Tens of Thousands in Sudan Risk Death if World Does Not Step up Response, Says IOM
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) urged countries to step up their donations in response to the world’s largest displacement crisis in Sudan, warning on Tuesday that inaction could cost tens of thousands of lives. The IOM has received just 21% of the support it needs to provide crucial aid to the Sudanese, already plagued by conflict and now facing hunger, disease and floods, Mohamed Refaat, who leads the IOM’s Sudan mission, told a briefing. “The international community is not doing enough,” Refaat said. “Without an immediate massive and coordinated global response, we risk witnessing tens of thousands of preventable deaths in the coming months,” he added. Some one in five people have been displaced in Sudan, with 10.7 million people internally displaced and 2.3 million having fled across borders, according to the IOM. Reuters
Tanzanian Police Release Opposition Leaders after Mass Arrests
Several leaders of Tanzania’s main opposition party CHADEMA and hundreds of their supporters were released on Tuesday after mass arrests over a banned youth meeting in the southwest of the country, police and a party spokesperson said. Human rights organisations have criticised the arrests, with Amnesty International saying they were part of efforts to intimidate the opposition in the run-up to local government elections later this year and a national election in 2025. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has taken some steps to ease restrictions on the media and opposition since coming to power in 2021, but rights groups say arbitrary detentions have continued. Reuters
Nigeria Holds Youth Summit on National Security after Protests
The United Nations and Nigerian police Monday held a youth summit in the capital to commemorate International Youth Day and discuss the role of youths in national security intelligence. The summit came days after Nigerian youths led nationwide protests calling for a reversal of government policies that they say cause severe hardships…The one-day event with the theme “Enhancing the Nigerian Youth’s Value for National Security Intelligence” was a partnership between the police and UNESCO and was part of the International Youth Day commemoration. Authorities said the summit was designed to examine the role of youths in national security matters and create room to enhance youth participation…The summit featured interactive sessions between the police and youths on crime prevention, conflict resolution, social media and community engagement. VOA
Nigeria: Group Cautions against Calls for Military Takeover
A group, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), has cautioned Nigerians against agitation for military takeover as part of the demands for good governance. It also asked the Nigerian government to create an enabling environment for citizens to breathe and exercise their rights. The group stated these in a communique issued at the end of its two-day civic space protection training held in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom capital…”We caution all those advocating for regime change through the military. Democracy, no matter how bad, is better than a minute of military rule. Nigeria should be a democratic model in Africa, irrespective of the ups and downs of it,” the communique reads partly…The group also urged the Nigerian government to ensure proper investigation of reported cases of abuse of human rights on Nigerians and also ensured that all the perpetrators are prosecuted…“A safe and conducive civic space is an indication of a functional democracy, hence, the government in power should not toy with this critical element for a sustainable democracy.” Premium Times
Senegal PM Visits Mali for First Time since His Election
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko visited Mali for the first time since his political party came to power in the March 2024 presidential elections. Sonko’s visit is a part of diplomatic efforts led by Senegal to convince junta-ruled Mali to return to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation regional bloc established in 1975. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have left ECOWAS after the military takeovers fractured their relations with West African neighbors…ECOWAS has been leading efforts to return civilian rule to the coup-hit countries, pressuring the juntas with sanctions and rejecting lengthy transitional timetables. Africanews
Rights Groups Accuse Cameroon Government of Abandoning Vulnerable Civilians
Officials in Cameroon say people are again fleeing towns in western regions as separatists block traffic on the streets, burn vehicles that defy their orders and abduct and torture civilians for ransom. Rights groups are accusing Cameroon’s central government of neglecting and abandoning oppressed civilians…Fighters advocating for the creation of an English-speaking state separate from majority French-speaking Cameroon have been waging war against the government since 2017…Officials say at least 50 civilians were abducted and tortured in Bamali village within the past three weeks. Villagers said families had to pay at least $500 for each kidnap victim to regain freedom…Separatists say the new wave of attacks is to make Cameroon’s predominantly English-speaking regions ungovernable for the central government in Yaounde until they achieve what they say will be their complete independence. According to rights groups, the current fighting and atrocities committed by both government troops and separatists has displaced several hundred civilians including recent returnees. VOA
Sierra Leone’s President Uses UN Security Council Presidency to Urge More Seats for Africa
