UN Security Council Calls for an End of Violence in Sudan
On Wednesday afternoon, the UN Security Council discussed the current humanitarian crisis in Sudan, More than 16 months of war. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee said, “The current wave of fighting marks the latest chapter of violence in El Fasher and occurs amidst a months-long siege and attack on the city at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces.” Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee also said, “this has caused appalling levels of suffering for the civilian population, including famine conditions in Zamzam camp south of El Fasher, among other locations.” … The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields, wrecking civilian infrastructure and an already battered health care system. Without the basics, many hospitals and medical facilities have closed their doors. The country, which has gone through the shocks of civil war and climate change is in need of humanitarian aid with an estimated 9 million people — 73% of the country’s population — projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance during 2024, according to the 2024 UN Humanitarian Needs Overview for South Sudan. AfricaNews
Severe Floods Continue to Hit Northeastern Nigeria, Death Toll Climbs Nationwide
Severe floods on Wednesday (Sep. 18) continued to ravage northeastern Nigeria, impacting more than 400,000 people, according to the United Nations. In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state about 15% of the city is under water. The flooding has worsened the humanitarian crisis in the region, where armed violence has already displaced millions. … Earlier this month, flooding killed 30 people in the state after the collapse of a major dam. The consequences of floods have killed 269 in the nation, according to a toll published on Sep. 15 by the National Emergency Management Agency. Floods have also devastated crops, and livestock. “It’s an absolute tragedy for this local people who had their homes wiped out,” said David Stephenson, World Food Programme representative. Stephenson added that the flooding has presented yet another challenge for internally displaced people in the region, many who have already been made vulnerable by the violence in the region. AfricaNews/AP
UN Ready to Support Transition Process in South Sudan: Haysom
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Nicholas Haysom said the United Nations stands ready to support the transitional process in South Sudan. Haysom who was addressing the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) Extraordinary Plenary said the support would be done in collaboration with its partners like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU). He, however, said the UN remains disappointed at it endorses the new transition period. “It is sadly evident that the country is not ready for elections that we could confidently expect to generate a credible and peaceful outcome, thereby necessitating this extension proposal consideration,” said Haysom. … Last week, South Sudan’s parties to the 2018 peace agreement extended the current transitional period by another two years. The extension implies election initially scheduled for December 22, 2024 will not take place. In August 2022, peace parties signed a two-year extension of the transitional government, citing the need to implement critical tasks in the 2018 peace agreement. Sudan Tribune
Opposition Vows It Won’t Tolerate Election Fraud as Mozambique Prepares for 4-way Race
Mozambique’s FRELIMO is counting on a relatively young candidate to inspire, an independent has set his sights on a surprise, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) is hopeful, and RENAMO does not intend to remain in opposition forever. That is the four-way race for the top job as Mozambique heads for presidential and legislative elections on 9 October. … [RENAMO’s] leader, Ossufo Momade (63) … will stand against independent candidate Venancio Mondlane (50), the MDM’s Lutero Simango (64), and FRELIMO’s Daniel Chapo who, at 47, was born two years after independence from Portugal. Momande said the opposition would not tolerate voter fraud this time around. “When we go to the elections, they (Frelimo) provoke frauds, and this time, in this year of 2024, if they provoke fraud, if they are not going to agree with me, they will have to agree with the Mozambican population.” … Mondlane is a former FRELIMO member. He broke ranks with the party when he failed to win in its succession battles. Now his main rallying point is to end corruption in the country and to negotiate better deals with international investors. News24
Gambia Cleared to Send Peacekeepers to Sierra Leone
Gambian MPs have voted affirmatively for the sending of peacekeeping troops to Sierra Leone to protect a shaky peace after recent upheavals in the country. Deputies on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly for a motion to contribute troops to a West African peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone where tension still prevails following an abortive coup almost a year ago which former president Ernest Bai Koroma was accused of orchestrating. Koroma who was charged with treason over the bloody coup attempt, has been in exile in Nigeria since he was allowed to leave the country on health grounds. Gambian vice president Momodou Jallow was in the national assembly onTuesday to defend and seek support for a government motion to contribute a motorized infantry to Ecowas’s stabilisation drive which the regional organisation will be funding in full, including troop allowances. Ecowas has resolved to establish a peeacekeeping in Sierra Leone to prevent a repeat of a devastating 11-year civil war which rocked the country between 1991 and 2002. APA
The Brutal Truth behind Italy’s Migrant Reduction: Beatings and Rape by EU-funded Forces in Tunisia
