ECOWAS at 50: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities
As the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Her Excellency Damtien Tchintchibidja, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, revisits some of the organization’s major achievements. This includes investments in the region’s energy supply, food security, and human capital development that have strengthened member states and contributed to the region’s economic growth. ECOWAS initiatives like these are enhancing resiliency to violent extremism, transnational organized crime, ongoing economic shocks from the pandemic, and a growing youth bulge. In the face of West Africa’s challenges, Vice-President Tchintchibidja sees the region’s peace, security, and prosperity as tied to a more deeply integrated ECOWAS. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
In Sudan, Al-Naw Hospital Is on the Front Line of the Civil War
Al-Naw University Hospital is one of the few remaining public facilities in Omdurman, the city that borders Khartoum to the northwest of the Nile. Two stories high and with a capacity of around 200 beds, it is far from being a first-rate hospital. However, it has been on the front line since the start of the war on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – the regular army – and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia…Only 20% to 30% of the country’s hospital structures are operational. More than 80 facilities have been targeted, bombed or assaulted by soldiers. Dozens more have been looted. Le Monde
Russia Vetoes UN Cease-fire Resolution for Sudan
Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution Monday calling for an immediate cease-fire between Sudan’s warring parties and the delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of Sudanese. Russia was the only Security Council member that voted against the cease-fire resolution. China, Russia’s ally, supported the resolution, drafted by the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone. Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council that Moscow vetoed the resolution because Sudan’s government should be “solely” responsible for what happens in Sudan. VOA with AP and Reuters
Central African Republic Applauds Extension of Peacekeepers’ Mandate
Political parties and civil society groups in the Central African Republic are welcoming the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, or MINUSCA. Civil society groups say the U.N. peacekeeping troops will protect civilians from rebels during parliamentary and local elections that have now been rescheduled for April 6…Last week, the U.N. Security Council extended the MINUSCA mandate through November 15, 2025…MINUSCA said it had developed what it called an integrated security plan with C.A.R military and police to ensure the safety of election officials, civilians and material during the April 6 polls and to lay the groundwork for presidential elections the next year. VOA
The United Nations Must Remain the Centerpiece of Multilateralism,’ Says Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has used the G20 Leaders’ Summit to call for respect for the United Nations Charter. Addressing world leaders on Monday night, Ramaphosa said: “The principle of self-determination is also enshrined in the Charter…He said: The world faces many challenges that pose a danger to global peace and justice. They pose a danger to the very existence of this very precious planet that we share. These challenges include soaring global temperatures, rising inequality between nations and people, and escalating geopolitical tensions in areas such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, among others. To address these challenges, Ramaphosa said the world needs more robust multilateralism and a renewed commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. News24
Opposition Leader Wins Somaliland Presidential Contest
The Somaliland electoral commission announced Tuesday that opposition leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” defeated incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi for the presidency of the breakaway region located on the Horn of Africa. Independent observers described the election as peaceful. Irro, candidate for the Waddani (National) party captured 63.92% of the vote, compared with Bihi’s 34.81%. A third candidate, Faysal Ali Warabe, received 0.74% of the votes. The election was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 but was delayed due to political differences. Bihi, who defeated Irro in the last election in 2017, promised during the campaign that he would respect the results of the election. VOA
Mauritius’ New Prime Minister Announces Audit of Public Finances
The new prime minister of Mauritius has announced an audit of the public finances days after his coalition won a resounding election victory, casting a shadow over the accuracy of previous government data. Navin Ramgoolam’s opposition Alliance du Changement coalition won a landslide in the Nov. 10 ballot, giving him a fourth stint as prime minister. The 77-year-old premier said in a speech on Sunday that his government would conduct “an audit of the state, of the economy, and public finances” and that they would publish all the results…Transforming itself from a low-income, sugarcane-dependent nation in the 1960s to an upper-middle-income country, Mauritius has been consistently ranked the easiest place to do business in Africa by the World Bank. Reuters
Liberia’s Legislative Impasse that Risks Paralysing Boakai’s Government
