crimes against humanity in a 2009 stadium massacre.
Their charges, which included murder, rape, torture and kidnapping, were reclassified to crimes against humanity, the court said. Four others accused were found not guilty. Camara, 60, was the ruler of Guinea when more than 150 people were killed during a pro-democracy rally on Sept. 28, 2009…In the 2009 incident, tens of thousands of people had gathered at a stadium in Conakry to press Camara not to stand in a presidential election the following year. Many were shot, stabbed, beaten or crushed in a stampede as security forces fired teargas and charged the stadium. At least a dozen women were raped by security forces, prosecutors said during the trial. Reuters
Mpox Outbreaks Declared in Kenya and Central African Republic. The Race Is on to Contain the Spread
Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of mpox as Africa’s health officials race to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines. Nairobi announced the outbreak on Wednesday, after a case was detected in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya. The Central African Republic was the first to declare a new outbreak on Monday, saying it extends to its capital of Bangui…Although the mpox epidemics in the West were contained with the help of vaccines and treatments, barely any have been available in parts of Africa where several countries have reported outbreaks in recent months. The worst hit on the continent is Congo, which has recorded more than 12,000 cases and at least 470 deaths this year in its biggest outbreak. South Africa, which last recorded an mpox case in 2022, has also reported an outbreak this year. AP
Human Trafficking and Trade — A Growing Threat for Africa
Lately, much of the spotlight in the migration debate has been on West Africa: More and more people from Nigeria, Mali, Niger or Senegal decide to undertake these journeys, hoping for a better life in Europe or elsewhere. But many end up in the hands of traffickers even before they get to take on the Sahara desert, or the shores of the Mediterranean, from which they hope to reach Europe…The driving factor behind this growth in human trafficking in Africa is the difficult political and social situation of the people in various African countries, says Elvis Adjetey Sowah, a migration researcher at the University of Ghana…Human traffickers are increasingly turning to modern communication technologies to exploit their victims in multiple ways: from recruiting migrants to blackmailing them with compromising photos and videos taken against their will. Several such tech-trafficking networks have been uncovered in recent years in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea and Mali. DW
Cameroon Releases Activist Arrested over TikTok Posts, Lawyer Says
Cameroon on Wednesday provisionally released an activist imprisoned after he posted videos on TikTok urging democratic change ahead of 2025 presidential elections, his lawyer said. The arrest of the 23-year-old activist, who is also a hairdresser, has prompted an outcry over what international human rights groups call a growing crackdown on freedom of expression under 91-year-old President Paul Biya, in power for 42 years. Ngombe was taken to a detention facility in the capital Yaounde, which HRW says is notorious for practising incommunicado detention and torture, including near-drownings and severe beatings. Ngombe’s lawyers said he had been charged with “incitement to rebellion” and “propagation of false information”, which they believe to be linked to videos he posted on social media. In his posts on TikTok, Ngombe encouraged people to vote in the presidential election and challenged the Cameroonian authorities’ crackdown on dissent. RFI with AFP
South Sudan: Kenya-led Peace Talks Stall over Creation of Alternate Structures
The Kenyan-mediated South Sudan peace talks have stalled over creation of alternate structures, sparking concerns that a delay could derail success of the process after the parties agreed on eight protocols. The talks, dubbed The Tumaini Initiative, were taking place between the national unity government led by President Salva Kiir on the one hand and the hold-out groups on the other. The holdout groups are a collection of armed and political dissidents who did not sign the 2018 peace agreement. The members of the delegation representing the government at the talks included representatives from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) under President Kiir, members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) a key stakeholder in the September 2018 peace deal. The SPLM-IO, led by the First Vice President Riek Machar, withdrew from the talks, saying the agreement had been drafted in a way that either undermined the current structures created by the 2018 peace deal or ran parallel to it. In a statement, the leader of Real SPLM, Pagan Amum said the negotiations stalled after the armed opposition withdrew from the process, prompting the delegation representing President Kiir and other parties to follow them to Juba for further consultations with constituent organizations and structures. Sudan Tribune
Ethiopia: Tigray Opposition Parties Call for Unity, Inclusive Regional Gov’t Amidst TPLF Internal Rift
Three opposition parties in the Tigray region have issued a joint statement urging the public to remain united and neutral amidst the ongoing power struggles within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) leadership. The National Congress of Great Tigray (Baytona), Salsay Weyane Tigray, and the Tigray Independence Party appealed to Tigrayans to prioritize regional interests over TPLF infighting, emphasizing the need for unity and neutrality. This comes in the backdrop of recent remarks made by Tigray Interim President Getachew Reda making TPLF political leadership accountable for widespread corruption, mismanagement, and insecurity in the region. Getachew openly admitted a breakdown in governance in the region due to lack of cooperation between the interim administration, security forces, and the judiciary, with “internal divisions within the TPLF leadership further exacerbating the crisis.” Addis Standard