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News and information from the fast-changing continent.
Africa's Crises Fall Out of Focus As Global Attention Drifts
[DW] Care International has listed the ten forgotten humanitarian crises of last year -- all of them in Africa. Climate change plays a huge role, the aid organization says, and more media attention is needed.
Crises in Africa are being overlooked, with news about humanitarian emergencies on the continent buried beneath the weight of media attention focused elsewhere, Care International's 2023 report concludes.
That means issues such as hunger in Angola, chronic malnutrition in Burundi and high child mortality
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Namibia: Geingob Slams Germany's Support of Israel Against Genocide Claim
[Namibian] President Hage Geingob has expressed deep concern over Germany's decision to support Israel against South Africa's accusation that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
This comes after the German government announced its intent to intervene as a third party in South Africa's case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with Germany cautioning against the "political instrumentalisation" of the charge of genocide that South Africa is levelling against Israel.
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Africa: Long Covid - Damaged Mitochondria in Muscles Might Be Linked to Some of the Symptoms
[The Conversation Africa] It's estimated around 3% of people in the UK experience long COVID - persistent, long-lasting symptoms after a COVID-19 infection.
Long COVID encompasses a range of health problems that can begin after even a mild COVID infection. Some of these symptoms include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches and loss of smell.
For around 50% of long COVID sufferers, their symptoms also fit criteria for a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a neuro-immune disease characterised by depleted
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Tanzania: Mwanza Declares Outbreak of Cholera
[Daily News] MWANZA: MWANZA regional authorities have declared the outbreak of cholera disease as 28 people confirmed to contract the disease.
Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr Amos Makalla said announced here on Wednesday when speaking at a technical meeting with health stakeholders.
The meeting was aimed at discussing how to protect against the killer disease as well finding more strategies to contain it.
He said that currently there are 28 patients suffering from the cholera in the region, urging the residents to
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Sudan: After a Glimmer of Hope, Sudan's Peace Effort Fades
[ISS] Burhan and Hemedti, the bitter foes leading Sudan's civil war, have missed two dates to talk peace.
With the world's attention focused on wars in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine, the devastating civil war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 has largely been neglected. That changed a little in October last year when the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia convened ceasefire talks in Jeddah.
But the talks collapsed almost before they began as clashes intensified between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by General
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South Africa: Unions Demand No Job Cuts in Billionaire's Durban Port Take-Over
[allAfrica] South Africa's strong labour unions may disrupt the proposal to sell a share in the largest container port in sub-Saharan Africa and let it be managed by the International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) owned by Filipino billionaire Enrique Razon, reports Bloomberg.
In July 2023, allafrica reported that South Africa's national ports business, the largest harbour in Africa, Port of Durban, was going to be operated and controlled in part by International Container Terminal Services
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Nigeria: 'Lagos Is Biggest Transit, Destination for Human Trafficking in Nigeria'
[Premium Times] NAPTIP DG, Mrs. Waziri-Azi said to tackle the scourge of human trafficking in the country, it had become imperative for the Agency to strengthen its partnership with Lagos.
Amid pervasive human trafficking across the country, Lagos State has been identified as the biggest transit and destination for internal or external human trafficking, according to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) data.
Epe, Ikorodu, Agege, Apapa and Iganmu made the list of places in Lagos that are
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Ethiopia's Quest for Access to the Sea - Success Rests On Good Relations With Its Neighbours
[The Conversation Africa] On 1 January, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding granting Addis Ababa direct access to the Gulf of Aden. This strategic agreement paves the way for Ethiopia to establish commercial and military bases along the coast.
Under the agreement, Somaliland will lease 20km of coastal land to Ethiopia for 50 years. Ethiopia commits to offering Somaliland a stake in one of its lucrative state-owned enterprises, Ethiopian Airlines. It is also contemplating recognition of Somaliland as an
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Nigeria: Supreme Court Delivers Final Decisions On Eight States' Governorship Election Disputes
[Premium Times] The Supreme Court will today, Friday, give final decisions on the governorship election disputes from Lagos, Kano, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Plateau, Abia, Cross River, and Bauchi states.
The Supreme Court will Friday lay to rest the disputes over the outcomes of the March 2023 governorship elections in eight states.
The states are Lagos, Kano, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Plateau, Abia, Cross River, and Bauchi.
The cases which started at the various election petitions tribunal in the various states gave rise to decisions
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Africa: Life-Saving Aid Not Reaching Millions of People Caught in Health Emergencies - WHO
[VOA] The World Health Organization is warning that millions of people caught in conflict-driven health emergencies risk dying from traumatic wounds and infectious diseases because life-saving humanitarian aid is not reaching those in need.
In one of his most forceful statements to date, the WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accused the Israeli government of blocking essential aid to Gaza.
