The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for killing more than 70 soldiers, wounding dozens and taking five hostages, in an ambush on a military convoy in northern Burkina Faso.

The statement, posted Friday by Amaq, the group’s news agency, said it attacked a convoy trying to advance to areas under its control near Deou, in the Sahel’s Oudalan province. It said it seized weapons and chased retreating soldiers for miles into the desert.

Images released by the group show 54 slain bodies in military uniform lying in the bloodstained dirt, as well as more than 50 seized assault rifles and images of the five soldiers it said were taken prisoner.

The announcement comes one week after the attack in Deou and days after another attack in Tin-Akoff town, where locals and civil society groups say dozens more soldiers and civilians were killed when a military outpost was hit.

It’s unclear how many people have been killed in the two incidents. Last week the government confirmed that 51 soldiers died in the Deou ambush, but it has not responded to requests for updated numbers or commented on the attack in Tin-Akoff.

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has wracked the country for seven years killing thousands and displacing nearly 2 million people. Frustration at the government’s inability to stem the violence led to two coups last year, each one preceded by a major attack on the military.

This is the deadliest ambush on soldiers since the new junta leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, seized power in September and analysts say it could threaten his grip on power.

“There’s a persistent stream of militant attacks north of the country and the public is undoubtedly taking notice of their government’s inability to provide security. Any further attacks this colossal could threaten a public scene and even threaten to unseat the junta,” said Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory, which provides intelligence analysis.

One soldier involved in the ambush in Deou, who was not authorized to speak to the media, said their convoy was outnumbered as more than 300 jihadis encircled them, firing rockets and mortars. “We lost many men,” he said.

The large number of jihadis and the different colored headscarves they were wearing appeared like a coalition of many extremist franchises that he hadn’t seen before, he said.

The Islamic State and an al-Qaida linked group, known by its acronym JNIM, are not known to work together, but rather have been fighting each other for territory and influence in the country as well as in neighboring Mali where they operate. Analysts say it’s extremely unlikely they would have joined forces.

Some locals say the increase of jihadi violence against the military is revenge for torture and extrajudicial killings by soldiers against people presumed to be jihadis.

Hamadou Boureima Diallo, a local journalist in the Sahel’s Dori town, told The Associated Press by phone that he spoke with locals who witnessed the latest attack in Tin-Akoff and were able to flee and that they blamed the killings on revenge.

“These recent bloody attacks against soldiers is because when the soldiers arrest terrorists or presumed terrorists they torture them and make photos or videos that circulate on social media,” said Diallo, recounting what the locals said.

He added that they said, “We have seen some of the videos —where presumed terrorists are being tortured—This is not good.”
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Two police officers have been killed and three others injured in a suspected al-Shabab militant attack on a police vehicle near the Dadaab refugee camp in northeast Kenya.

Security officials in Kenya say two police officers have died and three others were injured when the vehicle they were traveling in came in contact with an improvised explosive device along Garissa Dadaab Road, in Kenya’s Garissa County.  

Security officials declined to respond to VOA’s request for a comment.  

Dadaab Parliament member Farah Maalim said in a telephone conversation the government needs to change its tactics.

“The way to deal with al-Shabab is not to use mechanized conventional military system, the way to deal with them is to have people tracking them and bringing them down one by one,” Maalim said.

The officers left the Dadaab police station only to strike an explosive device in Hagarbul village near the Dadaab refugee camp.  

The incident that happened Friday morning comes barely a week after three police officers from the Border Patrol Unit were killed in the same area when an explosive blew up their vehicle.  

Maalim says the government needs to make use of its elders and should empower them to help — a strategy he says has worked in Somalia.

“We can put together Kenya Police Reserves (KPR) militia, the so-called local version of Macawisley, can finish the job,” said Maalim. “The only thing we need is support from the government, like a structured command system, and we train them.”

The Islamist militant group has in the past carried out a spate of attacks in Kenyan cities and towns in an attempt to get Kenya to withdraw its troops from the Africa Union-led peace keeping force in Somalia.

 
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Officials in Cameroon and Niger say several million people in Boko Haram-affected territories are threatened by severe hunger as floods and wildlife destroy thousands of hectares of farmland. Governors from the two West African nations visited northern Cameroon Friday after a crisis meeting in Diffa, Niger. They say millions of people, including thousands who were returning after fleeing conflicts between cattle ranchers and fishers, need food and resettlement help.

Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum officials say millions of refugees and displaced persons returning to towns and villages in Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger are in urgent need of lifesaving aid.

Boko Haram terrorism in the region has left more than 36,000 people dead, mainly in Nigeria, while 3 million have been forced to flee their homes according to the United Nations.

Midjiyawa Bakari is chairman of the forum, made up of eight governors of Boko Haram-affected territories.

