Africa Media Review for August 23, 2024

International Facilitators Vow to Amplify Sudanese Women’s Voices in Peace Process
A group of international facilitators and observers pledged on Thursday to prioritize the inclusion of Sudanese women in peace efforts, aiming to integrate their perspectives and recommendations into ongoing efforts to end the conflict. In a joint statement, the United States, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the African Union, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations in Switzerland stressed that women’s participation is “instrumental — and indispensable” to achieving lasting peace. The statement follows meetings with Sudanese women civilian experts, who shared their insights on the plight of women and children in the war-torn country…The delegations have established a technical group to ensure women’s voices are heard and pledged to continue consultations through the platform. Sudan Tribune

Children among Thousands Fleeing Fighting in Sudan: Aid Agency
Nearly 500 unaccompanied and separated children have arrived in Blue Nile and Gedaref states over six weeks as heavy fighting forces more people to flee for safety after 16 months of conflict, Save the Children said. Escalation in violence in Sennar’s state capital Sinja on 29 June triggered widespread fighting which has displaced about 725,000 people, over half of whom are estimated to be children, according to data from International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) shows. Families are fleeing to Blue Nile and Gedaref states with rising numbers of children arriving without their parents, Save the Children said. Many of these families are being displaced for the second and third time, having sought refuge in Sinja in Sennar state after fleeing Khartoum and Gazira states earlier in the conflict. Save the Children child protection teams in Blue Nile and Gedaref states have recorded at least 451 children between June 29 and August 14 forced to make the perilous journey to safety without their parents, the highest number they have recorded in such a short period since the conflict started in April 2023. Sudan Tribune

South Sudan: Electoral Institutions Advise on Election ‘Feasibility
South Sudan’s electoral institutions — the National Election Commission, the National Constitution Review Commission and the Political Parties Council — have submitted their report on the feasibility of holding long-delayed elections…Last week, the presidency and the leaders of political parties agreed to seek technical advice from the electoral institutions on the feasibility of conducting upcoming elections. The 2018 peace agreement paved the way for a transitional coalition government and laid out a roadmap for general elections. But in August 2022, South Sudan’s parties agreed to extend the transitional period for another 24 months to February 2025, and elections have been tentatively set for December 22 this year. However, key provisions of the deal, including the creation of a permanent constitution and the unification of armed forces, remain unfulfilled. Radio Tamazuj

Armed Men Kill at Least 13 Farmers in Nigeria’s Conflict-hit Region, Official Says
Armed men killed at least 13 farmers during an attack in north-central Nigeria, a local official said Thursday. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the killings that took place on Wednesday in the state of Niger. Akilu Isyaku, a local government official, told the local radio station Crystal FM that herders and kidnappers are suspected in the attack. He suggested the farmers were killed for providing information to intelligence agencies about the movements of the gunmen. North-central Nigeria has been plagued by fights for control over water and land between nomadic herders and rural farmers. The violence has killed hundreds in the region so far this year…Armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to take people during attacks on villages and along major roads. Most victims are released only after the payment of ransoms that sometimes run into the thousands of dollars. Attacks can go on for hours with the assailants fleeing before security forces arrive on the scene and arrests are rare. AP

‘African Dawn’, the Russian Video Game to Fight France in Africa
Launched in July and promoted by Russian propaganda network African Initiative, this online game gives users the chance to play the role of Burkina Faso captain Ibrahim Traoré. The aim: to fight against the influence of the former French colonial power. On one side, the Alliance of Sahel States (which did not yet exist in 2022). On the other, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). “The pan-Africanists of the AoSS, supported by Russia and its defence ministry’s African corps, oppose the neo-colonial powers – France and the US – and their allies in ECOWAS.” This is the scenario of African Dawn, a video game developed by Russian internet user and influencer Grisha Putin and published online on 12 July. The game, promoted by Russia’s propaganda networks, begins on 30 September 2022, when Captain Ibrahim Traoré takes power in Burkina Faso…Players can choose to play as rebel captain Ibrahim Traoré, his Malian counterpart Assimi Goïta or Russia’s Vladimir Putin, or represent the Burkinabè opposition, Nigeria, Chad, France or the US…African Initiative [one of Russia’s propaganda networks on the continent], which appears to have partnered with Grisha to develop the game, is an online news service based in Moscow. The game features news articles on recent events in the Sahel that may be drawn from African Initiative’s archives or produced especially for the game. An African Digital Democracy Observatory investigation revealed that African Initiative employs individuals previously associated with the Wagner Group. Africa Report