In a briefing to journalists Wednesday, Tedros said a humanitarian mission to northern Gaza planned for
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Cote d'Ivoire: Ivorian Activist Fighting for Women's Freedom Wins Simone De Beauvoir Prize
[RFI] Marie-Paule Djegue Okri, an agronomist and agro-ecology consultant from Côte d'Ivoire, was awarded the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for her work in gender equality. The award, founded on the centenary of Beauvoir's birth in 2008, is given to a person or association that defends and promotes women's freedom.
Okri co-founded the Ivorian League for Women's Rights four years ago as a response to "bad politics", and says that women everywhere should have the right to freedom.
"The women in Côte d'Ivoire
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Kenya's Passport 6th Strongest in Africa
[Capital FM] Kenyan passport holders can travel to 76 countries globally visa-free, a new data shows, indicating its growing prominence worldwide.
The latest data compiled by the Henley Passport Index also ranks the country's passport at number 67 globally, together with Malawi.
The Seychelles passport is the most powerful on the continent at number 26, followed by Mauritius (30), South Africa (53), Namibia, and Lesotho at 65, as well as Eswatini (66).
The strongest passports include those of France, Germany, Italy,
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Zimbabwe: Teachers' Union Condemns 'Reckless' School Openings During Cholera Outbreak
[New Zimbabwe] The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has condemned the government's decision to reopen schools amid a widespread cholera outbreak, calling the move "reckless" and "disregarding the pressing concerns raised by parents and teachers."
ARTUZ accused the government of failing to provide adequate and ample measures to safeguard teachers and students against the medieval disease.
In a statement released on January 10th, ARTUZ also criticized the government's lack of engagement with educators,
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Africa: What Is the International Court of Justice and Why Does It Matter?
[UN News] The profile of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was raised in January, following South Africa's decision to bring proceedings against Israel for violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention. Here is a primer on the ICJ, and what it does.
What is the ICJ for, and how does it work?
The ICJ, which is situated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, a city in The Netherlands, was established in 1945 as a way of settling disputes between countries. The Court also provides advisory opinions on legal
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Africa: Five Maddening Facts About Climate Finance
[African Arguments] New in-depth analysis finds that less than one-third of donors' commitments have actually been dispersed for climate projects.
The injustices of climate change are well-known and keenly felt in Africa. The continent is responsible for just 4% of global carbon emissions yet experiences some of the worst impacts of the crisis. Climate change made the historic drought in East Africa, which left 20 million people hungry, 100 times more likely. It made the devastating damage wrought by Storm Daniel, which
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Namibia rejects Germany's Support of the Genocidal Intent of the Racist Israeli State against Innocent Civilians in Gaza
[Government of Namibia] On Namibian soil, Germany committed the first genocide of the 20th century in 1904-1908, in which tens of thousands of innocent Namibians died in the most inhumane and brutal conditions. The German Government is yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil. Therefore, in light of Germany’s inability to draw lessons from its horrific history, President Hage G. Geingob expresses deep concern with the shocking decision communicated by the Government of the Federal Republic of
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Botswana: Cabinet Clips Khama's Wings
[The Patriot] Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) patron, Ian Khama could be banned from taking part in active politics ahead of 2024 general election after Cabinet recently resolved through a Cabinet White Paper that retired Presidents should not participate in active politics.
The decision was gleaned from snippets of the Cabinet White Paper that will be presented for adoption by the upcoming February Budget session of Parliament, a development which observers say is clearly targeting Khama.
Cabinet was appointed and is
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Liberia: U.S.$35,000 Bridge Project Abandoned in Maryland
[New Dawn] Residents of Wartehken and Gbolobo Nimeken towns in Pleebo Statutory Soloken District, Maryland County have expressed frustrations over delay in construction of a US$35,000 bridge linking the two towns near the Cavalla River belt.
According to the aggrieved residents, construction work on the bridge started in 2021, when the statutory superintendent of the District, Aloysius Williams, broke grounds for the facility.
Since then, there has been no sign of completing the bridge project. The residents said as
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South Africa: SA Appeals to Top UN Court in Israel-Palestine Matter
[SAnews.gov.za] Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, fears that without the intervention of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Palestinians will be destroyed.
This was as South Africa approached the ICJ, under the Genocide Convention, for acts committed by Israel in the context of its attacks on Gaza.
He said the Israeli actions were reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide 30 years ago.
"We are here, on behalf of South Africa and the global community, to seek justice for the victims, particularly
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Africa: South Africa Argues for Immediate Suspension of Israeli Attacks on Palestine
[IPS] Far from the mayhem, destruction, and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the South African government argued in the International Court of Justice in the Hague that it had an obligation and a right to bring a case to halt a genocide by the Israeli government and its military.
The top legal team, composed of both South African and international human rights lawyers, spent over two and a half hours arguing that it had an obligation as a signatory to the Genocide Convention to bring this case and that the court had
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Cape Verde: WHO Certifies Cabo Verde As Malaria-Free, Marking a Historic Milestone in the Fight Against Malaria
[WHO] The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country, marking a significant achievement in global health. With this announcement, Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that WHO has awarded this certification.
