Africa Media Review for October 15, 2024

Russia’s Latest Target in Africa: U.S.-Funded Anti-Malaria Programs
Since 2022, Russia has sponsored 80 documented disinformation campaigns in 22 African countries, more than any other actor, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. In these campaigns, paid African influencers and Russian state-controlled media amplify each other, “creating the repetitive echo chambers in which disinformation narratives become rote,” according to the center…Western-backed health initiatives in Africa are one of Russia’s latest targets…The State Department says that African Initiative, a news outlet backed by Russia’s intelligence services, has spun similar accounts, including “disinformation regarding an outbreak of a mosquito-borne viral disease.” News outlets favorable to Russia are increasingly dominating national narratives in West and Central African countries where military juntas have strengthened their cooperation with the Kremlin and silenced independent journalists. The New York Times

Sudan’s Civil War Fueled by Secret Arms Shipments from UAE and Iran
Sudan’s devastating civil war is being fueled in part by weapons secretly supplied to both sides by foreign countries, including munitions and drones from the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to confidential assessments, a State Department funded report and evidence collected from captured weapons in Sudan…This apparent evidence of UAE involvement aligns with the findings of the Sudan Conflict Observatory, a group funded by the U.S. State Department that tracked Emirati flights. In an assessment shared exclusively with The Post ahead of publication on Tuesday, the group said it tracked 32 flights between June 2023 and May 2024 and concluded with “near certainty” that they were weapons transfers from the UAE to the RSF…Since the end of last year, Sudan’s military has also been using foreign-supplied armed drones, in particular those secretly provided by Iran, according to the Observatory’s report. The Washington Post

African Union to Reopen Sudan Liaison Office amid Calls for Ceasefire
The African Union (AU) will reopen its liaison office in Port Sudan, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) said on Monday, as part of efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan. The PSC met on October 9 to discuss the situation in Sudan, where fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged since April 2023…This decision would allow the AU to engage with the Sudanese stakeholders and participate actively in the ongoing efforts to end the war, restore civilian rule, and provide technical support to Sudan…Sudan demanded that the AU lift its suspension of the country’s membership, imposed after the coup of the military component against the civilian transitional government so that it could play a role in efforts to end the war. Egypt, which chairs the PSC, backed Sudan’s request…The PSC urged all stakeholders to cooperate with its ad hoc committee on Sudan, which will hold its first meeting on Oct. 23 in Entebbe, Uganda. Sudan Tribune

Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says
Nearly two million children may die of malnutrition because a product used to treat the condition is in short supply, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday. Four countries — Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — have exhausted their supplies of the peanut-based, high-nutrient product, called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or are on the brink of doing so. Another eight nations, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could run out by mid-2025…Severe acute malnutrition, or wasting, can result from poor nutrition during gestation and in infancy, limited access to safe drinking water, and relentless attacks by multiple infections. The New York Times

Monsoon Havoc Exposes West and Central Africa’s Rising Flood Risks
Over the last few months, heavy rains have flooded every one of Chad’s 23 provinces, burst a dam in northern Nigeria, damaged ancient buildings in Niger’s desert town of Agadez, and killed more than 1,460 people in the countries on the fringes of the Sahara, according to U.N. aid agency OCHA. On one hand they were annual rains flagged up in advance with forecasts of particularly heavy downpours…On the other, some of the inundations were not so predictable. Rains fell further north than usual, flooding desert areas that usually see little rainfall in Chad and elsewhere, exposing gaping holes in infrastructure and official preparedness plans…This season, intense heat over the Sahara and other factors pulled the monsoon belt further north than usual, causing downpours in usually arid desert areas, said Wassila Thiaw, deputy director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Centre. Reuters

Why There’s a Rush of African Satellite Launches
To date, a total of 17 African countries have put more than 60 satellites into orbit and, along with Senegal, both Djibouti and Zimbabwe have also watched their first satellites become operational during the past 12 months. Dozens more African satellites are expected to go into orbit in the coming years. And yet, the continent currently has no space launch facilities of its own…“It’s important for African countries to have their own satellites,” says [Kwaku Sumah, founder and managing director at Spacehubs Africa, a space consultancy]. He argues that it means better control over the technology and easier access to satellite data. This information could help Africans monitor crops, detect threats posed by extreme weather such as floods, or improve telecommunications in remote areas, he adds. BBC

ICC Prosecutor Announces Renewed Probe into Alleged Crimes in Conflict-torn Eastern Congo
The International Criminal Court prosecutor said Monday he is renewing an investigation in Congo and focusing on allegations of crimes committed in the conflict-torn North Kivu province in the central African nation’s east since early 2022. Eastern Congo has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as some carry out mass killings. The result is one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, many beyond the reach of aid…[Prosecutor Karim Khan] said his probe in North Kivu “will not be limited to particular parties or members of specific groups. Rather, my office will examine holistically, independently and impartially the responsibility of all actors” allegedly committing crimes within the court’s jurisdiction. AP

