UN Reports “Shocking” Rise in Violations against Children in Sudan
The number of children killed, injured or facing other grave violations in Sudan increased to a record high in 2023 as a devastating conflict paralyzed the country, the United Nations Secretary General said in a report calling for urgent global action to tackle the escalating crisis. The report, submitted to Security Council on the situation of children and armed conflict in the Sudan covers the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023. It mainly documents the effects of conflict on children in the Sudan, highlighting trends and patterns of grave violations such as recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, attacks on schools, hospitals and protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals, abduction of children and the denial of humanitarian access. According to the UN report, at least 1,721 grave violations against occurred against children in 2023, a significant rise from the 306 cases recorded in 2022. Also documented in the annual report on children and armed conflict, included over 480 children killed, 764 maimed, and over 200 recruited into the conflict. At least 114 girls, the report noted, were also raped or subject to sexual violence. Sudan Tribune
As Starvation Spreads in Sudan, Military Blocks Aid Trucks at Border
As Sudan hurtles toward famine, its military is blocking the United Nations from bringing enormous amounts of food into the country through a vital border crossing, effectively cutting off aid to hundreds of thousands of starving people during the depths of a civil war…Refugees fleeing Darfur now say that hunger, not conflict, is the main reason they left. The Sudanese military imposed the edict at the crossing five months ago, supposedly to prohibit weapons smuggling…The military doesn’t even control the crossing at Adré, where R.S.F. fighters stand 100 yards behind the border on the Sudanese side. Even so, the U.N. says it must respect the order not to cross from the military, which is based in Port Sudan 1,000 miles to the east, because it is Sudan’s sovereign authority. Instead U.N. trucks are forced to make an arduous 200-mile detour north to Tine, at a crossing controlled by a militia allied with Sudan’s army, where they are allowed to enter Darfur. The diversion is dangerous, expensive and takes up to five times as long as going through Adré…Between February, when the Adré border crossing was shut, and June, the number of people facing emergency levels of hunger went from 1.7 million to seven million. The New York Times
Satellite Images and Doctor Testimony Reveal Tigray Hunger Crisis
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the north of Ethiopia, driven by drought, crop failure and continued insecurity in the aftermath of a brutal war. With local officials warning that more than two million people are now at risk of starvation, the BBC has gained exclusive access to some of the worst affected areas in Tigray province, and analysed satellite imagery to reveal the full scale of the emergency the region now faces. The month of July is a critical period for food security, when farmers need to plant crops to take advantage of the seasonal rains. The satellite images we have identified show that reservoirs, and the farmlands they help irrigate, have dried up because the rains failed last year. They now need to be replenished by seasonal rains if farmers are to stand any hope of a successful season later in the year. BBC
Africa to Overtake Asia with Highest Number of Hungry People by 2030, Says UN
Africa will overtake Asia as the continent with the highest number of people experiencing hunger in the world by 2030, the UN has predicted. In its annual state of food security and nutrition report, five UN agencies said there was a “clear trend” of rising prevalence of undernourishment in Africa. Africa already has the largest proportion of people who do not have enough nutritious food to eat (20.4%) but Asia is home to more than half the world’s hungry people. In 2023, 384.5 million people in Asia were facing hunger, compared with 298.4 million in Africa…Asia had a bigger focus on local production, diversification of crops, the use of fertilisers and more public investment than in Africa, Lario added. The report, published on Wednesday, said that if current trends continue, almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with 53% living in Africa. The figure will resemble those seen in 2015, said the report, marking a concerning stagnation in progress. The Guardian
President Ramaphosa Appoints ‘Trailblazer’ Mandisa Maya as SA’S First Female Chief Justice
Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya will take over as Chief Justice from 1 September, becoming the first woman to fill the position. She will succeed the current Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo, as the most senior judge of the Constitutional Court and head of the judiciary of South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment on Thursday, following consultation with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly…Maya has extensive experience as a member of the judiciary. According to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, she sat in various divisions of the high court and the labour court before advancing to the appellate court, and has acted as a judge in the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Supreme Court of Namibia and the Appeal Court of Lesotho. She is the vice-president of the International Association of Women Judges. Daily Maverick
South Africa’s DA Party Takes ANC to Court in Sign of Friction between New Coalition Partners
