UK to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of conflict
Britain has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter conflict over Britain’s last African colony. Britain expelled the Chagossians in what were described as crimes against humanity in the 1960s and 1970s, when Mauritius retained possession of the area known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) after it gained independence in 1968. . The agreement was concluded after rounds. It is part of negotiations that began in 2022 after Mauritius’ sovereignty claims were recognized by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations General Assembly and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itros) in 2019 and 2021. It illegally separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius before granting independence in 1968. Britain initially defied the UN vote and court ruling to return the islands, stressing that the ICJ ruling was only an “advisory opinion.” Attempts to halt the negotiations failed, claiming that the Chagossians were not consulted or involved. guardian
Tanzania suspends media company’s online platform for 30 days
Tanzania’s communications regulator has suspended the digital platforms of local media companies for allegedly publishing restricted content, in what human rights groups describe as an escalating crackdown on press freedom. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) announced late on Wednesday that it had suspended the online content license for Mwananchi Communications for 30 days for publishing content that tarnished the country’s image on October 1. …”affecting and disrupting unity, peace and national harmony,” the regulator said.The suspension of operations at the company, a subsidiary of Kenya-based Nation Media Group, was reported by the Tanzanian government. It comes as the agency faces criticism over its handling of the matter. . President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won praise over the past three years for lifting a ban on political party rallies and relaxing media restrictions. But critics say recent events, such as the banning of some protests and the arrests of opposition leaders and journalists, reflect a retreat in freedoms. Reuters
AU peace and security delegation visits Sudan on Thursday
Sudanese Foreign Ministry officials announced that a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council will visit Port Sudan on Thursday. Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that the visit was aimed at directly assessing the situation in Sudan. The delegation’s arrival followed a September 25 Peace and Security Council meeting that focused on the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Sudan’s Foreign Minister Hussein Awad has called on the AU to lift Sudan’s suspension of membership, imposed after the 2022 coup that ousted the civilian transitional government. The AU delegation, led by Egypt, is expected to work with stakeholders in Port Sudan to find a path to lasting peace. sudan tribune
Sudanese performers bring refugee audiences home with music and dance
The band, made up of 12 Sudanese members, is currently living in Egypt with thousands of other refugees. The troupe, known as ‘Camillata’, includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of Sudan’s traditional folk music and dance from being lost in a devastating war. Masu. Formed in 1997, the band gained popularity in Khartoum and subsequently began touring to various states, employing a diverse range of musicians, dancers, and styles. They sing in 25 different Sudanese languages. Founder Dafala El Hag comes as Sudan struggles with a difficult economic and political transition after a 2019 uprising ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. , said that the band members recently started moving to Egypt. After the violence began, others followed. El Hag arrived at the end of last year… Kawsar Osman, a native of Madani who has been singing with the band since 1997, evokes nostalgia when he sings about the Nile River, which flows into Sudan from its two upper reaches, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. feel. . “It reminds me of the current situation in Sudan,” she said, adding that the war “only inspired the band to sing more for peace.” AP
Search suspended for dozens of migrants shipwrecked near Spain’s Canary Islands
Spanish authorities have called off the search for dozens of passengers on a migrant boat that sank near El Hierro in the Canary Islands over the weekend, killing at least nine people, a sea rescue team said Wednesday. The boat sank early Saturday morning. While 27 people were rescued, at least 48 passengers are still missing, with hopes of recovering bodies from the sea fading. If the missing person is confirmed dead, it would be the deadliest crossing from Africa to the Canary Islands in 30 years. The worst death toll ever recorded occurred off the coast of Lanzarote in 2009, when 25 people died. Reuters
Smugglers force off ship into open sea, killing dozens
Dozens of people killed and dozens more missing after smugglers forced them off two boats near the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration says 2024 will be the deadliest year for migrants crossing between Africa and Yemen. It was announced on Wednesday. The boats were sailing from Yemen to Djibouti on Tuesday, one carrying 100 migrants and the other 220, but the Yemeni operator said the crew had to leave the open sea. The group issued a statement saying it ordered boats to take out and swim. There were at least 197 survivors, the organization added, but at least 48 people were killed and 75 were still missing…The two migrant boats were headed from Yemen to Djibouti, but many more African migrants were on board. are moving in the opposite direction, primarily towards Saudi Arabia — in search of a better life… Even if they survive the sea voyage, migrants may face hostility on land. Human Rights Watch said last year that Saudi border guards regularly fired on Africans attempting to enter the kingdom from Yemen. new york times
Mozambican presidential front-runner likely to keep Rwandans guarding gas facilities
