Hunger worsens in Africa’s protracted conflict zonesAn estimated 163 million Africans face severe food insecurity, and the number of Africans experiencing food insecurity remains at record numbers. This total is nearly triple what it was five years ago, underscoring the rapidly growing food crisis in Africa. Of the people facing severe food insecurity, approximately 130 million (80 percent) live in countries experiencing conflict, many of which have been going on for years, and where communities and nations are It is eroding the coping mechanisms of… 13 of the 16 African countries with the most people facing acute food insecurity are contradictory. This pattern highlights that conflict remains a major driver of severe food insecurity in Africa. African Strategic Research Center
Southern Africa faces worst hunger crisis in decades due to El Nino, UN says
A months-long drought in southern Africa caused by the El Niño phenomenon has had a devastating impact on more than 27 million people and triggered the region’s worst hunger crisis in decades, the United Nations food agency said on Tuesday. . The World Food Program warned that this could become a “full-blown human catastrophe”. Five countries – Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe – have declared national disasters due to drought and resulting famine. WFP estimates that around 21 million children in southern Africa are currently malnourished due to crop failure. AP
Floods keep 10 million children out of school in West and Central AfricaAn estimated 10 million children in Nigeria, Mali, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo are out of school due to localized flooding, the charity Save the Children said. The education system is in crisis after heavy rains damaged or destroyed schools and displaced families. Nearly 1 million people have been evacuated and flooding has worsened an already fragile situation…The situation is particularly dire in Niger and Mali, where the start of the school year has been postponed for several weeks, affecting millions of learners. is giving. Request for information
Sudan’s bloody refugee influx into Chad ignites
In a sign of the escalating conflict in Darfur, around 25,000 people (80% of them women and children) crossed into eastern Chad in the first week of October, a record number for a single week in 2024. It became. More than 20,270 people also crossed into eastern Chad. Chad throughout September. Chad hosts 681,944 Sudanese refugees, more than any other country. However, the country is also one of the poorest countries in the world and lacks basic services to house so many people, said Mamadou Dian Bardeh, United Nations Regional Refugee Coordinator. At the same time, he emphasized the generosity shown by the Chadian people to the neighboring countries they evacuate. Baldeh predicted that due to both the escalating conflict in Darfur and the falling water levels at the end of the rainy season, “very unfortunately, we will see a further influx of refugees into Chad in the coming weeks.” He said there was. AFP
Sudanese rescue team says 23 people killed in airstrike on Khartoum marketSudan’s Volunteer Rescue Workers Network said Sunday that the military had killed 23 people in an airstrike on a market in Khartoum the previous day. The market is near one of Sudan’s main camps in the capital, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia is fighting the army as part of a civil war that has left tens of thousands of people dead. The army is marching towards Khartoum. The crash occurred near Omdurman on Saturday, witnesses said. AFP
Years of war in Congo have caused a severe mental health crisis. But little support is available
More than 100 armed groups are fighting for a foothold in eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. Violence is escalating as the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group re-emerges. The fighting displaced millions of people. More than 600,000 people have been evacuated to camps near Goma. Psychologists say more people are experiencing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, alcohol and drug overdose, as well as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. …but there is little mental health support available. The United Nations, which calls Congo one of the world’s most neglected crises, says only $180 million in humanitarian response plans called for protection, including mental health services, has been funded this year. It is said to be less than 30%. AP
How Congolese journalists evacuated during the M23 war are keeping the airwaves aliveThe refugees (in and around Goma) include hundreds of local journalists who fled the fighting and direct censorship by the rebels, who occupy vast territory in the east and regularly They use local media to spread propaganda. While some journalists have abandoned their jobs as a result of the unrest, others continue to broadcast in the camps, struggling and often at their own expense. Displaced journalists… adapt their programming to the needs of the camps. , said it provides a space for the community to discuss events and issues within the site, from athletic competitions to gender-based violence. Displaced people who listen to the radio say they get important information from the programs…According to Justin Bizimana, the organization’s coordinator, about 100 journalists participated in the Synergy of Displaced Journalists program earlier this year. They have formed a union called “. new humanitarian
Nigerian Coast Guard Establishment Bill scheduled for second reading in Senate
The bill establishing the Nigerian Coast Guard is scheduled for second reading in the Senate… (Wasiu Eshirokun (APC-Lagos)) The bill establishes the Nigerian Coast Guard, which will be responsible for securing the maritime areas within Nigeria. He said it was intended to. He said the bill was also aimed at maintaining readiness as a professional force to support the Nigerian Navy in war situations. The senator added that the most important objective of the bill is to enact legislation that seeks to contribute to national security, with a special focus on the country’s maritime interests and regional coastal security. He said this was also to ensure compliance with global norms and standards related to maritime security. Nigerian News Agency
IPU: Why Nigeria calls for the responsible use of AI – Representative Vice-Chairman(Vice-Speaker of the House of Commons Ben Carew) speaking at the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Debate in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday… Mr Carew said the federal government is He said that he is working towards its introduction. ) Policy framework… “The integrity of universal electoral processes is a global imperative, and recent developments in artificial intelligence pose a threat, particularly in the spread of disinformation and cyber vulnerabilities in electoral systems,” Cal said. he said. “We call for the responsible use of AI to protect the integrity of democratic processes, especially from threats such as deepfakes and the spread of disinformation,” he added. premium times
Kenyan vice president’s impeachment trial begins
Kenya’s parliament has begun the final steps to remove Vice President Ligachi Gachagua…The vice president faces 11 charges including corruption, inciting ethnic division and undermining the government, all of which he denies. …Gachagua’s trial comes after the full Senate abandoned the process of establishing an 11-member committee to investigate the charges… At least two-thirds of the 67 senators voted to remove Mr. Gachagua from office. Motion must be approved. If that happens and his impeachment passes, he will be permanently barred from holding public office. If the impeachment vote is passed, it is expected that it will be challenged in court. BBC
Finance minister speaks as Kenya talks with UAE on $1.5 billion commercial loan
The $1.5 billion loan that Kenya is negotiating with the United Arab Emirates is a commercial loan with an interest rate of 8.25% and a term of seven years, Kenya’s Finance Minister John Mbadi said on Wednesday. In late September, people familiar with the situation told Reuters that Kenya’s government was close to agreeing on a loan aimed at filling the East African country’s funding gap. “This loan will be borrowed at 10.7%,” Mbadi said at a press conference on Wednesday, referring to a $1.5 billion dollar bond issued to buy back part of the $2 billion Eurobond that was settled in February. “It’s cheaper than euro bonds,” he said. June. Reuters
Africa must continue to rise,” says the President of the General Assembly.
Speaking at a debate on African development, Parliament Speaker Philemon Yang noted the continent’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union (AU)-related framework known as Agenda 2063, They called for a fairer financial system. , stated that the current system “prioritizes high interest rates and debt servicing over investment in resilience and social services.” The continent will need approximately $194 billion in additional funding per year to achieve the SDGs. While acknowledging the bleak economic outlook, Yang also praised Africa’s resilience, with economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa expected to rise from 2.6% in 2023 to 3.8% by 2025.
