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News and information from the fast-changing continent.
Nigeria's Flying Eagles Crash Out of African Games
[Premium Times] Nigeria's Flying Eagles finished third in the group behind Uganda and Senegal, with South Sudan coming fourth, in the ongoing 2023 African Games in Ghana.
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have been knocked out of the men's football event of the 2023 African Games in Ghana after a 3-2 defeat by Senegal Friday night.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Flying Eagles took an early lead in the second minute through Charles Agada in the match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday evening.
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Uganda: Water Quality Still a Challenge in Uganda
[Nile Post] Access to clean water remains a significant concern in Uganda, despite an increase in improved drinking water sources.
The Uganda demographic health survey (UDHS) report 2022 reveals that only 42% of these improved sources are free from E. coli contamination, raising concerns about public health risks.
The report highlights regional disparities in access to safe water. While Kampala boasts a relatively high coverage of 76% safe water sources, regions like Bugisu and Tooro lag far behind at a mere 16%.
This
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Ethiopia: TPLF Asserts 'Erosion of Trust' With Federal Govt Amid Inadequate Implementation of Pretoria Deal
[Reporter] In the aftermath of the First Strategic Review Meeting on the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) voiced concerns over trust erosion with the federal government, citing inadequate implementation of crucial agreement provisions. Held on 11 March, 2024, at the African Union premises in Addis Abeba, the meeting aimed to review the achievements regarding the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
TPLF's statement on 13 March, 2024, highlighted challenges since the Pretoria
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Africa: If You're 65 or Older, It's Time for Another Covid-19 Shot
[The Conversation Africa] In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with COVID-19.
In spring 2020, the federal government declared a nationwide emergency, and life drastically changed. Schools and businesses closed, and masks and social distancing were mandated across much of the nation.
In spring 2021, after the vaccine rollout, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 could safely gather with others who were vaccinated without masks or social distancing.
In
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Gambia: President Barrow Reshuffles His Cabinet
[Foroyaa] Gambian leader, President Adama Barrow, has on Friday reshuffled his cabinet. See below a press release issued by the office of the Gambia Government Spokesperson, Ebrima G Sankareh:
Effective immediately and consistent with the powers vested in him by the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia-- Sections 71 (3) and 71 (4)(b), His Excellency The President, Mr. Adama Barrow GMRG, has effected the following changes in his Cabinet and aspects of the Civil Service:
1. Hon. Lamin S.I. Jammeh, Minister of
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Ethiopia: Funding Drought Leaves Jimma University Hospital Patients to Fend for Themselves
[Reporter] Budget constraints have forced Jimma University Specialized Hospital to cut health services, leaving patients to fend for themselves as the healthcare facility struggles to pay its employees and keep its shelves stocked.
Sources told The Reporter that a number of services at the Hospital, which serves as a last resort care center for a population of more than 20 million people in the region, have already been paused due to a lack of resources.
Sources who requested anonymity disclosed to The Reporter that
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Zimbabwe: Beekeeping Offers Opportunity to Zimbabwean Farming Communities
[IPS] Honeybees quickly react with a sharp and loud buzz sound as beekeeper Tanyaradzwa Kanangira opens one of the wooden horizontal Kenyan top bar hives near a stream in a thick forest in Chimanimani, 412 kilometres from Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.
The 26-year-old puffs some smoke, a safety measure, as he holds and inspects a honeycomb built from hexagons by the honey bees.
Many people in this part of the country rely on many forms of agriculture, from agroforestry and horticulture to crop production.
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Mozambique: One Dead, Seven Injured, in Tropical Storm
[AIM] Severe tropical storm Filipo killed at least one person and injured a further seven, as it passed through southern Mozambique on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to preliminary figures from the country's relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD).
In terms of material damage, 117 houses were totally destroyed, and 1,152 were damaged. A large number of others were flooded.
There are also 23 schools hit by the storm, in which 74 classrooms were destroyed, affecting 4,220 pupils and 80
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Mozambique: Going Through 'Unprecedented Crisis'
[AIM] Mozambique's main opposition party, Renamo, is going through an unprecedented crisis, according to Elias Dhlakama, brother of the late Afonso Dhlakama, who led the party from 1979 until his death in 2018.
Cited by the independent television station STV, Dhlakama said "In the more than 40 years of our existence we have never faced a situation like this, in which a Renamo internal problem ends up in front of a court'.
Dhlakama blamed this on the failure of the current Renamo leadership to respect the party's
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Africa: South Africa Resumes Building Wall Along Border With Mozambique
[AIM] The government of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal has resumed construction of a concrete wall along the South Africa/Mozambique border supposedly to curb the theft of motor vehicles and the movement of illicit goods, after years of delays.