Mozambique’s ruling party candidates, who are all but certain to win this month’s elections, are relying on Rwanda’s military and European allies to secure giant gas fields in a region plagued by Islamist violence, analysts say. It is likely that they will continue to rely on funding. Daniel Chapo, 47, a former high school teacher who is campaigning under the slogan “Let’s get to work,” is working on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project currently on hold due to insecurity in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. He will oversee the construction of two projects. To achieve this, it will need to rely heavily on the Rwandan military. The Rwandan army was brought in by current President Felipe Nyusi in 2021 to strengthen the struggling local army… Rwandan troops, including special forces, will be deployed to the area where Total Energy and ExxonMobil are planning an LNG project. Tasked with securing territory around the Fungi site… Recent attacks by alleged Islamists include an ambush in February that killed more than 20 Mozambican soldiers, and Total Energy in one of the worst skirmishes since 2021 that halted a $20 billion project that helped tens of thousands of people evacuate. Reuters
Mozambique activist awarded human rights award
The Right Livelihood Award was presented on Thursday to three activists from the Palestinian Territories, the Philippines and Mozambique, and a pioneering research institute in the UK, “each of whom have had a significant impact on their local communities and on the world stage”… Mozambican environmental activist Annabella Lemos, activist and director of Justiça Ambiental!, was honored for “empowering communities for the right to say no to exploitative megaprojects and demand environmental justice.” I did. This is the first time the award has been presented to Mozambique…The annual Right Livelihood Prize was founded in 1980 and was founded by Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, who won the Nobel Prize. It celebrates efforts that I feel have been ignored in the past. To date, 198 recipients from 77 countries have received this honor. The 2024 winners will be presented with an award ceremony in Stockholm on December 4th. AP
How a giant dam caused a huge power crisis in Zambia
Despite having the majestic Zambezi River and the huge hydroelectric Kariba Dam, Zambia is currently facing the worst power outage in living memory…along the Zambezi River, Africa’s fourth longest river Kariba, located in the 1950s, is the reservoir for the Kariba Northbank Power Station, the largest underground power station in the country. The power plant on the opposite shore supplies Zimbabwe. However, only one of the six turbines at the Zambian power plant is operational due to the drought, which has dried up parts of the river, resulting in the 1,080 MW installed at Kariba being cut short. It remains at only 7%. The dam stores water from the Zambezi River with curved walls that are 128 meters (420 feet) high, 579 meters (1,900 feet) long, and 21 meters (69 feet) thick. Cephas Museba, an engineer who has worked at Zesco for 19 years, said he had never seen water levels in Kariba this low. BBC
Turkish ship begins oil exploration off Somalia this month
Turkey’s Energy Ministry announced on Thursday that a Turkish seismic research vessel will arrive off the coast of Somalia at the end of October to begin searching for oil and natural gas, after the two countries agreed on energy cooperation. The March agreement envisages oil exploration and production, allowing Turkish Oil to obtain licenses in three areas of Somali waters…Oruk Reis, accompanied by two naval frigates and a support vessel, will sail to the Mediterranean Sea, Suez It is scheduled to reach the coast of Somalia via the canal and the Red Sea. Bayraktar said Turkish Petroleum has exploration licenses in maritime jurisdictions divided into three sectors, covering a total of 15,000 square kilometers. The three-dimensional seismic survey is expected to take about seven months. Reuters
Zimbabwe’s president vows to take steps to stop currency devaluation
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday vowed to take corrective measures to protect people’s incomes after the country’s new gold-backed currency crashed on the black market five months after its introduction.
ZiG, which stands for Zimbabwe Gold, was devalued by 43% last Friday after falling nearly 47% on the black market… After Robert Mugabe, this is the southern African country’s sixth attempt to stabilize its currency in the last 15 years. The Zimbabwe Bankers Association said on Wednesday after a meeting with central bank officials that last week’s measures would cause prices to rise and confidence to fall. Reuters
Rwanda to start Marburg disease vaccine trial within weeks
Rwanda’s health minister says she is ready to start clinical trials of vaccines and therapeutics to treat Marburg disease in the coming weeks as the African country battles its first viral fever outbreak that has killed 11 people. It was announced on Thursday that there will be. In September, 36 cases have been reported so far, according to Ministry of Health data…The government said it was talking to companies based in the US and Europe…viral hemorrhagic fever, Marburg disease Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, and fatigue, and usually develop within seven days. According to WHO, the rate of infection is. It has a high mortality rate of 88%, belongs to the same virus family as the virus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spread through contact with the body fluids of infected people. Reuters
US sanctions four Ugandan police chiefs over alleged rights violations
The US State Department on Wednesday announced travel sanctions against four Uganda Police Force (UPF) officers for alleged serious human rights violations, including torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and punishment. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller identified the named persons as former Wamara Regional Police Commander Bob Kagalula and former Mitanya District Police Commander Alex Mwine. Others include Elly Umanya, who was the senior director and deputy director of the UPF’s Criminal Investigation Division in charge of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) at the time of the alleged human abuses, and a police officer previously assigned to the SIU. Hamdani Twesigye was a deputy inspector. This round of sanctions adds to the list of Ugandan government officials, including senior officials from the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and Uganda Prisons, who face visa bans for alleged human rights abuses and others face economic sanctions. I am receiving it. Sanctions for allegations of economic crimes. east african