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance took the African National Congress, the party it co-governs the country with, to court Thursday over a preelection speech in May given by President Cyril Ramaphosa. It’s an early sign of friction between the new coalition partners. The court papers were submitted to the Electoral Court by the DA in May before it entered into a coalition with the ANC, but it decided to still go ahead with the case. The DA asked the court to deduct 1% of the vote received by the ANC in the May 29 national election and fine Ramaphosa, the ANC leader, $10,900 and his party $5,450, over what it argues was a presidential address that was used for election campaigning and amounted to an abuse of office…Ramaphosa gave the speech three days before the election in his capacity as head of state, but used parts of it to highlight what he said were ANC successes during its 30-year rule as South Africa’s governing party. The DA said that election rules don’t allow him to engage in party politics and campaign for the ANC when he speaks as the president. AP
95 Libyan Nationals Arrested in South Africa at Suspected Secret Military Training Camp
South African police arrested 95 Libyan nationals in a raid on a suspected secret military training camp on Friday and authorities said they were investigating whether there were more illegal bases in other parts of the country. The camp was discovered at a farm in White River in the Mpumalanga province, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Johannesburg, police said. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said in a post on the social media site X that the Libyans stated they had entered the country on study visas to train as security guards, but police investigations suggest they have received military training…Local government official Jackie Macie said investigations were ongoing and the owner of the farm would be questioned. He said authorities received information that there were similar secret camps near two other towns in Mpumalanga province. The province borders neighboring countries Mozambique and Swaziland and is an area of concern for South African authorities with regards to illegal immigration. AP
Instagram Removes 63,000 Sextortion Accounts in Nigeria
Instagram owner Meta says it has removed thousands of accounts in Nigeria that were trying to target people in sextortion schemes. Such scammers typically pose as young women online to trick people into sending sexually explicit material before blackmailing them. Victims of sextortion crimes have taken their own lives due to the stress, stigma and shame felt after being scammed. Meta said in a blogpost on Wednesday it had removed about 63,000 accounts that tried to engage with the scams. The company said it also took down 5,700 Facebook groups in which scammers were offering tips on how to scam people…Meta said on Wednesday that the accounts it disrupted and removed for engaging in sextortion attempts had links to a wider, informal network of cybercriminals operating in Nigeria, known as “Yahoo Boys”. The fraudsters are included on the tech giant’s list of dangerous organisations and individuals that are banned from using its platforms to carry out their activities. BBC
Nigeria Military Warns It Will Intervene to Stop Violence at Looming Protests
Nigeria’s military will intervene to prevent any violence at protests by citizens planned for next month against bad governance and economic hardship, defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said on Thursday. Buba said Nigerians had a right to protest peacefully but the demonstrations being planned from Aug. 1 could turn violent as they were inspired by events in Kenya, where young people took to the streets and forced their government to scrap $2.7 billion in tax hikes…Nigeria’s military was last deployed to quell protests in October 2020, which led to bloodshed. Reuters
US Issues Sanctions on Rebel Group Alliance over Conflict in DRC
The United States on Thursday will impose sanctions on a coalition of rebel groups it accused of seeking to overthrow the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and fuelling conflict, according to a statement seen by Reuters. The sanctions…target the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement was a political-military coalition launched in December. It said the principal member of the alliance was the M23 movement, which is already under U.S. sanctions…Washington also imposed sanctions on Corneille Nangaa, a former Congo election commission chief accused of undermining of elections in the country, whom Washington originally targeted with sanctions in 2019. The Treasury on Thursday said Nangaa was being hit with sanctions again for acting as a leader of the Congo River Alliance, which it said he launched alongside the leaders of M23. Reuters
South Sudan: Machar Reaffirms Exiting Nairobi Peace Talks
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has reaffirmed its decision to abstain from the ongoing peace negotiations in Nairobi until fundamental concerns are addressed. Last week, the SPLM-IO Political Bureau met in Juba and unanimously decided to withdraw from the Kenyan-mediated talks. The party expressed dissatisfaction with the protocols recently reached by the parties negotiating at the Tumaini Initiative. It accused the Initiative of diverting from its original purpose, especially the creation of the proposed National Leadership Council (NLC), which the SPLM-IO argues would yield unchecked power, potentially surpassing constitutional bodies such as the Presidency, the Council of Ministers, the National Legislature, and the National Security Council…On Monday, the government’s delegation to the Tumaini Initiative briefed Machar on the progress and persuaded him to return to the table. According to Machar’s office, the meeting concluded with an agreement to elevate SPLM-IO’s concerns to the Presidency level for guidance. Radio Tamazuj
Shooting of Broadcasting Regulator Boss Shocks Zambians
Police are investigating the abduction and murder of Zambia’s newly appointed broadcasting regulator chief. Guntila Muleya’s body was discovered on the outskirts of the capital, Lusaka, on Wednesday with gunshot wounds. His death has shocked people especially as the motive is unknown and as gun violence is not common in the southern African nation. Police believe the director general of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was kidnapped after leaving work on Tuesday. The IBA is responsible for licensing, standards and enforcing compliance. BBC