He says he visited Boko Haram-affected areas in Niger and Cameroon Friday so he could understand challenges facing those returning to their towns and villages.

Bakari spoke to Tele Sahel, Niger’s state broadcaster, and Cameroon government-owned broadcaster, CRTV.

He says several conflicts are reported among civilians returning because the Lake Chad Basin, which is home to more than 40 million people, has shrunk 90% in 60 years. Bakari says livelihoods in the area revolve around livestock, fishing and farming. He says he held a crisis meeting with Mohamed Mouddour, governor of Niger’s Diffa region, to see how living conditions of several million people in dire need can be improved and their security against potential Boko Haram attack assured.

Bakari, who is also the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region on the border with Chad and Nigeria, blames climate change for the disappearing Lake Chad Basin waters. He says clashes between herders, fishermen and farmers over water and tributaries of Lake Chad are reported on a weekly basis.

The forum says thousands of people displaced last year by flooding and elephant attacks are also returning and need resettlement help.

As the governors call for international help for the returning refugees and displaced persons, Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad report that migratory caterpillars, crickets and weaver birds are decimating thousands of hectares of farmland on their borders. The farmlands are either owned by displaced persons or grow food for refugees and displaced persons.

Jean Felix Wankague is the highest Cameroon government agriculture and livestock official in Logone and Chari, an administrative unit on Cameroon’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria.

He says the caterpillars, crickets and weaver birds have devastated several hundred hectares of millet, rice and corn plantations. He says helpless farmers are either shouting or beating drums to chase the birds and crickets. Wankague says the migratory birds from forests and national parks in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad are searching for food and water.

Wankague spoke to VOA through a messaging app from Kousseri district in Logone and Chari.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, reports that this year, millions of crisis-affected people in West and Central Africa will remain in a dire situation as humanitarian response funding remains inadequate, and the crisis is outpacing the response.

OCHA says $2.53 billion is needed to adequately address the region’s most pressing humanitarian needs and assist 7.4 million people.
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Voters in Nigeria are going to the polls Saturday to elect a new president.

President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after serving the maximum eight years or two terms as allowed under the country’s constitution.

About 90 million Nigerians are eligible to cast their ballots in the election in Africa’s most populous democracy that will also determine who will serve in the National Assembly.

Veteran candidates – Bola Tinubu, 70, a former Lagos governor from the ruling All Progressives Congress party, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 76, from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party – are being challenged by a third-party candidate, the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, 61, who has support among young voters.

The outcome is “not as easy to predict as before,” Kano State College public affairs lecturer Kabiru Sufi, told Agence France-Press.

The election occurs as Nigeria is experiencing a cash shortage, widening poverty, high inflation and energy shortages.

In the past, Nigeria’s elections have been marred by electoral fraud and violence, but the presidential candidates promised this week to support a peaceful and transparent process.

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission has said the results of the election will be available in a few days. The commission has also introduced biometric voter IDs to help prevent fraud. The results will be transmitted electronically.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.  
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Voters in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, head to the polls Saturday to cast ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is in his second term in office, is not eligible to run again after serving the maximum of eight years in office. There are three main presidential candidates running to succeed him and the race is seen as the most competitive since the country switched from military rule to democracy in 1999. Here is what to know about the elections:

When is voting?

Polling stations are open from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. local time, however, anyone in line by 2:30 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.

How many people can vote?

More than 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote and can cast ballots in about 176,600 polling stations across the country.

Who is running in the presidential race?

Eighteen candidates are running to succeed President Buhari. However, only three of them are seen as having a strong chance to win — Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu, who is the candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party; and Peter Obi, a third-party candidate of the smaller Labour Party.

How does a presidential candidate win?

A presidential candidate needs to receive the largest number of votes cast nationwide as well as receive at least a quarter of the vote in at least 24 states. Nigeria has 36 states.

What if no one meets this threshold?

If no candidate receives the most votes and at least a quarter of the vote in 24 states, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff.

When would a runoff take place?

The constitution stipulates a runoff must be held within 21 days of the announcement of the election results.

How does a parliamentary candidate win?

Candidates for a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate need only win a simple majority of votes in their district.

What are the main issues?

Nigeria is facing double-digit inflation, a currency shortage, and security troubles, including an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and separatist violence in the southeast. All three of the main presidential candidates have made improving the economy and strengthening security their main priorities.

Are there concerns of fraud?

Nigeria has a long history of electoral fraud. The Independent National Electoral Commission has banned the use of mobile phones at voting stations to try to curb the illegal practice of candidates paying people to vote for them. In such cases, voters would often use photographs of their ballots as evidence in order to receive payments. “Vote buying remains a major threat to our democracy,” Mahmood Yakubu, the head of Nigeria’s election commission, told reporters Thursday. The electoral commission has also set up a system to identify voters through fingerprints and facial recognition, to curb voter fraud.

