News From Around The Motherland Week 16 of '24
Hi there! We're currently in week 16 of the year 2024. Here are the top African news making headlines
Hi there! We're currently in week 16 of the year 2024. Here are the top African news making headlines
- Egypt Airdropped Aid In Gaza
- Nigerian Electricity Grid Collapse As Foreign Reserves Falls
- Ghana Faces Difficulties With Debt Restructuring
- Southern Africa Hit With Cholera Outbreak
- Israel Attack Iran On Retaliatory Strikes. Iran Downplays Impact.
NORTH AFRICA.
🇪🇬 Egypt Airdropped Humanitarian Aid In Gaza.
The Egyptian Air Force conducted airdrops of relief aid into the Gaza Strip during Eid al-Fitr to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's directive and in collaboration with Jordan.
Egypt continues its efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas through negotiations involving all parties.
🇩🇿 Algerian Journalist Expelled Without Explanation
An Algerian journalist, Farid Alilat, was deported from the country upon arrival from France, experiencing restrictions at the airport, reflecting ongoing challenges for journalists reporting in Algeria.
Alilat, a writer for Jeune Afrique, shared on Facebook his 11-hour detention at the airport on Saturday before being flown back to France, where he holds a residency permit.
🇹🇳 Tunisia’s Prisoner Of Conscience.
International support is rallying behind Tunisia's jailed opposition leader, Rached Ghannouchi, as a newly established International Committee for Solidarity with him denounces his imprisonment.
Ghannouchi, the Ennahdha party leader and former parliament speaker, was arrested a year ago and is now deemed the "oldest prisoner of conscience in the Arab world." The committee, comprising global statespeople and intellectuals, aims to advocate for his release, citing his unjust detention following a speech critical of Tunisia's dissolution of the elected parliament and suspension of the constitution, and democratic institutions since 2021
WEST AFRICA.
🇳🇬 Nigeria Grapples With Near 30-Year High Inflation Rate.
Nigeria's annual inflation hit a 30-year high at 33.2% in March, driven by soaring food prices and increased energy costs. Despite recent gains in the local currency, the prices of goods and services remain high.
The government's efforts, including raising borrowing rates and hiking electricity tariffs, aim to stabilize the economy, but many Nigerians are facing shrinking purchasing power and eroded savings.
🇳🇬 Nigeria's Electricity Grid Fails...Again
Once again, Nigeria's electricity grid failed, causing blackouts in numerous cities. The collapse occurred at 2:42 a.m. on Monday, reducing power generation to 64.70 megawatts.
The Jos Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications.
🇬🇭 Ghana Debt Restructuring Woes
Ghana fails to reach a $13 billion debt restructuring deal with international bondholders, hindering its efforts to recover from default and economic crisis. Talks stalled after the IMF deemed the proposed deal unsustainable.
Ghana had been negotiating with two bondholder groups, including Western asset managers and regional African banks. Despite a 2.9% economic growth in 2023, Ghana's debt costs and inflation surged after defaulting on most of its $30 billion external debt in December 2022.
🇳🇬 Fears Over Nigeria's Declining Foreign Reserves.
Nigeria's foreign exchange reserves dropped significantly by around $2.16 billion in 29 days, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria's efforts to stabilize the naira. Current data from the CBN as of April 15, 2024, shows reserves at $32.29 billion, down from $34.45 billion on March 18, 2024.
The Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso clarified that the recent decline in reserves was used to repay international debts, not to defend the naira, during a session with the IMF's Abebe Aemro Selassie.
EAST AFRICA.
🇰🇪 Kenya Perennial Floods
The last week of March marked the onset of the long rains season (March to May), bringing heavy storms, rainfall, and flash floods across the country. Initial reports indicate 13 fatalities, nearly 3,000 households displaced, over 339 livestock lost, and extensive crop damage.
Particularly affected areas include Marsabit, Turkana, Tana River, Garissa, Kirinyaga, Muranga, Kiambu, Meru, Kisumu, Nairobi, and Kitui counties. Humanitarian partners are providing emergency shelter and aid to at-risk regions, collaborating with authorities to assess needs and ramp up assistance to affected communities.
Authorities have issued advisories warning of continued heavy rainfall across most parts of the country from April 9 to 15.
🇸🇩 US Judge Rules BNP Paribas Must Face Lawsuit For Its Complicity In The Darfur Genocide.
A US judge ruled that BNP Paribas must face a lawsuit accusing the bank of aiding Sudan's government in committing genocide between 1997 and 2011. The lawsuit alleges the bank violated American sanctions by providing banking services linked to human rights abuses.
US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein found evidence connecting the bank's financing to government-perpetrated atrocities, including murder and mass rape. The lawsuit, brought by US residents from affected Sudanese communities, seeks unspecified damages in a proposed class action.
🇰🇪 - 🇺🇬 Kenya-Uganda Trade Tensions.
Tensions rise as Kampala increases taxes on Kenyan produce by Ksh3 per kilogram. Kenyan exporters of Irish Potatoes to Uganda face unexpected hurdles at the border due to the newly imposed levies. Uganda's revenue authority, as reported by the Daily Monitor, cited inadequate previous valuation of the product as the reason for the tax revision. This move is likely to worsen existing trade tensions, including Kenya's past restrictions on certain Ugandan goods, especially dairy products. These actions contradict the principles of the East African Community Customs Union, which promotes free trade among member states. Additionally, last year Uganda took legal action against Kenya at the East African Court of Justice after Nairobi denied a license for the Uganda National Oil Corporation (UNOC) to operate and manage fuel imports for Kampala.
