Somalia says the country’s elite military unit has killed a senior al-Shabab commander in an operation in the Lower Shabelle region. Federal police say civilian hostages were freed during the operation. 

Somali police spokesman Sadiq Adan Ali Doodishe said Somalia’s elite military unit had conducted an operation against the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamist militant group al-Shabab, killing two senior commanders and wounding 10 others. 

Police say the operation’s aim was to destroy al-Shabab’s main extortion base in the small town of Mubarak, located 95 kilometers southwest of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

During a news conference in Mogadishu Saturday, the spokesman said the army killed a senior al-Shabab commander known by the name “Carab”, and Aw Maaye, who was in charge al-Shabab’s extortion operations in Mubarak. 

Doodishe said during the operation the military freed civilian hostages from the militant group.

He said around 5:00 p.m. local time, the elite unit from the Somali national army conducted the operation targeting a place the terrorists used to extort money from civilians. In accordance with the statement from the Ministry of Information, the army killed Carab, the deputy al-Shabab leader in the town of Mubarak, and Aw Maaye, who was the al-Shabab foreman in charge of extortion. He said during the operation dozens of others were wounded, including the group’s leader in charge of Mubarak. He said at the time of the operation al-Shabab was holding civilians hostage for extortion but the army freed the hostages. Some of them were hurt during the operation. 

Police have warned the public against aiding al-Shabab. 

Doodishe said the public has been told that it’s a crime to have sympathy toward al-Shabab and collaborate with the group. Anyone who is engaged in that activity will be brought to justice, he added. 

Local media and residents reported that there was an airstrike involved in the military operation against al-Shabab on Friday.

The Islamist group claimed that the airstrike killed 10 people and wounded 20 others, all civilians.

VOA could not independently verify the airstrike nor the civilian deaths. 

Somalia has been grappling with increasing insecurity in recent years. Al-Shabab is one of the main threats and is responsible for deadly attacks across the country and in neighboring Kenya.
…

Voice-operated smartphones are aiming at a vast yet widely overlooked market in sub-Saharan Africa — the tens of millions of people who face huge challenges in life because they cannot read or write.

In Ivory Coast, a so-called “Superphone” using a vocal assistant that responds to commands in a local language is being pitched to the large segment of the population — as many as 40 percent — who are illiterate.

Developed and assembled locally, the phone is designed to make everyday tasks more accessible, from understanding a document and checking a bank balance to communicating with government agencies.

“I’ve just bought this phone for my parents back home in the village, who don’t know how to read or write,” said Floride Jogbe, a young woman who was impressed by adverts on social media.

She believed the 60,000 CFA francs ($92) she forked out was money well spent.

The smartphone uses an operating system called “Kone” that is unique to the Cerco company, and covers 17 languages spoken in Ivory Coast, including Baoule, Bete, and Dioula, as well as 50 other African languages.

Cerco hopes to expand this to 1,000 languages, reaching half of the continent’s population, thanks to help from a network of 3,000 volunteers.

The goal is to address the “frustration” illiterate people feel with technology that requires them to be able to read or write or spell effectively, said Cerco president Alain Capo-Chichi, a Benin national.

“Various institutions set down the priority of making people literate before making technology available to them,” he told AFP.

“Our way skips reading and writing and goes straight to integrating people into economic and social life.”

Of the 750 million adults around the world who cannot read or write, 27 percent live south of the Sahara, according to UN figures for 2016, the latest year for which data is available.

The continent also hosts nearly 2,000 languages, some of which are spoken by tens of millions of people and are used for inter-ethnic communication, while others are dialects with a small geographical spread.

Lack of numbers or economic clout often means these languages are overlooked by developers who have already devised vocal assistants for languages in bigger markets.

Twi and Kiswahili

Other companies investing in the voice-operation field in Africa include Mobobi, which has created a Twi language voice assistant in Ghana called Abena AI, while Mozilla is working on an assistant in Kiswahili, which has an estimated 100 million speakers in East Africa.

Telecommunications expert Jean-Marie Akepo questioned whether voice operation needed the platform of a dedicated mobile phone.

Existing technology “manages to satisfy people”, he said.

“With the voice message services offered by WhatsApp, for example, a large part of the problem has already been solved.”

Instead of a new phone, he recommended “software with local languages that could be installed on any smartphone”.

The Ivorian phone is being produced at the ICT and Biotechnology Village in Grand-Bassam, a free-trade zone located near the Ivorian capital.

It came about through close collaboration with the government. The company pays no taxes or customs duties and the assembly plant has benefited from a subsidy of more than two billion CFA francs.

In exchange, Cerco is to pay 3.5 percent of its income to the state and train around 1,200 young people each year.

The company says it has received 200,000 orders since launch on July 21.