Are there concerns of violence?

Past elections have been marked by violence, including clashes between supporters of rival parties. The top presidential candidates this year signed a peace accord on Wednesday, to ensure a peaceful election. Nigeria’s army and police have also pledged to ensure a peaceful election.

When are results expected?

Election officials are expected to start releasing results Sunday; however, full tallies are not expected for several days. The election commission has not said when it expects to declare official results.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
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United States first lady Jill Biden on Friday ended her first visit to Namibia on a hopeful, encouraging note, stressing the power of youth in a nation where youth unemployment hovers at an alarming 40%.

“Each generation inherits the world in their time,” she said, standing before 1,300 students who packed into a shady courtyard at the public Namibian University of Science and Technology.

“We often tell young people that you’re the future,” she said. “And it’s true. But sometimes, that message can sound like: ‘wait.’ Wait for some far-off finish line that makes you wiser or more powerful. Wait for your communities to listen to what you have to say. Wait, while others build the future around you. I know, however, that these things you want to change now. There are problems that you can solve now. And you have gifts to offer the world now.”

It has been a whirlwind three days for the first lady, who landed in the southwest African nation Wednesday and used her time to focus on women’s empowerment, children and education.

She also praised the nation’s vibrant democracy, established and run by the same party since independence in 1990.

“I’m proud to be standing here, standing with a strong democracy. And as [Namibian first lady] Monica [Geingos] said yesterday, a young democracy working together. As Joe [Biden] said at the summit, African voices, African leadership and African innovation are all critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges and realizing the vision we all share: a world that is free.”

But this gentle nudge toward Western democratic ideals may not cause governments to budge from their deep ties to the East, said Ndumba Kamwanyah, a lecturer at the University of Namibia. Like many African nations, Namibia’s independence struggle had support from the former Soviet Union. And the war memorial Biden visited shortly after landing, along with the imposing State House, were built by a North Korean company.

“Of course, officials they said that, you know, they don’t want to choose a side, but deeply I think, from an analytical perspective, I think that they are leaning toward the Russian position,” he told VOA.

Still, Katherine Jellison, professor of U.S. women’s history and gender history at Ohio University, says Jill Biden’s soft touch could steady U.S. relations with African nations.

“I think it’s important that some high-profile member of Bidenworld visit Africa right now because we need to shore up our friendship with African nations and our relationships with African nations at a time when the Chinese have an eye on cultivating more of those relationships,” she told VOA. “So it’s an excellent idea if we want to maintain a good working relationship with African nations that we put out that friendly hand.”

And Kamwanyah says, watch this space:

“It will depend on the outcomes of that engagement, in terms of what other initiatives that will follow suit after her visit. So, I think it’s important that, you know, in a day or two days after she leaves, it will become clearer in terms of the concreteness of the engagement.”

Biden will spend two more days in Kenya, promoting women’s empowerment, children’s issues and the hunger crisis afflicting the Horn of Africa.
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Fighting in the area of Las Anod, in the breakaway Somaliland republic, has escalated, with medical sources now saying more than 100 people have been killed in three weeks of clashes.

Local militias are fighting to pull three regions away from Somaliland in order to rejoin Somalia. So far, calls for a cease-fire are being ignored.

Las Anod is the capital of the Sool region, which together with the Sanaag and Cayn regions is fighting to withdraw from Somaliland and be governed by Somalia to the south.

Dr. Abdimajid Husein Sugule told VOA that the five hospitals in the town were running out of medical supplies and bed space, as more injured and dead people were brought into the facilities each day.

He said this week that 105 people had been killed and 602 injured in the three weeks of fighting.

The U.N. and other diplomatic missions in the country have called for an end to the fighting, and so has Somalia’s federal government. Despite these calls, shelling and gunfire have continued as both sides have dug trenches to defend their positions.

Somaliland President Muse Bihi announced last week that he would be dispatching clan elders to seek an end to the violence. However, clan elders in the battle-battered town demanded that Somaliland pull out its troops first as a precondition for dialogue.

A standoff

Abdiaziz Isaack, a security analyst with Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center, a cultural and research organization, said it was unlikely that either side would back down on its demands for dialogue. He said that while the elders in Las Anod see the pullout of the Somaliland forces as critical for confidence building and lessening tensions, Somaliland on the other hand perceives a pullout as creating a vacuum, which could allow Puntland to return.

Somaliland captured the Sool region from Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region and the two sides have been involved in deadly disputes since then.

Isaack said the only viable option for resolving the dispute was pressure from the international community.

He said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s call for an end to the violence at the beginning of February had been met with silence. That, he said, left the international community as the only broker that could employ diplomacy and pressure to stop the fighting.

On Thursday, officials from the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu visited Somaliland, where they condemned the fighting in Las Anod and called for a cease-fire.