CENTRAL AFRICA.
🇹🇿 Malawi And Tanzania On A Diplomatic Collision Course
Tanzania's move to upgrade Mbamba Bay Port on Lake Malawi has sparked a diplomatic dispute with Malawi, which accuses Tanzania of acting unilaterally without consultation. Malawi has demanded Tanzania suspend the project until proper consultations and consent are obtained.
The port upgrade, contracted to China's Xiamen Ongoing Construction Group for $31.8 million, adds strain to unresolved boundary issues between the two nations, ongoing for over a decade.
SOUTHERN AFRICA.
🇳🇦 Nama People Of Namibia Reject Port Development
Namport, Namibia's port authority, has proposed expanding Shark Island, a sacred heritage site for the indigenous Nama ethnic group in southern Namibia. The expansion aims to support green hydrogen production and export to Europe by the German energy company, Hyphen.
However, some locals see this expansion as a modern form of colonization, where African resources are exploited for European markets. Historically, Germany ruled Namibia, then called German South West Africa, and in the early 1900s, a concentration camp operated on Shark Island where approximately 3,000 locals were killed.
🇦🇴 Angola To Develop Transportation As Economic Driver.
He emphasized the importance of the New Luanda International Airport and the Lobito Corridor railway project, aiming to connect Angola with neighboring countries like Zambia and the DRC. These efforts are seen as key for economic growth and attracting foreign investment to the region.
🌍 Southern Africa Hit Hard By Cholera Outbreak.
Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi are grappling with the deadliest cholera outbreak in over a decade, with more than 1,000 deaths reported. This outbreak is part of a larger series of deadly cholera outbreaks across Africa in 2024, affecting tens of thousands. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Ethiopia are among the hardest-hit countries in the region. Zambia is particularly hard-hit, facing its worst cholera outbreak yet, with over 740 deaths since the onset of seasonal rains in October 2023. To exacerbate the situation, the global stockpile of the only available cholera vaccine is depleted, leaving demand far outstripping supply. The vaccine, produced by a manufacturer in South Korea, can only produce 700,000 doses weekly, whereas demand is four times higher, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Despite efforts to conserve stocks, including a recommendation by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision to switch to a single-dose regimen in October 2022, the shortage persists. Cholera vaccines are not produced on a routine basis like childhood vaccines but instead based on immediate needs.
WORLD HEADLINES.
🇪🇺 France, Germany, And The EU Raise €2bn For Sudan.
France, Germany, and the EU co-hosted a summit to raise humanitarian funds for victims of Sudan's civil war. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that donors pledged over €2bn ($2.1bn; £1.7bn) in aid for the nation.
The conflict between Sudan's military and the RSF paramilitary group has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced 8.5 million people in the past year.
🇺🇸 Trump's Criminal Case Begins.
Former President Donald Trump's unprecedented criminal trial began in a Manhattan court on Monday, marking the first time a former U.S. president has faced such charges.
Despite Trump's numerous attempts to delay the proceedings, Judge Juan Merchan proceeded, following a series of unsuccessful legal challenges. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is prosecuting Trump over allegations of a "hush money" payment to an adult film star during the 2016 election to conceal damaging information.
🇦🇪 Dubai Flash Floods
In just 12 hours on Tuesday, Dubai received nearly 4 inches (100 mm) of rain, equivalent to its average yearly rainfall, as per United Nations data.
The downpour was so intense that some drivers had to desert their vehicles due to rising floodwater, transforming roads into torrents. Social media videos depicted water coursing through a prominent shopping mall and flooding the ground floors of residences.
Speculations are rife that the abnormal weather was caused by cloud seeding; an experimental way to generate rain. The Dubai Airport, ranked the world's second busiest, experienced service disruption due to unprecedented flooding.
🌍 Several countries recall cough syrup
Several African nations, including Tanzania, eSwatini, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, are recalling a batch of Benylin Paediatric children's cough syrup made by Johnson & Johnson due to elevated levels of a toxic substance found in tests conducted in Nigeria.
This action follows incidents in other countries where contaminated cough syrup led to the deaths of numerous children. The toxin, diethylene glycol, can cause rapid kidney failure if ingested. The affected batch, produced in South Africa in 2021, is being recalled as a precautionary measure, although no adverse effects have been reported in the recalling countries thus far.
Tragically, over 70 children under the age of five in The Gambia lost their lives in 2022 after consuming cough syrups from Maiden Pharmaceuticals (India), which were later discovered to be contaminated.
🇮🇱 Israel Attack Iran In Retaliatory Strikes.
In the early hours of Friday, US officials reported that Israel launched a missile at Iran, likely in retaliation after weeks of rising tensions. There are conflicting reports about the attack's scale on the Isfahan region and the damage caused, with Iranian state media minimizing its impact.
This incident follows heightened tensions, including an Israeli strike on an Iranian compound in Syria and an unprecedented Iranian assault on Israel.
African Personality Of The Week
Tunde Onakoya
The Nigerian chess master has achieved a remarkable feat by breaking the Guinness world record for the longest chess marathon in New York Times Square. Alongside this achievement, he founded Chess In Slums, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting underprivileged African children through chess. Currently, he is raising funds for his nonprofit through the chess marathon
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