[…] “We’ve had so many cases of violent rape and torture by the police,” she says. Marie, from the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan, knows others who describe rape by Tunisia’s national guard. “We’re being raped in large numbers; they [the national guard] take everything from us.” After the attack, Marie headed to a makeshift camp in olive groves near El Amra, a town north of Sfax. Migration experts say that tens of thousands of sub-Saharan refugees and migrants, encircled by police, are now living here. Conditions are described as “horrific”. Humanitarian organisations, aid agencies, even the UN, are unable to access the camp. … Her account – along with further testimony gathered by the Guardian – indicates that the EU is funding security forces committing widespread sexual violence against vulnerable women, the most egregious allegations yet to taint last year’s contentious agreement between Brussels and Tunis to prevent migrants reaching Europe. … Senior Brussels sources admit the EU is “aware” of the abuse allegations engulfing Tunisia’s security forces but is turning a blind eye in its desperation, led by Italy, to outsource Europe’s southern border to Africa. The Guardian
Senegal Establishes Conditions for Upcoming Legislative Elections
The decree announcing the election date, issued on September 13, confirms that these elections are taking place following the dissolution of the National Assembly in accordance with Article 87 of the Senegalese Constitution. The published document emphasizes that the legal framework for this dissolution adheres to constitutional guidelines, particularly regarding the timeframe for organizing the elections. Article 87 mandates that early elections be conducted between 60 and 90 days after the dissolution. The second decree released on the same day introduces significant updates to the electoral process to accommodate the early elections. Voting hours are set from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, although the Governor, Prefect, or Sub-Prefect may alter these hours if deemed necessary. … The allocation of seats will follow the first-past-the-post system, similar to the structure used in the last legislative elections held on July 31, 2022. These measures aim to facilitate the swift organization of the elections while ensuring the integrity of the electoral process remains intact. APA
A Gold Mining Town in Congo Has Become an Mpox Hot Spot as a New Strain Spreads
Slumped on the ground over a mound of dirt, Divine Wisoba pulled weeds from her daughter’s grave. The 1-month-old died from mpox in eastern Congo in August, but Wisoba, 21, was too traumatized to attend the funeral. … Her daughter is one of more than 6,000 people officials suspect have contracted the disease in South Kivu province, the epicenter of the world’s latest mpox outbreak, in what the World Health Organization has labeled a global health emergency. A new strain of the virus is spreading, largely through skin-to-skin contact, including but not limited to sex. A lack of funds, vaccines and information is making it difficult to stem the spread, according to alarmed disease experts. … Health officials have zeroed in on Kamituga, a remote yet bustling gold mining town of some 300,000 people that attracts miners, sex workers and traders who are constantly on the move. Cases from other parts of eastern Congo can be traced back here, officials say, with the first originating in the nightclub scene. Since this outbreak began, one year ago, nearly 1,000 people in Kamituga have been infected. Eight have died, half of them children. AP
Gavi Secures 500,000 Doses of Mpox Vaccine for Africa amid Outbreak
The Gavi vaccine alliance has reached an agreement with Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic to obtain 500,000 doses of mpox vaccine for African countries dealing with an outbreak of the virus. The Gavi alliancee announced on Wednesday that the World Health Organization had prequalified the MVA-BN mpox vaccine for the first time last week. This development clears the way for the United Nations and other international organizations to purchase the vaccine. In a separate announcement, the Global Fund, established in 2002 to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, pledged more than $9 million to support the mpox response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently at the center of the epidemic. Gavi also announced that it would provide vaccine doses by the end of the year, funded through itsFirst Response Fund,which was launched in June to facilitate quick access to cash for vaccines during health emergencies. RFI
Africa Needs its Own Medical Research for its Health Issues, Experts Say
One of the hurdles to improving health care systems for African countries is the shortage of scientists and lack of meaningful medical research on the continent, experts say. An organization hopes to change that by enabling researchers and policymakers in three large African countries to develop more extensive and relevant research. According to a 2017 report by the World Economic Forum, Africa is home to 15% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s disease burden—but produces just 2% of the world’s medical research. The report said of the medical research that does occur, much of it fails to prioritize diseases or health problems most pressing for Africans. A group of African health researchers and institutions are now pushing for the continent’s medical research to be more focused on the continent’s own medical problems. The African Population and Health Research Center is bringing together scientists, academics, policymakers and government officials from Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. Their goal is to strengthen African leadership in research and development, ensuring that the findings from these researchers are relevant and accessible to decision-makers, leading to better health care systems across the continent. VOA
Ethiopia’s Battle to Regain Access to the Sea