Mohamed Ahmed, a security analyst at Nomad Development Enterprise, a security consultancy in Mogadishu, told VOA that rising international pressure could end the fighting soon.

But he added that Somaliland might not agree to withdraw its forces from Las Anod as a condition for talks because of possible domestic pressures faced by Bihi.

Bihi’s term as president ended in November 2022, although he secured an additional two years from parliament.

Ahmed said Somaliland thinks a withdrawal from Las Anod could risk its control. Also, he said, Bihi, lacking a full mandate and political backup, likely fears that withdrawing Somaliland troops from Las Anod could draw criticism from the political opposition.

Aid agencies have warned the fighting could worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation, as the Horn of Africa battles a severe drought that the U.N. warns could degenerate into famine by midyear.
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Starting immediately, citizens of the two southern African countries will only be required to produce their identity cards at crossing points
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As Nigerians prepare to vote Saturday, VOA’s Hausa Service spoke with people who shared their hopes, expectations and fears about the direction of the country.

For Mustapha Abubakar of Zamfara state, the primary issue to be addressed is insecurity.

According to the UNHCR, more than 3.1 million people are internally displaced and 343,000 have been forced to flee the country due to violence. Extremist violence, intercommunal clashes and kidnapping for ransom have all played a role in deteriorating security.

“Definitely any president that is coming to power now, we want him to address the proper issue on the security, then followed by that is food, because there is hunger,” Abubakar said. “In fact, the issue of the security is one that has to be leading to the massive, massive hunger that is in the masses of the people.”

The violence has produced a climate of fear in the country. According to a Gallup Poll released Friday, Nigerians feel less safe than they did eight years ago when President Muhamadu Buhari took office. Only about 53% of those polled said they feel safe walking alone at night, down from 61% when Buhari was first elected.

As Safiya Ajao, a filmmaker from Jos told VOA, “It is very paramount that we are safe in our own country.”

People also voiced concerns about the economy and the cost of living. Global shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine have led to spikes in the cost of staple food items. The inflation rate inside the country rose to nearly 22% in January.

“In Nigeria today people are suffering because of the way things are expensive, especially in matters of food items,” Aisha Muhammad Sintalma of Maiduguri told VOA. “So, if the food items are cheap, I would be happy. This is the main concern I have. Everything can be possible if food is available for citizens.”

Gallup found that 3 in 4 Nigerians struggled to pay for food and nearly half had difficulty affording housing costs.

Other Nigerian voters pointed to the need to invest in education to give young people the skills to find jobs or start their own businesses.

“I would like the next president to look at the issue of education more seriously and after that the issue of employment, not necessarily the white collar job, but create an environment for the young ones, the entrepreneurs, for them to have the businesses flow,” said Mahmud Danjuma, of Borno. “For everyone to have peace of mind that is the issue of security.”

Faith in elected officials is also on the decline in Nigeria. Voters cited issues including corruption, an inability to deliver on promises and leaders who are out of step with the people as undermining their faith in government.

According to Gallup, 94% of Nigerians see corruption in government as widespread. Voters’ approval of leadership dropped from more than 60% in 2015 to 24% in 2022.

“There are so many challenges that are confronting in Nigeria everyday people. I want him to look into those and address it,” said Chris Orji of Abuja. “I just I want a president that can easily interact with people on a monthly basis, not the one to be cut off and we wouldn’t hear him. And those who are around him will not be telling him the true feelings of Nigerians.”

This report originated in VOA Hausa Service.
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Zambians and Zimbabweans have been suffering long hours of power loss since water levels at the Kariba hydropower dam plunged to an all-time low in December. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Zambia, which plans to build a $2 billion solar power project to alleviate the situation.
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Ukrainians living in South Africa are marking one year since Russia’s invasion with a dance production titled ‘We Stand for Freedom.’ The performance, supported by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, draws parallels between racial oppression under apartheid and Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Vicky Stark meets some Ukrainians who fled the war in this report from Cape Town, South Africa.
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South Sudan’s president is appealing to the more than 2 million South Sudanese refugees living in neighboring countries to start returning home. Salva Kiir says his government will provide returning refugees with the necessary security.

There are more than 2.3 million South Sudanese living as refugees in nearby countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Egypt. Speaking Wednesday in Juba, Kiir said repatriating those citizens was at the top of the government’s priority list.

“For those who will opt to return to their habitual areas of residence, the government will provide security and will work jointly with partners to organize logistics around what is needed to resettle successfully in those areas,” Kiir said.

He made the comments while speaking to representatives of South Sudan’s large population of internally displaced people. Kiir said the country also intended to resettle the IDPs, though not necessarily in the areas from which they came.

“Equally, for those who cannot go back to their residence, we have spoken with authorities in the states where IDP camps are located, to set aside land and to resettle them,” he said. “I must add that this land, once designated, must be allocated to IDPs and IDPs only.”

