Britain to Withdraw Troops from Mali Peacekeeping Force
Britain will pull out its 300 troops from a U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali following similar withdrawals this year by other Western nations, a government minister said on Monday. The early withdrawal comes after France and its military allies began withdrawing thousands of troops from Mali this year as the country’s military junta began collaborating with private contractors belonging to Russia’s Wagner Group. Reuters
World Population Hits 8 Billion, Creating Many Challenges
The world’s population is projected to hit an estimated 8 billion people on Tuesday, according to a United Nations projection, with much of the growth coming from developing nations in Africa. Among them is Nigeria, where resources are already stretched to the limit. More than 15 million people in Lagos compete for everything from electricity to light their homes to spots on crowded buses, often for two-hour commutes each way in this sprawling megacity. Some Nigerian children set off for school as early as 5 a.m. And over the next three decades, the West African nation’s population is expected to soar even more: from 216 million this year to 375 million, the U.N. says. That will make Nigeria the fourth-most populous country in the world after India, China and the United States. AP
Kenyatta Calls on All Parties to Unite and Lay Down Arms in Eastern DRC
During his two-day visit to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta urged the Congolese to lay down arms and nurture a sense of patriotism. The visit came as troops in eastern DRC clashed anew with M23 rebels north of the key eastern city of Goma…Kenyatta is acting as the East African Community’s facilitator on the Peace Process in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The visit takes place against the backdrop of heavy fighting in Kibumba opposing the March 23 Mouvement (M23) rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). RFI
UN Security Council Extends Peacekeeping Mission in CAR
The UN Security Council voted on Monday to extend for another year the UN Peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. The vote was 12 in favour with three abstentions, namely those of Russia, China and Gabon. The French-drafted resolution maintains the robust mandate of the 17,500 peacekeeping mission, focusing on protecting civilians, whilst encouraging President Faustin-Archange Touadera and his government to promote lasting peace and stability through a reinvigorated political and peace process. Intercommunal fighting has raged in the mineral-rich but impoverished Central African Republic since 2013. Africanews
Egypt: Alaa Abd el-Fattah Has Broken Hunger Strike, Sister Says
The family of Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah have said that he has broken his hunger strike, according to a letter posted on Twitter by his sister Sanaa Seif. “I’ve broken my strike. I’ll explain everything on Thursday,” the letter dated Monday said, according to the tweet…Abd el-Fattah, Egypt’s highest-profile political prisoner, had been on a partial hunger strike of 100 calories a day since April. In the buildup to the Cop27 climate conference he had reduced this to zero, and on the opening day of the conference stopped drinking water as well. Last week it was reported that a “medical intervention” had taken place, and a letter to his family dated Saturday said he had started drinking water again. Guardian
COP27: What to Expect as Conference Enters Second Week
COP started last week with the world leaders summit on Monday and Tuesday. After two days of roundtables and country statements, more than 100 heads of state raised their voice by pledging commitments to support the world’s vulnerable communities…Monday ushered in new rounds of negotiations by country negotiators in a bid to finalise a workable communique that would shape climate actions before the next COP in 2023. Premium Times Nigeria
African Nations Demand More Money for Removing Emissions
African nations want to increase how much money they receive from schemes that offset greenhouse gas emissions and are looking for ways to address the issue at U.N. climate talks currently underway in Egypt…A study released at the U.N. summit on Saturday by the Africa Climate Policy Centre found that the continent stands a chance of limiting global warming to temperatures set in the Paris agreement if the price of a carbon credit is pegged at $120 per ton of carbon. That would rake in about $82 billion a year, the report found. AP
The UN Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) said on Monday that it was probing allegations that COP27 host Egypt was “monitoring” participants. Berlin had complained about the purported monitoring taking place at its pavilion to the Egyptian government. The German Foreign Ministry said it expected “all participants in the UN climate conference to be able to work and negotiate under safe conditions.” Cairo has rejected the accusations. DW
Expanding oil and gas exports would threaten the economic stability of many African countries, new analysis has found, despite soaring fossil fuel prices. Demand for fossil fuels is likely to fall sharply in the medium term, according to a report published on Monday by the Carbon Tracker thinktank. That makes relying on gas exports to fuel economic growth a short-term, risky strategy, while boosting solar power would prove a better long-term bet, the analysis found…The future of Africa’s vast gas reserves is a major topic at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt, now in its second week. Guardian
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has slammed Western countries over what he calls a “reprehensible double standard” in their response to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a Twitter post on Sunday, Museveni singled out Germany for demolishing wind turbines to allow for the expansion of a coal-fueled power plant as Europe battles an energy crisis triggered by the Russia/Ukraine war. CNN
Killings Raise Gender Violence Concerns in Zimbabwe
For gender rights activists, the Mohadi case was time for the country to reckon with violence against women, not just on the domestic front but also in politics, where women have been targets of brutal assaults be it in intraparty jockeying for positions or national elections. Some researchers have blamed violence against women as one of former president Robert Mugabe’s lasting legacies. He is widely blamed for presiding over the country’s political and economic decline, said by researchers to have provided tinder for gender-based violence. Mail & Guardian
The speech, held in front of a crowd of soldiers at the El Markhiyat base in Omdurman, follows a statement published on Thursday by leading members of the AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism about negotiations between the mainstream FFC and Sudan’s military junta on a new constitutional framework. The trilateral mechanism statement said “we now have a workable document upon which further consensus can be built,” explaining that they will facilitate a new set of negotiation meetings. In his speech, El Burhan said that the SAF has received the new constitutional framework document. “It is true that there has been a document presented to us in reference to the new proposed transitional constitution. We sent in our comments, which are to preserve the army’s dignity, unity and independence, and that we will not allow anyone to tamper with the armed forces or interfere with them.” El Burhan affirmed the military’s adherence to civilian authority that would be guarded by the army, and added, addressing the soldiers. Dabanga