Members of Liberia’s House of Representatives are at loggerheads over bids by the majority to remove Jonathan Fonati Koffa, the speaker since January, who is accused of gross corruption and financial mismanagement. The impasse is increasingly causing unease within the government of President Joseph Boakai…In October, Boakai submitted his budget for the next fiscal year to Koffa as the House also holds the exclusive right to introduce revenue bills to the legislature. The president’s attempt was met with resistance from the “majority bloc”, comprising of ruling Unity Party legislators and some “rebels” from the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) of ex-president George Weah…Information minister Jerolinmek Mathew Piah stated on state radio this week that the delay in the budget process caused by the legislative impasse threatens to stall critical government functions. The Africa Report
Combatting Disinformation Ahead of Ghana’s December Elections
[D]emocracy watchdogs have noted a dangerous rise in disinformation ahead of the December 7, 2024 election…During the 2020 election [in Ghana], fake news and misinformation contributed to unrest, with at least eight deaths linked to political violence. This year, technology and political experts are concerned that AI cloning technologies could worsen the situation…According to the news website MyJoyOnline, on November 9, a coalition of civil society organizations known as the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition launched a major initiative to combat misinformation and disinformation that threaten the country’s democratic integrity. This initiative brings together over 100 media outlets and nearly 50 journalists across Ghana, who will help verify and distribute fact-checked reports to communities nationwide. To reach diverse audiences, the reports will be available in approximately 45 local languages. Global Voices
South Africa’s Wits Unveils Pan-African AI Center
South Africa’s Wits University is set to unveil its first dedicated artificial intelligence institute this week to help drive the technology’s development across the continent. It comes amid growing concerns that AI may widen the existing digital divide between wealthy countries and poorer nations. Known as the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute, the program aims to publish impactful research, develop talent, and help to foster innovative applications of AI. Its remit includes informing policy-making on the governance and ethics of AI in Africa…Wits is also working with other African universities to develop a pan-African MIND fellowship to launch in 2025…The institute will be inaugurated on Nov. 19, starting with a cohort of 34 research fellows selected in October. Semafor
Migrant Rights Advocate Held in Tunisia under Anti-terrorist Investigation
Tunisian anti-terrorist investigators are handling the case of a leading advocate for migrants who has been taken into custody, in what the head of a rights group said was a troubling first for the country. Abdallah Said, a Tunisian of Chadian origin, was questioned along with the secretary general and treasurer of his association, Enfants de la Lune, said Romdhane Ben Amor, the spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights…In May the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, lashed out at organisations that defended the rights of migrants, calling their leaders “traitors and mercenaries”…Ben Amor said this was the first time authorities had used anti-terrorist investigators against associations specialising in migration issues. The arrest was “a dangerous signal” and part of “a new wave of even tougher repression” against migration activists after a crackdown in May, he said. The Guardian with AFP and AP
How African Seeds Can Solve Tomorrow’s Hunger Games
Contributions of seeds from Chad and Nigeria are among 30,000 specimens recently transported to Norway and deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It is the latest collection of seeds from the Africa that will safeguard against food insecurity, says the Crop Trust, an international non-profit dedicated to helping farmers. In the last century, more than 75% of crop diversity has been lost; a third of today’s diversity could be gone by 2050, when the global population is estimated to reach nearly 10 billion people…In Kenya, scientists and technicians are working together on a national level. At KALRO seed cold-storage facility and genetic research institute in Muguga South, 28km from Nairobi, in Kiambu County, work on seeds is being carried out in four departments: exploration and cultivation, seed technology, regermination, and information management and documentation. The Africa Report
Urban Mosquito Sparks Malaria Surge in East Africa
The spread of a mosquito in East Africa that thrives in urban areas and is immune to insecticide is fueling a surge in malaria that could reverse decades of progress against the disease, experts say…Anopheles stephensi is native to parts of South Asia and the Middle East but was spotted for the first time in the tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti in 2012. Djibouti had all but eradicated malaria only to see it make a slow but steady return over the following years, hitting more than 70,000 cases in 2020…Unlike other species which are seasonal and prefer rural areas, stephensi thrives year-round in urban settings, breeding in man-made water storage tanks, roof gutters or even air conditioning units. It appears to be highly resistant to insecticides, and bites earlier in the evening than other carriers. VOA