Pope Francis had a similar gathering with IDP leaders in Juba during his visit to South Sudan earlier this month.

Persuasion needed

Kiir pledged the government would provide the IDPs with security, even though he acknowledged that it would take a lot of persuading for them to leave their current protected areas.

Many South Sudanese IDPs were displaced by the 2013 civil war that broke out when Kiir’s forces clashed with those of opposition leader Riek Machar.

James Kok, an member of the national parliament, echoed the president’s message of declaring 2023 as a year of reconciliation, forgiveness and development.

“This message must be sent to all South Sudanese people to let them know that the president has forgiven people this year, and people should also forgive him, so that individuals can continue to move forward and develop the nation,” Kok said.

In calling for the resettlement of refugees and IDPs, Kiir said nothing about South Sudan’s continued political or economic challenges. The country has yet to fully implement the 2018 peace accord that ended the civil war, and parts of the country are dealing with chronic violence.

In the Upper Nile region, intercommunal violence, mostly caused by cattle rustling, has sparked a new wave of displacement.

A chief in Unity state, Juma Nyundeng, said the IDPs made it clear to the president that all they wanted was peace.

“We no longer want to see bloodshed,” he said. “People are fighting in Upper Nile, and we don’t want people from Upper Nile, Abyi and Twic fighting each other.

“All we want is peace and our country back so that we can stay together.”

South Sudan has not seen an extended period of peace since winning independence from Sudan in 2011.
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Nigerians made up the largest number of sub-Saharan African students in Ukraine when Russia invaded a year ago, forcing thousands to flee. Despite the war, universities in Ukraine and Nigeria have teamed up to help those students complete their degrees. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria.
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Nigeria’s electoral commission says the country is ready for Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections despite scattered violence in the run-up to the polls.

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told journalists Thursday that the commission had begun dispatching sensitive materials to Nigerian states, and that it had been working with the nation’s security forces to provide maximum safety for staff and election materials.

“They have assured us of their preparedness to adequately secure the election,” he said. “This is very important as it will assure voters of their safety during elections, which is cardinal to voter turnout.”

Nigeria is also dealing with shortages of cash and fuel, and experts say that changes the dynamics of the polls.

“We’ve also had to consult with Nigerian National Petroleum Limited on the fuel situation,” Yakubu said. “Likewise, the Central Bank of Nigeria will provide us with the necessary small amount of cash that we require from our budget to make payment for some critical service providers.”

This is the most contested election in history of Nigeria’s democracy with 18 candidates running to be president.

Nigeria has been struggling to stem widespread violence and kidnappings perpetrated by armed gangs. Security problems have gotten worse in the run-up to the polls, with several attacks and arson recorded on INEC offices. Officials said they had recorded over 50 attacks in all since the last elections in 2019.

Police said a senatorial candidate was killed early Thursday by gunmen in southeast Enugu state on his way from a campaign event.

Peace agreement

This week, the government’s National Peace Committee hosted an event where candidates signed a peace accord. Abduslsalami Abubakar, former head of state and chairman of the NPC, spoke during the event.

“Issues of major concerns that have the potential to negatively impact on the integrity are emerging,” he said. “One of such issues is the spread of fake news, and misinformation continues to pose a significant threat to the 2023 general elections.”

President Muhammadu Buhari spoke at the peace signing ceremony in Abuja.

“I am aware of the deep concerns about the conduct of the 2023 general elections and outcomes they may throw up,” he said. “However, since my assumption of office we have worked so hard to ensure that we pass on a legacy of free, fair, credible, safe and peaceful elections.”

The INEC said about 150,000 election observers were already in Nigeria, including delegates from the African Union, European Union and the U.S.

Campaigning and the final push for votes was set to end Thursday.
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U.S. first lady Jill Biden was visibly moved during a visit to an informal settlement near Namibia’s capital Thursday, where she spent the better part of an hour listening to young beneficiaries of U.S.-funded programs describe their challenges and triumphs in a nation that ranks as one of the world’s most unequal societies.

As a sudden afternoon storm beat down on the metal roofs of the hastily constructed Katutura neighborhood, Biden listened intently as teens and young adults described their work with the local Hope Initiatives program, which receives some U.S. grant money.

VOA asked her if she would take these stories back and lobby for an extension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, which, for two decades, has provided crucial support for nations struggling with the burden of HIV and AIDS.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be lobbying Congress, but certainly I will be taking it back and we’ll see where it goes, I’ll work with my staff and see where we’ll take it,” she responded. “I mean – how many lives it has saved and how many lives it will continue to save, it’s what, 20 years now I think? Yeah, 20 years. So it’s an amazing program.”