According to the South African DefenceWeb platform, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Roads and Transport, working and financing in conjunction with the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DWPI), has committed 50 million rands (2.6
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Senegal: Thousands Celebrate Release of Senegalese Opposition Leaders Ahead of Election
[RFI] Thousands of supporters of the Senegalese opposition leaders Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye were celebrating on Friday after the pair emerged from prison in Dakar.
Their release - which was announced on state channel RTS on Thursday night - follows weeks of crisis after President Macky Sall postponed the scheduled presidential poll on 25 February.
Sonko, who is expected to return home on Friday afternoon, has emerged as one of Sall's main opponents since coming third in the 2019 presidential
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Guinea: Prosecution Seeks Crimes Against Humanity Charges in Guinea Massacre Trial
[HRW] Earlier this month, in the landmark trial of Guinea's former president and 10 others, including former ministers, who are accused of responsibility for a massacre and rapes in a stadium, the prosecution team requested the reclassification of charges to crimes against humanity. The trial is currently suspended until March 18, 2024, to allow for the defense's response.
The trial examines one of the most brutal events in Guinea's history. On September 28, 2009, Guinean security forces opened fire on peaceful
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Mozambique: Urgent Aid Needed for Those Affected by Tropical Storm Filipo
[OCHA] Authorities in Mozambique report that some 14,000 people have been affected by the severe Tropical Storm Filipo across central and southern Mozambique, with two people killed and more than a dozen others injured.
Humanitarian partners on the ground are carrying out assessments - including on the needs of women and girls - in districts that have been hardest hit.
The UN and our partners have also been providing some preliminary assistance, at the Government's request. The International Organization for
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Mozambique: 2023 Municipal Elections Results - Did Renamo Win 0, 4, or 7 Municipalities?
[Elections 2009] It is impossible to know the true results of last year's municipal elections because the National Elections Commission (CNE) and Constitutional Council (CC) can change results in secret and without explanation. In Mozambique's democracy, these two bodies, not the voters, decide who wins.
There were elections in 65 municipalities on 11 October 2023, but which results are to be believed? The CNE said Frelimo won 64, MDM won 1 (Beira) and Renamo won 0. The CC said Renamo won 4 (Vilankulo, Quelimane, Alto
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Kenya Identified As Best Destination for Wildlife Photography
[Capital FM] A recent study by Cape Town-based travel portal Go2Africa has identified Kenya as the best destination for wildlife spotting and photography in the world.
Singapore and India also made it to the top ten list, ranking third and ninth, respectively, for wildlife photography opportunities in Asia.
Canada closely follows Kenya in second place, with Australia taking the fourth spot in the list of best wildlife destinations spotting in the world.
Botswana and Tanzania secure the fifth and sixth positions, while
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Zimbabwe: New Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Officially Takes Over
[New Zimbabwe] THE Airforce of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is now under new command following the elevation on Friday of Air Vice Marshal John Jacob Nzvede to the rank of Air Marshal.
Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), General Philip Valerio Sibanda, presided over conferment of the rank to Air Marshal Nzvede in Harare.
Nzvede replaces Air Marshal Elson Moyo, who was reportedly forced to retire after an airport bomb scare that prompted President Emmerson Mnangagwa to abort a Victoria Falls engagement.
In the aftermath of the
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Madagascar: Southern Madagascar, Where Girls Are Sold Into Marriage Before They Are Born
[UN News] Efforts are being made in the south of Madagascar to end a traditional but illegal practice in which girls are promised as a wife to older men, sometimes even before they are born.
The arranged marriage typically involves the exchange of a highly prized and culturally important Zebu cow for teenage girls as young as 13 years old.
Now two UN agencies UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are working together with the local authorities to educate women and also men, through sessions focusing on positive
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South Sudan: Kiir Sacks New Finance Minister, Appoints 12th Man in 13 Years
[Nile Post] South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked his finance and planning minister after just six months in office.
In a presidential decree on Friday evening, Kiir replaced Dr Bak Barnaba Chol with Daniel Awow Chuang.
South Sudan is primed to go to polls for the first time in December even as indications are that the election will be pushed back by at least two more years.
Chuang, an engineer, was a minister for petroleum just two years ago before he was sacked. He was later appointed as a technical advisor in
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Sudan - 5 Million At Risk of Starvation Due to War, UN Says
[DW] The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia has decimated the country's ability to feed itself and prevented humanitarian aid from reaching those who need it most.
Some 5 million people in Sudan could face "catastrophic food insecurity" in the coming months as fighting continues between rival generals, according to UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia has had a severe impact on agricultural
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Africa: Undersea Cables for Africa's Internet Retrace History and Leave Digital Gaps As They Connect Continents
[The Conversation Africa] Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the world's oceans. Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and South Africa were among the worst affected. By midday on 15 March the problem had not been resolved. Microsoft warned its customers that there was a delay in repairing the cables. South Africa's News24 reported
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West Africa: Full Internet Restoration in Nigeria, Other Countries May Take Month
[Premium Times] The repair of the undersea cable cut that has affected internet services in Nigeria and many parts of sub-Saharan Africa may take about five weeks to be completed, MainOne said in a Friday statement.
