Africa Media Review for August 8, 2024

Sudan: Over a Dozen More Areas at Risk of Famine as Fighting Impedes Aid
With famine confirmed in the Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan’s North Darfur, there are growing concerns that similar crises may be unfolding in other nearby camps…In an exclusive interview with UN News, Leni Kinzli, Head of Communications at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan, told Abdelmonem Makki that as many as 13 other areas across the war-ravaged country are also at risk of famine. These are areas with active conflicts such as in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum, which are worsening by the day and making assessments very difficult, she said. “Access to the camps that are inside El Fasher, where fighting continues to intensify day by day between the paramilitary RSF and the SAF, make it extremely difficult to access,” she added…She said that some 90,000 are facing catastrophic levels of hunger in the capital Khartoum, which just 18 months ago was bustling city without concerns over food security. “Now there are areas in Khartoum where we are hearing that people are just surviving on mixing whatever kind of cereals they have with water and drinking that once per day to survive.” UN News

Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and appointed Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement late on Wednesday. Hachani was named as Tunisia’s prime minister in August last year. A few hours before he was dismissed, Hachani said in a video message that the government had made progress on a number of issues despite global challenges, including securing the country’s food and energy needs. The dismissal comes amid popular discontent with the recurring water and electricity outage crisis in many parts of the country. Reuters

Algeria Arrests Dozens over Alleged Election Fraud Ahead of September Poll
Three rejected presidential candidates were placed under “judicial supervision” by a court in Algiers, while another 68 people, including elected officials, were temporarily detained as part of an investigation into electoral fraud…The arrested people are suspected of being involved in “signature sales” for the upcoming presidential election set for 7 September. The three candidates placed under judicial supervision were named as businesswoman Saida Neghza, former minister Belkacem Sahli, and a relatively unknown hopeful named Abdelhakim Hamadi. While they are not under arrest, they will be required to regularly check in with the authorities until after the investigation is concluded…To qualify to appear on the ballot candidates are required to present a list of at least 50,000 individual signatures from registered voters or from 600 members from at least 29 of Algeria’s provincial assemblies…The increase in arrests looks like an attempt at “neutralising the opposition”, as Emmanuel Alcaraz, associate professor of history and researcher on Algeria at the Mesopolhis research laboratory in Aix-en-Provence, told RFI. “It weaponises justice to get rid of opponents,” he added, “in a political system which is very closed, in Algeria, where the army has the power and where you have a civilian facade.” RFI

Comoros President Grants Sweeping New Powers to His Son
Comoros President Azali Assoumani has granted sweeping new powers to his son, Nour El Fath, allowing him to intervene at all stages of government decision making, after putting him in charge of coordinating government affairs last month. Assoumani, 65, whose re-election in January was tainted by allegations of voter fraud, has been accused by opponents in the Indian Ocean nation of preparing his son to replace him when his term ends in 2029. He has not commented on the allegations…In his role, El Fath’s powers will include evaluating ministers and intervening at all stages of the execution of government decisions, according to a presidential decree published on Tuesday…Constitutional reforms in 2018 extended a requirement that the presidency rotate among the three main islands from every five years to 10. El Fath would therefore not be eligible to replace his father at the end of the presidential term in 2029 unless the constitution were changed again. Reuters

Egypt Debuts in New Somalia Peacekeeping Force
Less than four months to the expiry of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) mandate, the continental body’s Peace and Security Council has endorsed the plan for the creation and deployment of a new force, to be known as the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom). The AU-led post-Atmis force, whose size, scope and mission duration are still undecided, is expected to mobilise troops from several willing countries, deploy and start operations on January 1, 2025, mainly protecting the Somali civilian population from al-Shabaab attacks. In a communique dated August 1, 2024, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) in its 1225th sitting, said it had adopted the strategic Concept of Operations (Conops) for Aussom, submitted by the Commission after extensive consultations with Atmis, the Government of Somalia, the United Nations and other international partners. The PSC communique indicates that Egypt will debut troops deployment in Somalia, joining ranks with regional countries such as Uganda, which has had troops in the Horn of Africa nation since 2007, and has already signalled intent to be part of the new force. The other current troop-contributing country that will deploy under Aussom is Djibouti. The EastAfrican

Prominent Chadian Journalist Arrested, Association Says
Chadian police have arrested the editor-in-chief of a major Chadian news website, a group of online media outlets said late on Wednesday, a week after the suspension of his website was lifted. Badour Oumar Ali, editor of TchadInfos.com, was summoned by judicial police and taken away by “armed and hooded men” upon arrival in an unmarked vehicle to the national security agency, the Chad Online Media Association (AMET) said in a statement…TchadInfos.com, a leading private news outlet in the central African country, was suspended for several days in late July. It was reinstated on Aug. 1. In a separate case that has also spurred concerns about freedom of speech and human rights under President Mahamat Idriss Deby, a priest known for his anti-government sermons in church was arrested on Monday in his parish. Opposition leader Succes Masra referred to the priest’s arrest as a “kidnapping.” The priest, who had been close to the late opposition leader Yaya Dillo, was released on Tuesday. Reuters