Thanks to a partnership with French telecommunications giant Orange, the phone will be distributed in 200 shops across Ivory Coast.
…

Dozens of civilians were killed this week in a northern Malian town attacked by jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State group, a local elected official and the leader of an armed group told AFP Friday.

It was the first time the town of Talataye, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the city of Gao, has been attacked on such a scale by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).

On Tuesday, the jihadists fought a fierce battle with rivals from the al-Qaida-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and other armed groups, including the Tuareg-dominated Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), people familiar with the events told AFP.

The ISGS fighters, who emerged from the bush on motorbikes, took control of the town Tuesday evening after more than three hours of fighting, AFP learned earlier this week.

The situation on the ground remains unclear, as information is difficult to come by in the dangerous and remote Sahel area, largely cut off from communication networks.

The death toll also varies according to different accounts.

A local official said that 45 civilians had been killed, while an MSA leader put the civilian death toll at 30. Both spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity and added that houses and the market had been torched.

An international humanitarian worker in the region said “several dozen” civilians had been killed.

It is unclear whether the civilians were deliberately killed or caught in crossfire.

Both the local politician and the MSA leader said there had been at least a partial withdrawal of ISGS fighters since Tuesday.

MSA fighters entered the town on Thursday, the group said. It says it now controls one part of the area while the GSIM controls another part.

MSA fighters have “gathered information and bodies,” he added.

“What really worries us is the humanitarian situation — the people are left to fend for themselves,” the local politician said.

A women’s association from the area, but based in Gao, launched an “urgent appeal” on Friday to “come to the aid of the battered population.”

Caught in the crossfire

Talataye, an agglomeration of hamlets, lies at the heart of competing areas of influence, and clashes are frequent. It had some 13,000 inhabitants in 2009, the date of the last census in Mali.

The area is mainly inhabited by Tuareg Dahoussahak nomads, with few urban centers and a sparse population.

The GSIM is said to be influential there.

Other armed groups consisting mainly of MSA fighters that signed a 2015 peace accord are also based there.

The regions of Gao and Menaka, to its east, have for months suffered infighting among jihadist groups as well as violence between jihadists and other armed groups.

The state has a very weak presence, and civilians, mainly nomads living in camps scattered across the desert, are frequently caught in the crossfire.

Jihadists attack the civilians, often on suspicion of siding with the enemy.

Hundreds of civilians have died, and tens of thousands have been displaced.

The Malian government on Tuesday said it had carried out a “reconnaissance offensive” of Talataye from the air.

The army’s communications chief, Colonel Souleymane Dembele, told the Malian press Friday that the occupation of Talataye by ISGS jihadists was “fake news.”

ISGS, formed after a split with other jihadist groups in 2015, has flourished in recent years in the border area between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

It recruits largely from historically marginalized nomadic communities, and is responsible for numerous civilian massacres, notably in Seytenga, Burkina Faso, where 86 civilians were killed in June.

One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Mali has been battling separatist and jihadist insurgencies since 2012.
…

Nigeria’s military says it has killed more than 250 Islamist militants with the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) groups in attacks over the past two weeks. A military spokesman said Nigerian troops also rescued three abducted Chibok schoolgirls, who the militants had held captive since 2014.

Nigeria’s defense ministry authorities made the announcement Thursday during a security update in the capital of Abuja.

Defense spokesperson Musa Danmadami said military forces carried out highly successful air bombardments and ground clearance operations in Operation Hadarin Kai between August 25 and September 8.

He said in the early stages of the operation, troops attacked insurgents in isolated villages in northeast Borno and Yobe states and killed 52 terrorists. He said troops arrested 14 other fighters and rescued 22 hostages, including three “Chibok girls” who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014.

Danmadami said troops even scored more success during operations in the Bama district of Borno state on September 3, when air and land attacks wiped out Boko Haram and Islamic State hideouts.

“Feedback from various sources reveal that over 200 terrorists were neutralized including five high profile commanders. Their enclaves were bombarded, the airstrikes resulted in the neutralization of a large number of insurgents, while the land components mopped up the fleeing terrorists.”

Danmadami said a total of 556 people surrendered to the military, including 15 adult males, 189 females and 252 children.

The defense spokesperson said troops also recovered grenades, AK-47 rifles, grenade launchers and many rounds of ammunition.

Nigeria has been battling an Islamist insurgency in the northeast which started in 2009. Years of fighting has killed tens of thousands of people.

Nigerian authorities have been intensifying assault against the Islamist groups in the country’s northeast.

But authorities are also contending with kidnap-for-ransom gangs active mainly in the country’s northwest and central states.

Beacon security analyst Kabiru Adamu says security forces are making an impact.

“The last few months we’ve seen an increase in both the clearance and interdictions operations by the Nigerian security operatives, creating huge blows in the capacity and efficiency of the non-state actors to carry out attacks. There has been progress in that regard.”