Biden encouraged an orphan who failed grade 11 because she had a baby, saying, “You’ll get there. You’ll do it because you have to. Once you have a baby, you know, you have to take care of that baby, that’s your responsibility right? You’ll get there. You’ll do it. Because the moms are the tigers, we fight for our kids, right?”

Celebrates Namibia’s ‘strong democracy’

Motherhood and sisterhood have been themes of Biden’s first visit to the continent as first lady, which she launched in the Southwest African nation of Namibia on Wednesday.

She also praised female leadership, answering a reporter’s question about whether the U.S. is ready for a female president, saying “It’s always time to have a female president, no matter what country you’re in.”

Earlier in the day, Biden praised Namibia’s vibrant democracy at a pomp-filled, wine-laden, dignitary-heavy state luncheon with Namibia’s first lady, Monica Geingos, and her husband, President Hage Geingob.

“I’m proud to be standing here standing with a strong democracy,” Biden said. “And as Monica said yesterday, a young democracy working together. As Joe said at the summit, African voices, African Leadership, and African innovation are all critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges and realizing the vision we all share is a world that is free.”

Thursday also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the first sitting of Namibia’s first post-independence upper house of parliament.

Geingos, a Namibian entrepreneur and lawyer who is the president’s third wife, said she invited Biden to visit after meeting at December’s U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in Washington.

“Of course, there will always be differences,” she said. “But what is important is what the Biden presidency represents. And that is decency, democracy, and diplomacy. This luncheon is to celebrate connection, and possibility.”

On Friday, Biden plans to speak to university students about youth empowerment.

One such youth, the junior mayor of Windhoek, Moses Fillpus, thanked Biden for visiting and praised American ideals.

“Congratulate me for not fainting,” quipped the 17-year-old in front of the room filled with some 200 people from the highest echelons of Namibian society, politics and diplomacy.

“For me, as a young African child growing up, I just consumed American media to the point where I even knew about it more than my own,” he continued. “And I think that I speak for most of the youth that now it is the goal of the modern youth to achieve the American dream that we see on TV so much.”

Visit helps fulfill President Biden’s promise

Jill Biden is the first White House official to visit the country after President Joe Biden last year pledged to send administration officials to the continent. She follows Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who visited earlier this year.

Like Biden, Thomas-Greenfield focused part of her visit around a food security crisis in East Africa — something Biden plans to highlight when she visits Kenya later this week. But these high-profile visits are also happening against the background of increased visits by top-level Russian and Chinese officials to the continent.

While the nation is a multiparty democracy, the same party — Geingo’s South West Africa People’s Organization — has led since the nation won independence more than three decades ago. And that liberation struggle pulled in other countries for support. Earlier Wednesday, Biden laid a wreath at Heroes’ Acre, a memorial to those who fought for the nation’s independence.

That memorial, with its brutalist sculpture and wide expanses of stone, bears an uncanny similarity to the Heroes’ Acre in Zimbabwe’s capital, maybe because both memorials were built by the same North Korean company. That same firm built the imposing, modernist gray cement State House where Biden was so warmly received by the first couple.

Biden also spread some warmth. As she prepared to leave Katutura, she made an unscheduled stop on the street, emerging from her SUV with a navy blue tote bag. Scores of small children – many in clothes that were torn or dirty – swarmed her as she handed out small boxes of M&Ms bearing President Joe Biden’s seal and signature.

She and granddaughter Naomi quickly passed out every box, until she was faced with an empty bag and a young boy, his eyes wide. She motioned that she was out of candy and he turned away.

Wait, she said to the little boy. He turned back. She handed him the tote bag.
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Zimbabweans living on the border with Zambia are increasingly taking advantage of their neighbor’s superior health care. But Zambian officials say they are also draining resources as nearly one-third of patients in some clinics and hospitals are Zimbabweans. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Lusaka, Zambia. VOA footage by Blessing Chigwenhembe.
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The head of South Africa’s embattled state power company, Eskom, is leaving his job earlier than planned, after accusing high level officials of corruption. The CEO’s departure came the same day South Africa’s finance minister announced a massive bailout for the debt-ridden company amid record power cuts. 

Eskom’s CEO, Andre de Ruyter, has been “released” from his job “with immediate effect,” the company said Thursday in a statement. 

De Ruyter submitted his resignation late last year, saying he was unable to turn the graft-riddled utility around. Shortly afterward, he alleged there was a poisoning attempt on his life.

However, he had been set to serve out his notice period until the end of March and a replacement has not yet been found. 

News of his early departure came shortly after de Ruyter gave an explosive interview on local TV this week accusing high level cabinet officials of being aware of and accepting corruption.

Eskom spokesman Sikonathi Mantshantsha said the board had convened a special meeting on Wednesday during which it was mutually agreed to curtail his notice period.

