Famine now Prevalent in Parts of War-torn Sudan
The 15-month-long escalating conflict between warring militias “has severely impeded humanitarian access and pushed parts of North Darfur into famine, notably in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs)”, stated the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in its latest report…The main drivers of famine in Zamzam camp are conflict and lack of humanitarian access, both of which can immediately be rectified with the necessary political will,” according to the IPC report. Restrictions on humanitarian access, including intentional impediments imposed by the active parties to the conflict, have severely restricted the capability of aid organizations to scale up their response efforts effectively. UN News
Drones Target Sudan Army Base During Top General’s Visit
Sudan’s army said two drone strikes hit an army base in the country’s east on Wednesday after a graduation ceremony attended by the country’s de facto leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has been locked in a civil war for over a year with a rival military general. At least five people were killed and several others injured in the attack in the town of Gebeit, the army said, which has been held by the army and is about 50 miles from its wartime capital of Port Sudan…The army and the paramilitary group have both used drones in the war, which are sometimes supplied by close foreign allies such as Iran or the United Arab Emirates, according to Western and Sudanese officials. The New York Times
Mali Separatists Say They Killed Dozens of Wagner, Government Fighters
Separatist rebels in northern Mali said Thursday that they killed dozens of fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner and government troops near the Algerian border at the end of July. The Tuareg-led separatists said Thursday they killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers in three days of intense fighting that began on July 25 at a military camp at Tinzaouaten…The Wagner Group said the rebels gained the upper hand thanks to a sandstorm, which analysts say would have negated the air support superiority of the Malian forces and their allies. The separatists on Thursday claimed more than 50 civilians of Nigerien, Sudanese and Chadian origin had been killed in revenge drone attacks by neighboring Burkina Faso. AFP
Zimbabwe Police Arrest 18 Political Activists in Latest Clampdown Ahead of Regional Summit
Zimbabwe police have arrested 18 political activists and hauled some of them off a plane, their lawyers said Thursday, in the latest clampdown by the government after warning it would crush opposition protests ahead of its hosting of a meeting of the southern African heads of state this month. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group said it was representing the activists, who were detained on Wednesday…The four taken off the plane are being charged with disorderly conduct for being part of a courthouse protest in late June demanding the release of 77 opposition party members who have been in pre-trial detention for over six weeks. AP
Tunisian Presidential Candidates Complain of Restrictions and Intimidation
Tunisian opposition parties, presidential candidates and human rights groups have accused the authorities of using “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation in order to ensure the re-election of President Kais Saied in a vote set for Oct. 6…None of the 11 opposition candidates have yet obtained a document certifying that they have no criminal record – a new condition – which will then allow them to register…In a separate statement on Thursday, 17 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Human Rights League, and six opposition parties criticised government control of public media, the judiciary, and the Elections Commission. Reuters
Togo President Keeps PM, Promises New Government
Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has retained Victoire Sidemeho Tomegah-Dogbe as prime minister and a government will be formed in the coming days in line with a new constitution, the presidency said on Thursday. The new charter, adopted in March, has stoked tensions in the coastal West African nation with some opposition and civil society groups condemning what they say is Gnassingbe’s bid to extend his 19-year rule longer than previously expected. Tomegah-Dogbe, who has served as Togo’s first female prime minister since 2020, is a member of the ruling Union for the Republic party that won a sweeping majority in an April legislative election that was delayed twice due to the wrangling over the constitution. Togo has seen years of resistance to the Gnassingbe family’s rule. The president was first elected in 2005 to succeed his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who took office after a coup in 1967. Reuters
UNMISS Calls for Action as Abductions Rise in Yei
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is gravely concerned by rising abductions, allegedly carried out by the National Salvation Front (NAS) and other armed elements, in the greater Yei region of Central Equatoria state, predominantly impacting Yei River, Morobo and Lainya counties. A press statement on Friday said last month alone, UNMISS received reports of some 12 such cases, affecting 134 individuals, six of whom are children. The abduction of children, in particular, exposes them to various risks including possible recruitment and use in armed conflict; sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking; and other forms of exploitation, the statement said. Radio Tamazuj
Ethiopia Is in the Midst of a Kidnapping Epidemic
In recent months travellers have been terrorised by armed gangs who kidnap bus drivers and their passengers for ransom…What began as isolated incidents confined to the remote parts of Oromia, where the state has always been weak, has spread across the country. Targets were once chosen for their political significance. Now almost anyone is at risk outside Addis Ababa. Even Tigray, renowned before the war for its strong internal security, has recently witnessed a spate of abductions for ransom. Several trends underlie the crisis. The first is the weakening and fragmenting of Ethiopia’s armed opposition movements. The OLA, for instance, has little to show for more than five years of insurgency…Funding from supporters in the overseas diaspora is thought to have dried up. So splinter groups proliferate and resort to kidnapping and other forms of extortion to stay afloat…The second trend is a weakening of the state. In large parts of the country the government has lost its monopoly on force. The Economist
How Africa’s ‘Ticket’ to Prosperity Fueled a Debt Bomb
Credit ratings were meant to help sub-Saharan countries tap global investors to fund much-needed development. But low scores, heavy borrowing and bad luck have left many struggling with crushing bond debt…Billions of dollars meant to pay for badly needed improvements to infrastructure, education and healthcare are now going toward interest payments. Sub-Saharan Africa’s average debt ratio has almost doubled in the past decade — from 30% of gross domestic product at the end of 2013 to nearly 60% in 2022. The region today has the highest rate of extreme poverty in the world. Reuters
Mpox Cases Have Surged by 160% in Africa so Far This Year, but Few Treatments and Vaccines Available
African health officials said mpox cases have spiked by 160% so far this year, warning the risk of further spread is high given the lack of effective treatments or vaccines on the continent. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released Wednesday that mpox, also known as monkeypox, has now been detected in 10 African countries this year including Congo, which has more than 96% of all cases and deaths…Mpox outbreaks in the West have mostly been shut down with the help of vaccines and treatments, but barely any have been available in African countries including Congo…In May, WHO said that despite the ongoing outbreak in Africa and the potential for the disease to spread internationally, not a single donor dollar had been invested in containing mpox. AP
Ghana and E-Waste
Having long invaded Asia, e-waste from Europe and the US is arriving in extensive quantities in the ports of West African countries such as Ghana, in violation of international treaties…[Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas] insisted that while the Ghanaian e-waste and catalytic converter recycling industry “offered enormous economic opportunities”, it was also “involved in criminal activities that were dangerous to the environment and health”. The fact that the players in this sector were “obscurely connected to an international network for recycling and purchasing precious metals” should prompt greater control and “more stringent legislation to regulate the trade in hazardous waste”, he said…There are a lot of laws structuring this economy, but they don’t seem to be enforced, and this is why so many things are leaving for West Africa [journalist Bénédicte Kurzen wrote]. The Guardian
Drop in South Africa’s Rhino Poaching Linked to Dehorning Programmes
Poaching poses the biggest threat to the rhino population in South Africa where at least one rhino is killed for their horns every day. Rhino horns – made primarily of keratin, a protein also found in human hair and fingernails – are prized in some East Asian countries for traditional medicine and jewellery…While the decline in poaching was only marginal, environment minister Dion George said there had been a significant drop in numbers in the months of May and June due to dehorning programmes carried out in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province…Poachers – who collaborate with international crime syndicates – shifted their focus to KZN in recent years after surveillance and dehorning programmes were stepped up in the country’s famous Kruger National Park. Reuters