African Governments Looking to COP Summit for Higher Climate Financing Share
African countries want to use this year’s U.N. COP meetings to secure a much bigger share of global climate financing, their representatives said at a meeting in Kenya on Thursday, to help deal with the increased threats from climate change. African negotiators have drawn up a list of strategies which will be presented to a pre-COP 29, or Conference of the Parties, preparatory meeting of African ministers of environment in Ivory Coast next month. The 54-nation continent has been attracting more funds for climate mitigation and adaptation projects in recent years, but it still gets less than 1% of the global climate financing on an annual basis, government officials said…The 1% is of the global climate financing estimated at just over $100 billion, while Africa requires investments of up to $1.3 trillion, officials said, without providing a time frame for by when the amount is needed…One way of increasing Africa’s share of climate cash is to boost access to existing global funds set up for the purpose, [Ali Mohamed, the co-chair of the African group of climate negotiators] said, such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Adaptation Fund. Reuters

Mozambique Makes Great Strides towards Early Warnings for All
At a ministerial-level ceremony in the capital, Maputo, President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi launched an ambitious national roadmap to achieve Early Warnings for All by the end of 2027. The initiative, also known as EW4All, was first announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2022, with the goal of achieving universal coverage within a five-year deadline…Mozambique is situated on the southeast African coast and the country is regularly battered by tropical cyclones that sweep across the Indian Ocean, as well as related coastal and inland flooding, [the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)] said…The roadmap aims “to embrace the whole of meteorological value chain, from collecting weather and climate observations data, over to better forecasts, improved early warning systems up to better informed climate adaptation plans.” UN News

Somalia Warns Ethiopian Airlines over ‘sovereignty Violations’
The Somali government threatened to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia unless concerns over “violations of Somali sovereignty” related to destinations served by Ethiopian Airlines are resolved. In a statement, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said it had previous correspondence dating to August 14 with Ethiopian Airlines about the issue. It did not provide details, but many observers in the region say they believe it refers to the airlines’ flights to Hargeisa, Somaliland…Ethiopian Airlines has been flying to Somaliland for many years. In January of this year, Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland, which officials in Hargeisa said will give them recognition in return for leasing 20 kilometers of seafront to Ethiopia in a deal that angered Somalia, which considered it a violation of its sovereignty and territorial unity. VOA

Uganda Diversifies Oil Import Routes to Meet Demand
Uganda is looking to the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam as import routes to ensure the country has an adequate supply of oil. It is a way, officials say, of avoiding the mistakes of the past, when shortages were caused by problems with delivery schedules. Barely a month after Uganda imported its first oil through the port of Mombasa, Kampala is still struggling to meet its limits. This scenario has forced the Uganda National Oil Corporation (Unoc) to supplement the volume through Tanzania, even if it costs more. Kampala says the Dar addition will help it meet its demand for more than 174,000 metric tonnes (MT) of oil under the Petroleum Products Supply Agreement between Vitol Baharain and Unoc…Uganda has chosen Kenya as its first priority for handling its petroleum products, saying Tanzania will only ferry such products during the crisis, marking the end of the monopoly long enjoyed by Kenya’s oil marketers. The EastAfrican

Southern Algeria: Army Sustains Heavy Losses in Bloody Crackdown on Separatist Groups and Civilians
Recent violence in southern Algeria, particularly in the towns of Tinzaouatene, Timiaouine, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, and Boughessa, has highlighted the brutality and ineffectiveness of the Algerian army in its fight against separatist groups. Military operations in the region, under the command of General Saïd Chengriha, have resulted in significant casualties on both sides and, notably, in particularly brutal repressive actions against local populations, including innocent civilians…Overall, in addition to the 65 rebels killed, these military operations have resulted in the deaths of approximately 68 civilians, including many women and children, in what is widely perceived as deliberate acts of reprisal…The southern region of Algeria, located at the border with Mali and Niger, is strategically important for Algeria due to its geographic position and natural resources. However, local communities, including Tuaregs and others, have long felt marginalized and are demanding autonomy. The Algerian government has deployed military forces to crush separatist movements, triggering a wave of violence targeting not only fighters but also civilians. Sahel Intelligence

Rapidly Urbanising Africa to Have Six Cities with Populations above 10m by 2035
Angola’s capital, Luanda, and Tanzania’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, will join the metropolises of Cairo, Kinshasa, Lagos and Greater Johannesburg with populations of more than 10 million, the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a report on African cities…By 2035, on top of the six megacities, the continent will have 17 urban areas with more than 5 million people and about another 100 with more than 1 million. The continent’s urban population is forecast to reach almost 1 billion by 2035, up from about 650 million last year. East Africa is expected to be the region with the fastest growing urban population, followed by central Africa and west Africa. The Guardian

The Paralympic Table Tennis Love Story
[VIDEO] Nigerian athletes Kayode and Christiana Alabi are set to make history at the Paralympic Games in Paris, as they will become the first African Para couple to compete at the multi-sport event. Their love story began in 2017 when they met during a national camp in Lagos and developed a mutual friendship that has blossomed to career successes. They spoke with BBC Sport Africa on their journey and aspirations at the Paralympics. BBC