Kenya Says Extra Police Ready for Haiti in Early November
An extra 600 Kenyan police officers set to join a U.N.-backed mission to try to quell rampant gang violence in Haiti will be ready for deployment in early November, Kenya’s police chief said Saturday. President William Ruto had pledged the additional officers Friday following a meeting with Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, as the two leaders appealed for the international community to do more…On Friday, Ruto had urged the international community to “urgently” rally behind the mission, which has been hobbled by a chronic lack of funding…More than 3,600 people have been killed this year in “senseless” gang violence in Haiti, according to the U.N. human rights office. AFP

Kenya Moves 50 Elephants to a Larger Park, Says It’s a Sign Poaching Is Low
Kenya is suffering from a problem, albeit a good one: The elephant population in the 42-square-kilometer (16-square-mile) Mwea National Reserve, east of the capital Nairobi, has flourished from its capacity of 50 to a whopping 156, overwhelming the ecosystem and requiring the relocation of about 100 of the largest land animals. It hosted 49 elephants in 1979. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga, the overpopulation in Mwea highlighted the success of conservation efforts over the last three decades…Experts started relocating 50 elephants last week to the expansive 780-square-kilometer (301-square-mile) Aberdare National Park in central Kenya…Kanga, the wildlife service director, said the relocation also aimed at curbing human-wildlife conflict. AP

They Fled Their Homes to Escape Boko Haram. Now Nigeria Is Resettling Them Back despite Their Fears
[Thousands of Nigerians have been taken back] from displacement camps to their villages, hometowns or newly built settlements known as “host communities” under a resettlement program that analysts say is being rushed to suggest the conflict with the Islamic militants is nearly over. Across Borno, dozens of displacement camps have been shut down, with authorities claiming they are no longer needed and that most places from where the displaced fled are now safe. But many of the displaced say it’s not safe to go back. Boko Haram — Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis — took up arms in 2009 to fight against Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law, or Sharia. The conflict, now Africa’s longest struggle with militancy, has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors. Analysts say that a forced resettlement could endanger the local population as there is still inadequate security across the hard-hit region. AP

Nile Basin Nations Say Water-sharing Accord Has Come into Force Without Egypt’s Backing
A regional partnership of 10 countries says an agreement on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin has come into force despite the notable opposition of Egypt. The legal status of the “cooperative framework” was formally confirmed by the African Union after South Sudan joined the treaty, the Nile Basin Initiative said in a statement Sunday. Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania have ratified the accord. Egypt and Sudan declined to sign, while Congo abstained. Kenya has not yet deposited its ratification documents with the African Union…Measuring 6,695 kilometers (4160 miles), the Nile is the longest river in the world, with one tributary, the White Nile, starting in South Sudan and the other, the Blue Nile, in Ethiopia. AP

Guinea Junta Bans Ministers from Travel Abroad
Guinea’s military junta chief General Mamady Doumbouya has banned ministers from traveling abroad without his permission and recalled all those currently out of the country, his office announced. The statement, issued on Thursday, is effective immediately and until the end of the year, the government’s general secretary said…Senior members of government departments and diplomats are still able to represent the country abroad, he added…The junta initially bowed to international pressure to hand back power to civilian rule by the end of 2024. But it has since admitted it will not fulfill the commitment. AFP

Gang Violence Wrecking South Sudanese Communities
South Sudan, Africa’s youngest state with an estimated population of 12 million, majority of whom are youth, has experienced increasing involvement of youngsters in gambling and gang criminal activities. The group activities have resulted in the loss of lives of many young people and the destruction of properties because of revenge attacks. The majority of the young people involved in gambling and gang attacks were school dropouts during the 2016 violence across the country…Youth gangs have torn at the South Sudanese community’s feelings of safety. Some communities have devised initiatives to promote development and help rehabilitate the deviant youths. Social intervention, youth-serving agencies, schools, street outreach workers, grassroots groups, faith-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, and other criminal justice organizations were all being deployed to rehabilitate the youth. Radio Tamazuj

Senegal Unveils 25-year Economic and Social Development Plan
Senegal’s government unveiled a 25-year development plan on Monday that it said would lay the foundations for economic sovereignty through competitiveness, sustainable resource management and good governance…The first phase of the economic plan, which will cost $30.1 billion and run from 2025-2029, aims to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP throughout that period, down from 4.9%. It will be funded by a mix of public, private, and public-private partnership financing. It is based on an average growth rate of 6.5% and an increase in the average tax burden to 21.7%…Under the new plan, the government aims to increase access to electricity to 100% from 84% and make Senegal energy self-sufficient. The new administration will also modify Senegal’s deficit financing structure in order to reprofile national debt. Reuters

South Africa: Former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni Dies following Short Illness
The Mboweni family issued a statement just after 10pm on Saturday night confirming that Tito Mboweni – ANC stalwart, former finance minister and former governor of the South African Reserve Bank – had died following a short illness…Mboweni (65) had an impressive CV in the new South Africa. He started out as labour minister under former president Nelson Mandela’s reign in 1994. He was the eighth governor of the SA Reserve Bank and the first black governor, serving for 10 years after his appointment in 1999. In 2010, he entered the private sector as an international adviser to Goldman Sachs and held several director positions, including chair of AngloGold Ashanti. In October 2018, he returned to public service as finance minister under President Cyril Ramaphosa and resigned in August 2021. Daily Maverick