After decades of seeking a bigger voice in the United Nations ‘ most powerful body, Africa “cannot wait any longer,” Sierra Leone’s president told the Security Council on Monday. Chairing a meeting that his country convened, President Julius Maada Bio pressed a longstanding bid for African countries to get more council seats, including two permanent and potentially veto-wielding spots…It wasn’t the first time the council has heard calls for expanding and reshaping its membership — and African countries aren’t the only ones that want more representation. While there’s a general sense that the council needs to change, discussions have bogged down over differences on how much to expand the group, what countries to include and what powers it should have…Set up in 1945 to try to maintain peace in the wake of World War II, the Security Council can levy sanctions, deploy peacekeeping missions and otherwise pass resolutions that are legally binding, if sometimes ignored. Its composition reflects the postwar power structure, and a time when most of Africa was under European control…The African Union, a regional group, has called for two additional elected seats — yielding a total of five — and two permanent ones for countries on the continent…Bio, whose nation currently holds the council’s rotating presidency, urged the group to get behind giving his continent priority in any structural changes. AP
Death Toll in Uganda Rubbish Heap Collapse Reaches 24 as Rescue Teams Find More Victims
The death toll from a mountain of rubbish that collapsed in the Ugandan capital rose to 24 on Monday as rescuers with excavators continued searching for victims, according to the city authority. At least four children are among those killed by the collapse at the Kiteezi landfill Friday, police told reporters. The collapse is believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall. The precise details of what happened were unclear, but the city authority said there was a “structural failure in waste mass”…It was not clear how many people were unaccounted for. The Kiteezi landfill is a vast rubbish dumpsite in an impoverished hillside area that receives hundreds of garbage trucks daily. The city authority has been aiming to decommission it since declaring it full years ago. It’s also a kind of no-man’s land in the city of 3 million, attractive to women and children who scavenge plastic waste they aim to sell. Others have built permanent homes nearby. AP
Zambia to Reopen Closed Border with Democratic Republic of Congo
Zambia will reopen its border with Democratic Republic of Congo after sealing it at the weekend due to protests, blocking a key export route for the world’s second largest copper producer, the two countries said in a joint statement on Monday. The border, which was closed following an announcement by Zambian Trade Minister Chipoka Mulenga on Saturday, will reopen on Tuesday, according to a separate statement from Congo’s trade ministry. Reuters
Ethiopia: Media Association Calls for Release of Journalists Imprisoned for over Two Years Without Verdict
The Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association has called on the authorities to release journalists imprisoned for over two years without verdict, while also urging for more actions to ensure a more open media environment in Ethiopia. The association issued a press release after its newly elected executives visited Kaliti and Kilinto prison facilities in the capital Addis Abeba, on 11 August 2024, where they met several detained journalists, some of whom the association confirmed to have been detained for over two years without verdict…Many journalists are experiencing imprisonment or exile due to the ongoing political crisis in the country, posing serious risks to their safety and professional freedom, the association stated, reaffirming its commitment towards the protection and professional autonomy of journalists working under challenging conditions…Ethiopia has been ranked as the third-worst country in Africa for imprisoning journalists in 2023, trailing behind Eritrea and Egypt, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Addis Standard
Sudan’s Al-Burhan Seeks Support in Rwanda and Angola
Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan reiterated his commitment to a stalled peace deal with rival paramilitary forces during visits to Rwanda and Angola on Monday, as U.S.-backed efforts to revive the agreement faltered. Al-Burhan told Rwandan President Paul Kagame that he was committed to the Jeddah Declaration signed in May 2023, Sudan’s ambassador to Rwanda said. The agreement, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from urban areas. However, fighting has continued in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other parts of the country, and the two sides failed to agree on terms for the army’s participation in internationally-backed peace talks in Geneva that had been scheduled for Monday. Sudan Tribune
A Trove of Artifacts from Egypt’s Last Dynasty Has Been Found in 63 Tombs
A trove of artifacts from Egypt’s last dynasty has been discovered in 63 tombs in the Nile Delta area and experts are working to restore and classify the finds, an official with the country’s antiquities authority said Monday. The artifacts include gold pieces and jewelry dating to Egypt’s Late and Ptolemaic periods, and some items could be displayed at one of the country’s museums, said Neveine el-Arif, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. An Egyptian archaeological mission with the Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered the mud-brick tombs at the Tell al-Deir necropolis in Damietta city in Damietta governorate, the ministry said in a statement last month. Other items found in the area of the tombs include statues, funerary amulets and a pottery vessel containing 38 bronze coins dating to the Ptolemaic period. The Ptolemaic dynasty was Egypt’s last before it became part of the Roman Empire. AP