The country’s quest for a port on the Red Sea has greatly destabilized the Horn of Africa. In return, its neighbors are engaged in a dangerous military escalation. Abiy Ahmed usually takes advantage of speeches to his army to distill subtle messages for his rivals in the region. However, there was no need to read between the lines on Sunday, September 8, when he presided over a military tribute in Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian prime minister reiterated that his country “won’t negotiate with anyone on Ethiopia’s sovereignty and dignity” and demanded “nationalist patriotism” from its population in order to resist the “foreign powers” he accuses of wanting to “destabilize the region.” It was a martial and threatening statement in line with the war of words being waged in the Horn of Africa. The region has been in turmoil since the announcement of the maritime agreement between Ethiopia and the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, on January 1, 2024, which would give Addis Ababa direct access to the Red Sea. The treaty is stirring up tension because it tramples on Somalia’s sovereignty – Somaliland is not recognized as independent by the international community. In formalizing this agreement, did the Ethiopian head of state realize the extent of the regional upheaval it would provoke? Nine months later, a cold war began in the Horn. Le Monde
Zimbabwe’s New Currency Faces Headwinds Five Months On
Five months after its launch, Zimbabwe’s new currency is under pressure as increased grain imports eat away at foreign reserves, putting at risk the government’s plan to make it the only currency in the market by 2026. The gold-backed ZiG, which stands for Zimbabwe Gold, is the country’s sixth attempt at a stable currency in 15 years. It was introduced in April at a rate of 13.6 ZiG per US dollar and has since lost almost 80 percent of its value on the black market. Independent economist Prosper Chitambara said the devaluation pointed to a lack of confidence in the new currency, that locals have been reluctant to embrace. … “The ZiG has been getting weaker so it does not make business sense to transact with it. I do not have faith in the ZiG. We have been here before with the Zimdollar,” Maynard Maketo, a street hawker selling candy and recharge cards said. According to Pricecheck, a website that tracks the exchange rate, the ZiG is trading between 20 ZiG and 26 ZiG to $1 on the black market and 13.9 ZiG to $1 on the official exchange. Carol Munjoma, a trader in downtown Harare who sells groceries, transacts exclusively in U.S dollars. “Where I buy these groceries, they do not accept ZiG. So to protect my business I charge in US dollars. The ZiG would have to be stable to be accepted here,” the mother of two said. Reuters
Morocco, China to Bolster Cooperation on Water Resources Management
Morocco and China signed, on Wednesday in Rabat, a memorandum of understanding establishing an executive program for cooperation in the field of water resources, covering the period 2025-2027. The executive program provides for exchange of experiences, strengthening human and institutional capacities, drafting cooperation projects, and coordinating the implementation of special training programs in the water sector. The areas of cooperation covered by this program comprise water infrastructure, including the construction, operation, management, and maintenance of water distribution projects. The program also covers the management of extreme phenomena such as floods and drought, the supply of drinking water in rural areas, and the conservation and protection of water resources, including saving water for irrigation. NAP
Concern Grows over Illegal Organ Trading across Africa
Illegal organ trafficking is growing across Africa. The sophisticated operation is worth over $1 billion annually and targets the vulnerable. Lack of regulation and huge demand for organs drive the trade. The rising trade of human organs “has reached an epidemic level, yet it is receiving much of public silence,” Nigerian human rights lawyer Frank Tietie told DW. “You one would have expected the level of public condemnation against it would have been much higher, but that’s not the case.” A report by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based think tank focused on corruption, illicit trade and money laundering, estimated that between $840 million and $1.7 billion (€755 million and €1.5 billion) is generated annually from trafficking in persons for organ removal. Organ donation and transplantation are well-established medical practices that are important for sustaining patients with failing organs. The procedures can be highly successful when conducted with informed consent and transparency. But there are concerns that often organ donation “is driven mainly by poverty rather than the noble motivation of trying to save a life or trying to help any person’s medical condition,” Tietie told DW. DW
Regfyl, a Nigerian Fraud Detection Company, Raises $1.1Million to Expand Team and Build New Compliance Product
Regfyl, a Nigerian company that provides digital identity verification and fraud detection tools to businesses, has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding. The startup will use the funding to strengthen its sales, engineering and customer support team and build a supply chain compliance product. Rally Cap led the funding round. Techstars, DCG, Musha Ventures, Africa Fintech Collective and other strategic angels also invested. Launched in 2023 by Tunde Ibidapo-Obe and Tomiwa Erinosho, Regfyl helps businesses with customer and business onboarding, transaction monitoring, and fraud prevention. Regfyl also helps financial institutions with regulatory reporting/filing with financial regulators like Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Central Bank. The company currently serves about 20 businesses and counts Cowrywise. VFD Bank, Coronation, Piggyvest, and Budpay are among its clients. “Trust is the currency of the digital economy, and at Regfyl, we are committed to being the operating system that underpins this trust across the continent,” said Tunde Ibidapo-Obe, CEO of Regfyl. TechCabal