Another security expert, Patrick Agbambu, says authorities must sustain the pressure.

“It’s cheering news, we give kudos to the security agencies, but I’ll want to urge them to continue because while you’re recording success, the criminals are trying to devise other means.”

Nigerian authorities have been widely criticized for failing to maintain security. But on Thursday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari urged citizens to believe in the capacity of the security forces to restore lasting peace and stability.
…

Zambian rights groups are calling on the government to make good on a vow to repeal a defamation law they say is being used to silence critics of President Hakainde Hichilema. The call comes after Zambian police arrested an opposition leader this month under the colonial-era law for insulting the president.

Zambian court Tuesday charged the leader of the opposition Patriots for Economic Progress party, Sean Tembo, with hate speech, which carries a punishment of a fine of up to $6,000 and two years in prison if he is found guilty.

The charge followed Tembo’s September 1 arrest after he posted online criticism of President Hakainde Hichilema’s monthly fuel price hikes, comparing them to menstruation.

While the charge was reduced, Zambian rights groups note the arrest was the latest carried out under a harsh, colonial-era law against defaming the president.

The 1965 law carries a punishment of up to three years in prison for insults against the president and has been used by past governments to silence critics.

Campaigning for president in last year’s election, which he won, Hichilema promised to revoke the law.

In the past year, though, rights groups say Zambian police arrested 12 people under the law, including members of opposition political parties. Two were released, six were jailed, and four, including Tembo, are awaiting trial.

Chama “Pilato” Fumba is a popular musician and director of the group People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia. He himself has been arrested several times for insulting Zambia’s president.

He says the defamation of the president as a law is very backwards and very unnecessary in a democratic country like ours. “This law should be scrapped off our constitution as it does not represent our interests and our aspirations as a country. It is a bad law that even good presidents can become bad presidents.”

Hichilema’s spokesman was quoted in Zambian media saying the president had nothing to do with opposition leader Tembo’s arrest.

Cornelius Mweetwa is a lawyer and spokesman for the ruling United Party for National Development.

He says Zambia’s opposition is being petty in complaining about the law.

“It has nothing to do with restriction of the freedom of speech because this is not a law promulgated and enacted under the new dawn administration. It is a law that has always been in force but one where now the opposition wants to take advantage of to be insulting the president when they are arrested so that they can say no change has occasioned in Zambia. Deep down their hearts they know that this is a different Zambia. This is Zambia that the people wanted and voted for.”

Mweetwa would not say whether the government plans to amend the controversial law.

Macdonald Chipenzi is director of Zambian rights group Governance, Elections, Advocacy, and Research Services.

He says the government will continue to abuse the defamation law if there are no campaigns to end it.

“So, the only thing that is required now is to call for the immediate review or reform of this law so that it is not infringing on the freedom of the people and also try to bring in the aspect of civic education on the responsibilities of citizens as they express themselves as they enjoy this freedom.”

Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard met with Hichilema in Zambia in March and repeated their position that the law should be repealed, citing its past use against critics, opposition, and journalists.

The president said his government was committed to upholding human rights, liberties, and freedoms but would maintain strict adherence to the rule of law.

The Zambian court has not yet set a date for Tembo’s trial.
…

The conflict in Ethiopia between the federal government and rebels in the Oromia region has received little attention as the civil war in the north intensifies. Attacks have underscored growing tensions between the ethnic Oromo and ethnic Amhara. Henry Wilkins reports from Shewa Robit, Ethiopia.
…

Nigerian police said 43 people who were abducted from a mosque in northwestern Zamfara state have been released, while one died in captivity after being tortured. Police say they are still searching for armed men responsible, who disguised themselves as fellow worshippers when they invaded the mosque last week during Friday prayers.

Zamfara State Police spokesperson Mohammed Shehu confirmed to VOA in a phone call Thursday the release of the abductees.

He said police authorities have deployed officers around the state to prevent more attacks from taking place. Shehu did not comment, though, on whether a ransom was paid to secure their release of the abductees.

“They were released,” Shehu said. “We have deployed our operatives everywhere, and they’re working tirelessly to ensure that we contain the activity of armed banditry and kidnapping.”

The worshippers were kidnapped on September 2 as they gathered for the weekly juma’at prayer in the village of Zugu.

Gunmen disguised as fellow worshippers invaded the mosque, shot sporadically and herded them into the bush.

Relatives and local residents of the Zugu village said they jointly raised and paid the kidnappers the equivalent of $12,000, and they also gave them many gallons of petrol before the captives were released.

Saidu Umar, a relative of one of the released abductees, said that initially the abductors asked for about $82,000, or 35 million naira.

But, Umar said, residents bargained and gave the abductors 5 million naira, and the worshippers were then released. Umar said some of the captives were wounded and unable to walk, so the residents went to the mosque with motorbikes to carry them away.