Cabo Verde is the third country to be certified in the WHO African region, joining Mauritius and Algeria which were certified in 1973 and 2019 respectively. Malaria burden is the highest on the African continent, which accounted for approximately
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Kenya: Commonwealth Law Associations Denounce Ruto's Onslaught on 'Corrupt' Judges
[Capital FM] Three Commonwealth law associations have denounced President William Ruto's onslaught on the Judiciary warning the move could erode confidence in courts.
The Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association (CMJA), the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) said alleged cases of corrupt judicial officials should instead be subjected to the due process of the law.
"Whilst we recognise that there should be checks and balances in the relationship
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Gabon: The Footballer Who Was Born Five Years After His Mother Died!
[Scrolla] The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is investigating an alleged case of age manipulation involving Gabonese footballer Guelor Kanga.
The investigation follows reports that Kanga, who claims to have been born in 1990, actually lost his mother in 1985.
While the reasons behind Kanga's decision to fake his age are uncertain, the advantage of being seen as five years younger is generally attractive to many athletes.
Kanga, who plays as an offensive midfielder for Red Star Belgrade and the Gabon
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Nigeria: Meningitis Kills 190 in Nigeria in Two Years
[Premium Times] The disease control centre said CSM is an epidemic-prone disease with cases reported all year round in Nigeria.
Between 2022 and 2023, Nigeria recorded a total of 303 confirmed cases and 190 deaths from Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) across 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
CSM occurs when there is an acute inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord.
According to a public health advisory released Thursday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 2,765
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South Africa's Case Against Israel Divides Opinion in Africa
[DW] Proceedings have opened at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa accuses Israel of "genocidal acts" in Gaza. Analysts say the case could drag on for years.
Many people in South Africa and other parts of the African continent are closely watching the case that opened at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday.
"All African countries should support South Africa in this step," Modou Jawo, a resident of the Gambian capital, Banjul, told DW. "What Israel is doing
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South Africa: British Airways Pilot Allegedly Kidnapped, Robbed in Johannesburg - South African News Briefs - January 12, 2023
[allAfrica]
British Airways Pilot Allegedly Kidnapped, Robbed in Johannesburg
A British Airways pilot in Johannesburg was reportedly kidnapped, robbed, and forced to withdraw "thousands and thousands" of pounds from his bank account, reports News24. He recounted being approached by a woman who lured him to a car, where four men took him hostage and drove him around the city. They allegedly stripped him naked, filmed him admitting to a false affair, and emptied his bank accounts at ATMs. While the British press
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Kenya: Gor Mahia Slap Hefty Price On the Head of On-Demand Omalla
[Capital FM] For anyone wishing to sign Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla, then they will have to part ways with at least 100,000 US Dollars (Approx Sh15.8mn) to entice the club into selling, K'Ogalo Secretary General Sam Ocholla has told Capital Sports.
A whirlwind has been going on about Omalla's next destination, with social media awash with rumor that he is headed to Algerian giants USM Alger.
However, the club has refuted the claims and instead said the striker remains at the club, at least for now.
"No one has
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Gambian Trial Starts in Switzerland for Crimes Against Humanity
[JusticeInfo.net] Julia Crawford is a journalist and translator for JusticeInfo.net since June 2015. She is an experienced journalist, editor and journalism trainer, specialized in African affairs and transitional justice. She has previously worked for Radio France International in Paris, as editor of the Hirondelle News Agency in Arusha, Tanzania, for IRIN in Nairobi, the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York and BBC Media Action in London. Julia Crawford currently also works part-time as a news and feature writer
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Nigeria: End of the Road for TB Joshua's Ministry? Emmanuel TV Announces Withdrawal From DStv, Gotv
[Nyasa Times] Barely few days after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released its documentary, which trails the clandestine and unspiritual activities late Prophet TB Joshua allegedly carried out at this Synagogue Church of All Nations(SCOAN), his television channel,Emmanuel TV, has also announced that it will cease broadcasting on MultiChoice platforms DStv and GOtv from January 17.
MultiChoice confirmed that Emmanuel TV would be removed from the DStv and GOtv platforms.
Emmanuel TV will leave StarSat and
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Kenya: City Lights, Silent Nights - Memories of Hiding in Nairobi's Labyrinth
[African Arguments] I can still recall my very first glimpse of Nairobi, its neon lights and deafening bustle. It returns to me with a tinge of dread.
Africa's urban landscape is changing at an unprecedented pace, offering a glimpse into its future. "My City", a series of personal essays, portrays the lives of individuals and communities across the continent, exposing the deep soul of each city and giving it a distinctive character.
Nairobi first came to me as a name, a dream. In Ifo Nuura, the small town in Kenya where I was
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