South Sudan: Wau Journalists Train on Election Reporting
The Union of Journalists in South Sudan (UJOSS) in partnership with UNESCO on Tuesday commenced a two-day electoral reporting training for over 30 journalists in Wau, Western Bahr el-Ghazal State. The training [focused] on the National Elections Act and the Bill of Rights as provided by the Transitional Constitution 2011 as amended (24,32), also brought together civil society activists. It [also focused] on the Media Authority Act 2013, the Right to Access Information Act 2013, the regional and international legal instruments and democracy and the media. Addressing the opening, UJOSS Vice-President Ajak Ater emphasized the need for equipping the participants with the skills and knowledge to report on the upcoming elections and hold those in power accountable. Radio Tamazuj

Let’s Unite to Combat the Proliferation of False Information – The Ghana Report Chief Executive Rashida Saani
The maiden edition of The Ghana Report Summit concluded successfully, with a clarion call by the convenor, Rashida Saani, to eradicate all forms of false information from Ghana’s media landscape…She outlined her vision of transforming Ghana’s media landscape with nationwide training workshops for journalists designed to empower practitioners with the tools and knowledge needed to identify, combat, and prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation…Madam Rashida Saani further outlined partnerships with technology giants in the quest to combat misinformation. The objective is to create tools deployed using artificial intelligence to analyze patterns and identify potential fake news to swiftly deal with the spread of false news. The Ghana Report is also actively engaging with social media platforms to ensure that they take responsibility for the content shared on their sites. The media giant is also advocating for stronger policies and measures to curb the dissemination of false information online to create a safer and more reliable digital environment for all Ghanaians. The Ghana Report

Race for AUC Job an All-men Contest
No woman is seeking the AU Commission Chairperson’s position, come 2025. The final shortlist to be tabled before a Panel of Experts for vetting is an all-male contest, meaning the next deputy chairperson will be female from Northern Africa. The candidates are Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and Richard James Randriamandrato, a former Madagascar Foreign Minister…Under the AU’s new rotational system, the Chairperson’s seat will only be contested by countries in the Eastern region, while the deputy will go to the North. The chairperson and deputy cannot be of the same gender. The EastAfrican

Zimbabwe Faces Worsening Food Crisis Due to El Niño Droughts
A new report from the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reveals that food insecurity levels in Zimbabwe are rapidly deteriorating after it was hit with historic droughts due to the El Niño weather pattern…This comes just two months after UN humanitarians declared Zimbabwe as one of the hunger hotspots where acute food insecurity was likely to deteriorate. The storm destroyed more than half of the country’s harvest, leaving about 7.6 million people at risk of acute hunger. El Niño is a regular and naturally occurring weather event which affects the air temperatures around the sea and coastal landmasses. The climate crisis in recent years has led to more frequent and intense patterns…The El Niño-induced droughts have reportedly put a strain on Zimbabwe’s economy, leaving more than a fifth of children out of school and a lack of water supplies in the country. UN News

UN Health Agency Convening Experts to Determine if the Mpox Outbreak in Africa Is a Global Emergency
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday he will convene an expert group to determine if the increasing spread of the mpox virus in Africa warrants being declared a global emergency. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that given the increasing spread of mpox cases beyond Congo, he has decided to ask independent experts to advise WHO “as soon as possible.” Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 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. Compared with the same time period last year, the agency said cases are up 160% and deaths have jumped by 19%. Officials at the Africa CDC said nearly 70% of cases in Congo are in children younger than 15, who also accounted for 85% of deaths. AP

EU Creates €32 Million Fund to Boost Drug and Vaccine Production in Ghana
The European Union (EU) has announced a 32 million euro initiative aimed at enhancing vaccine production in Ghana. The announcement was made during the Ghana-EU Business Forum held in Accra. The initiative, known as the Special Measure on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+), is designed to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare sector by improving access to high-quality health products, particularly vaccines…Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, presidential advisor on health for Ghana, highlighted the government’s collaboration with the EU to realize President Nana Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Ghana a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing. RFI with AFP

How War Has Hurt Ethiopia’S Olympic Hopes
Tigray, the East African nation’s northernmost state, has always been a vital part of Ethiopian athletics, with a third of the country’s track team currently competing in the French capital hailing from the region…The fighting may have ended more than 20 months ago but the emotional and physical impact of the Tigray war, which caused famine-like conditions, is still clear across the region. Like every part of life, sport was affected, with $1.7m (£1.35m) worth of damage estimated to have been done to training facilities. The head of the state’s athletics body says the conflict has claimed the lives of around 100 athletes, coaches and administrators…Maychew’s track has helped produce Olympic medal winners for Ethiopia, stars like Gudaf Tsegay, who took bronze in the 5,000m at the 2020 Tokyo Games and is the reigning 10,000m world champion. Tigray’s next generation of athletes are back training in Maychew, despite the dilapidated condition of some of the facilities. BBC

Africa Hosts ‘Olympics of Astronomy’ for the First Time
The International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly — held every four years and so, inevitably, known as the Olympics of astronomy — is being hosted in Africa for the first time. The 32nd meeting of the world’s top space researchers started in Cape Town Monday. South Africa and several other southern African nations, alongside Australia, will be home to the world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometer Array, the first stage of which is set for completion in 2027. That, as well as the continent’s growing scientific prowess, led to the decision to host the assembly there. Semafor