“The board further resolved that Mr. de Ruyter will not be required to serve the balance of his notice period but that he will be released from his position with immediate effect,” he said.

Earlier this month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster because of the electricity crisis.

The power cuts, known as “loadshedding,” are meant to reduce pressure on the overstretched grid, with its many aging and badly maintained coal-fired power stations regularly breaking down.

Sometimes running for as long as 12 hours a day, the blackouts have hit Africa’s most industrialized economy hard, said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his budget speech Wednesday. 

He then announced a large bailout for the company, which is $23 billion in debt.

“The lack of reliable electricity supply is the biggest economic constraint,” he said. “Record levels of load shedding were experienced in 2022. I’m told 207 days of load shedding.”

Lumkile Mondi, an economics lecturer at Johannesburg’s Witwatersrand University, told VOA the debt relief was a good move on the government’s part.

“The taking of the debt into the nation’s balance sheet allows Eskom to use that money wisely, invest on new transmission infrastructure, while at the same time having money to sustain some of the viable coal fired power stations, so I think overall it is positive,” he said.

Independent analyst Asanda Ngoasheng noted the current crisis stems from a myriad of factors. During apartheid only a small percentage of the population, mainly whites, had access to electricity, so when South Africa transitioned to democracy the new government had to roll out power to the rest of the population.

“It was essentially a heady cocktail of ailing infrastructure that wasn’t maintained, infrastructure that had to serve more people than what it had to serve before, and corruption, which then kind of made things worse than they already were,” she said.

De Ruyter was Eskom’s 13th CEO in 10 years. The company has said it is seeking a replacement.
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To address the relatively high cost of health care in Africa, a Kenyan mobile application lets users pay for medical services by selling their personal data through blockchain technology. Officials say Snark Health’s Hippocratic Coins have attracted more than 300 doctors and 4,000 users.  Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi, Kenya. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo.
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Around the world, prominent women are leaving their jobs to pursue other interests and focus on other priorities. VOA’s Laurel Bowman has the story.
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Calls are growing for Ethiopia to revoke an order that suspended 15 foreign media outlets and a regional journalists’ association from operating in the country’s eastern Somali Regional State. 

The state’s media regulator issued indefinite suspensions to the news outlets, which include the BBC Somali service, on January 28. 

The regulator’s order said the media organizations did not have the necessary licensing for foreign media, and it blocked the news outlets and their representatives from working in the state, according to rights groups.

A few days later, a regional body that oversees civil society groups revoked the license of the Somali Region Journalists Association (SRJA). 

In its letter to the association, the regional authorities said that the SRJA had “acted inappropriately,” according to reports. 

The action came after the chair of the SRJA criticized the suspension of the media outlets, and accused the local authority of suppressing media freedom, according to an Ethiopian nonprofit, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy.

The actions by the regional authorities “have eroded reporting in the region and paint a picture of a government unwilling to make room for dissenting voices,” said Committee to Protect Journalists representative Muthoki Mumo in a statement. “Authorities should allow journalists from these outlets to resume their jobs [and] ensure that enforcement of licensing regulations is not used to muzzle the media.”  

The media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also criticized the moves.  

“These attacks on press freedom pose a grave danger to the media environment in the region and the country as a whole,” said RSF Africa bureau director Sadibou Marong in a statement Tuesday. “The region’s authorities must urgently lift the suspension of these 15 foreign media, which is clearly an attempt to prevent the press from covering sensitive subjects.”

RSF reported that the affected media outlets had recently requested their licenses be renewed, but they did not receive a response to those requests.  

The Somali Regional State media regulator was cited in reports as saying it was working to comply with federal licensing regulations for foreign news outlets.

Ethiopia’s main media regulator has said it was not informed in advance about the plan to issue suspensions, RSF reported. 

Ethiopia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to VOA’s emailed request for comment.

Media in Ethiopia have come under pressure since the war in Tigray in November 2020 and ethnic clashes elsewhere in the country. Journalists who don’t report the government line risk arrest or having their media operations suspended, rights groups say.

The country ranks poorly on the World Press Freedom Index, with RSF saying that gains made in recent years “have been lost since Ethiopia become embroiled in ethnic conflicts and a civil war.”

The country currently ranks 114 out of 180 countries, where 1 denotes the best media environment, on RSF’s index.
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Researchers in Kenya say they’ve detected an invasive mosquito that can transmit malaria in different climates, threatening progress to fight the parasitic disease. Kenya’s Medical Research Institute this week urged the public to use mosquito nets and clean up areas where mosquitos can breed.

Kenya has detected the presence of a new malaria carrier, which was first discovered in the region in Djibouti in 2012.

The new carrier, the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, transmits plasmodium vivax, the parasite the causes the deadliest type of malaria.

Bernhards Ogutu is a chief researcher at Kenya Medical Research Institute. He says it was only a matter of time before the mosquito was discovered in the country after it appeared in Ethiopia and South Sudan.