MainOne, whose facilities provide internet services to many parts of western and southern Africa, also provided details of the undersea cable cut and its efforts to repair it.
In the statement on its website, the company said its "MainOne submarine cable carries a significant portion of the international
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Mozambique: - Conjunctivitis Outbreak Spreads to Seven Mozambican Provinces
[AIM] The Mozambican health authorities have already recorded over 8,000 cases of conjunctivitis, since the disease has spread to seven provinces in less than a month.
The disease has been recorded in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, and the central provinces of Zambezia and Sofala. It has now spread south to Inhambane, and Maputo city and province.
According to the national director of public health, Quinhas Fernandes, who was speaking to reporters on Monday, in Maputo, "At the moment,
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Africa: More Guns, Less Grain As Conflict and Hunger Claim African Lives
[ISS] The use of starvation as a weapon of war is reversing decades of improvements in global hunger.
Modern conflicts are increasingly marked by the use of hunger as a weapon of war, and children are disproportionately affected. In Burkina Faso, Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), conflict is driving emergency levels of hunger.
The crisis is exacerbated by the lacklustre response of both the African and international communities, characterised by underreporting, limited humanitarian
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Kenya: Reprieve for Kenya's Consumers As Fuel Prices See Largest Decline Yet
[Business Day Africa] Fuel prices have experienced a significant decrease in the latest review, shortly after President William Ruto hinted at a potential reduction in costs.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority has slashed the price of super petrol by Ksh7.21, diesel by Ksh5.09, and kerosene by Ksh4.49.
In Nairobi, a litre of super petrol will now be priced at Ksh199.15, diesel at Ksh190.38 per litre, and kerosene at Ksh188.74 per litre.
While addressing the public in Kericho on Thursday, Dr Ruto stated that Kenyans
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Africa: UN Chief Calls for People-Centered Approach to Combat Drug Stigma
[UN News] The UN Secretary-General on Thursday called for "putting people first" by ending the stigma and discrimination around those who use drugs and the expansion of prevention and treatment programmes.
In his message to the opening of the 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Secretary-General António Guterres said the proliferation of powerful street drugs and pharmaceutical misuse needs to be addressed through balanced responses and collective action.
He called for countering drug
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South Africa: How to Spend 12 Years Building a Police Station
[GroundUp] Minister Sihle Zikalala has promised the Vuwani police station will be completed in 2025. Work on it started in 2012.
The only police station in Vuwani remains incomplete nearly 12 years after it was first built. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala, says it has been marred by several delays due to incompetent contractors. Over the years, the department paid tens of millions of rands to contractors, but only a fraction of that been recovered to date. Last week Zikalala
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Central Africa Says Economic Bloc Poorest, Integration Stagnant At 4%
[VOA] The Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, marks its 30th anniversary this week but by some measures has little to celebrate. The bloc says member countries conduct most of their trade with outside countries and have made little attempt to break down economic barriers between them, leaving CEMAC the least developed and poorest economic bloc in Africa.
Officials say the Central African Economic and Monetary Community remains the least integrated economic bloc in Africa, despite its very
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Kenya to Deploy Reconnaissance Mission to Haiti Before Sending Police
[Capital FM] President William Ruto says Kenya will deploy a reconnaissance mission to Haiti once a stable administration is established.
The head of state made the statement during a telephone conversation with outgoing prime minister Ariel Henry who recently resigned and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.
"Our plan to deploy a reconnaissance mission as soon as a viable administration is in place, ensuring that our security personnel are adequately prepared and informed to respond effectively to the evolving
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Somalia: Inside Somalia's War On Al-Shabab Disinformation
[VOA] Websites and social media accounts affiliated with Somalia's al-Shabab militants continue to operate and spread the group's messages despite a relentless effort by Somalia's government to shut them down.
At least two such websites that were recently closed were quickly back up and running after being re-registered and securing new domains. Also operating are al-Shabab affiliated social media accounts, mainly on Telegram and Facebook, that constantly re-emerge as soon as recognized accounts are closed.
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South Africa: Political Spat Brews Over South African Opposition's Appeal to U.S.
[VOA] South Africa's president has slammed a request by the country's main opposition party that the U.S. help monitor upcoming elections. The governing party says the request is misguided given issues with "the West's" own polls.
A letter by South Africa's leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance or DA, to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other Western governments asking for help monitoring South Africa's May 29 election, caused a political furor this week.
South Africa is well-regarded as
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