“We’ve not been able to pick plasmodium vivax which is found in Asia and Kenya. It’s there in Ethiopia and this vector can also transmit it,” said Ogutu. “So that will also look at whether we might have plasmodium vivax in coming up with this new vector showing in our place. Vivax is more difficult to treat in that you can get treated and real up because it keeps staying in the body and the liver.”

Malaria affects over 229 million people each year and kills over 400,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

More than a quarter of a million children die in Africa each year as a result of the mosquito-borne disease, including over 10,000 in Kenya.

Ogutu expresses concern for urban residents, saying that the new carrier may feed on poor environmental management systems.

“So the fact that this can survive in urban areas where water is not clean and that can transmit, that’s the worry people are having. For the time being its to monitor and see to what extent we are going to have its spreading and what impact it will be having,” said Ogutu.

Redentho Dabelen is a public officer in the Marsabit County town of Laisamis, where the vector was discovered.

He says experts are going to communities to teach people how to protect themselves from the disease.

“To sensitize them and teach them how to prevent themselves from the vector bites. We are trying to spray the houses,” said Dabelen. “We are trying to tell them about the disease through the community health volunteers and if they get infected they go to the hospital.”

According to the researchers, the population should continue to use malaria control tools such as sleeping under mosquito nets and practicing good environmental management and sanitation.

In 2021, the WHO approved a malaria vaccine for children aged five months to two years that has been shown to reduce child deaths.
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Russia has said it will not test fire a hypersonic missile during joint naval drills with China and South Africa, contradicting earlier reports in Russian state media.

A senior Russian naval official told a news conference in Richards Bay, on South Africa’s east coast, that the country had no plans to fire the Zircon missile during the ten-day exercise, Reuters reported Wednesday.

A frigate that carries the weapon, the Admiral Gorshkov, is in South African waters — one of several Russian ships deployed to Exercise Mosi II.

Russian news agency TASS reported earlier this month that the Zircon — which President Vladimir Putin has called “unstoppable” — could be used in a training launch during the exercise.

That drew condemnation from South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance as well as the Ukrainian Association in South Africa. South African officials denied the report.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Captain Oleg Gladkiy, who is heading the Russian contingent, said, “The hypersonic weapon will not be used in the context of these exercises… There is no hidden meaning in the exercises that we are performing today,” according to Reuters.

South Africa has been heavily criticized for going ahead with the exercises, which coincide with the first anniversary of the ongoing Ukraine war. But the South African government, which has officially remained neutral on the conflict, has defended its right to hold drills with “friends.”

The ruling African National Congress party has a long relationship with Moscow, dating back to the days when the Soviet Union supported the ANC’s struggle against white minority rule.
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Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, goes to the polls Saturday to elect a new president amid worsening insecurity and economic struggles. Tensions over shortages of cash and fuel could also influence how people vote. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria.
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Somali security forces have ended a more than 7-hour-long siege of al-Shabab militants at a residential building in the east of Mogadishu, the Somali government said.

The Ministry of Information said 10 people were killed by the militants and seven were injured, including four security personnel who were involved in the operation to end the siege.

The government said the victims were innocent civilians and “martyrs.”

In a statement the ministry said four militants behind the attack were killed.

The militants raided a care home for members of the pro-government forces who have been injured in military operations in central Somalia.

“An explosion that didn’t really sound like the typical explosion occurred, and I had a bad feeling, although my friends disagreed that it was an explosion,” said a resident in the area who requested anonymity for security reasons.

“A minute later sporadic gunfire started, and it was clear what was taking place. I thought it was the Djibouti Embassy because it’s the only high-profile building in the area but later realized that injured Ma’awisley from Hiran were the target of the attack.”

Since August of last year, Somali government forces supported by locally mobilized fighters known as Ma’awisley have been conducting military operations against al-Shabab, which drove the militant group from vast territories in the central regions.

Al-Shabab has been carrying out retaliatory attacks against local community elders and commanders who have supported the federal government.

The government has confirmed that a militant bomber detonated a suicide vest in front of the building in Abdiaziz district about 3 p.m. local time.

Following the explosion, four al-Shabab militants stormed the building.

Gunfire and explosions continued intermittently for hours as the government forces fought to take over the building.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement the group said its fighters targeted the building housing “apostate” militias who participated in the fighting in Hiran, the region where mobilizations started in August last year.

Al-Shabab claimed to have killed 70 people in the attack, a figure that has not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, the Somali government on Tuesday reported killing more than 42 al-Shabab fighters in the latest operation in the Cadalay village near Mahaday town of the Middle Shabelle region.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information said government forces, local fighters and international partners were involved in the planned operation, which lasted more than 30 hours.

Casualty figures given by the government have not been independently verified.
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