Nigerian authorities have been trying to stem violence and kidnapping in the country’s northwestern and central states for years and strongly oppose making ransom payments.

Deployment of troops in the affected regions has stretched security forces thin. But the government said it is making some progress. In March, authorities said air bombardments that lasted three days killed more than 200 bandits in Niger State.

Last month, the Nigerian Air Force said another 55 bandits were killed across central and northwestern states.

However, Patrick Agbambu, founder of Security Watch Africa Initiatives, said authorities cannot rest on previous victories.

“Crime business is a dynamic business. It changes forms at any given time,” Agbambu said. “While you’re recording some success, the criminals are trying to devise other means to outwit you, so as we celebrate these successes it also calls for more vigilance from the security agencies.”

Agbambu also said citizens must take caution against paying ransom to kidnappers.

“Nobody wants to experience such,” he said. “I understand the desperation of the relatives of these victims in wanting to pay ransom, but the more ransoms are paid, the more kidnapping or abduction will continue because it becomes a lucrative business.”

For now, the released abductees will try to recover from their experience, while the village and authorities remain more vigilant.
…

Malawi’s president has ordered the Reserve Bank of Malawi to prioritize buying fuel in any foreign currency the country can secure to deal with a fuel shortage. The shortage has forced Malawi’s drivers to wait hours in line, or to buy fuel smuggled in from neighboring Mozambique.

The scarcity of fuel in Malawi is largely attributed to a shortage of foreign exchange, especially U.S. dollars.

The shortage has forced Malawi’s drivers to wait hours in line, sometimes overnight, or to purchase fuel illegally smuggled in from Mozambique.

The problem is more rampant in central and northern Malawi where many pump stations have run dry for weeks.

Clement Chinoko is a journalist working for the daily Nation newspaper in the capital Lilongwe, where fuel remains in short supply. “It has been a hustle. The last time I fueled I had to wait for about three hours in Lilongwe City Centre. This is the main business area of the capital city. That was three days ago. Today, I am back on the queue as well, hoping that I am going to be serviced.”

Another motorist Matilda Chibambo from Blantyre, says she had to abandon her car on her way to northern Malawi.

“I was supposed to be in the meeting in Mzuzu yesterday, that is Wednesday, but until now I am in Salima, I am stuck because there is no fuel. I am trying to board a public bus but I have also noted that the bus fare has increased. So, the situation is so, so frustrating and I am so angry right now.”

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said Wednesday the government is taking steps to improve the fuel supply.

“I know that the current shortage of fuel is adversely affecting manufacturing, businesses, work, and domestic life, and I want to assure you that we are seized of this matter to ensure that there is product in the service stations in the short term, while we work on the long-term forex issues that are at the root of this problem.”

Malawi obtains most of its foreign exchange earnings from tobacco. However, statistics from the Auction Holding Limited show that this year tobacco crop raked in $182 million, compared to $197 million last year, a decrease of 7.7 percent.

Fuel company Petroleum Importers Limited told reporters this week that it is struggling to bring in fuel because it lacks the $22 million in foreign currency required each month.

President Chakwera said the government is working with banks to acquire the needed funds.

“So, as we speak, we have therefore already secured $28 million dollars from local banks for this purpose, and we are in pursuit of another $50 million dollar facility for the same, on top of instructions the Reserve Bank has received to prioritize fuel procurement in the allocation of any forex we secure.”

The president said imports have resumed and the country is tapping its reserves.

“So, as we speak, we have over 6 million liters being brought into the country, while at the same time we have doubled the daily distribution of the product we already have in our reserves to ease the burden.”

Motorists like Chikono and Chibambo hope the government can find a long-term solution, like increasing the export base to curb the shortage of foreign exchange.
…

The World Health Organization is warning of a resurgence of deadly meningitis in Africa because COVID-19 has disrupted lifesaving vaccination campaigns.

The near elimination of the deadly form of meningitis type A in Africa is one of the continent’s biggest health success stories. Over the last 12 years, about 350 million Africans have received a single dose of MenAfriVac, a vaccine designed specifically for the African meningitis belt.  

The WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said not a single case of meningitis Group A has been reported on the continent in the past five years.

“Now, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed vaccination campaigns targeting more than 50 million African children, raising the risk that these gains will be reversed,” she said. “In addition, major outbreaks caused by meningitis Group C have been recorded in seven of the African Sub-Saharan meningitis belt countries in the past nine years.”

Moeti noted a four-month outbreak last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed more than 200 lives.  

Francois Marc Laforce, director of technical services for the Serum Institute of India, played a pivotal role in the development of the MenAfriVac vaccine at the Serum Institute nearly two decades ago. He said that besides meningitis Group C, Africa currently is contending with residual outbreaks of other forms of meningitis.

“A new vaccine again specifically designed for the African meningitis belt will, hopefully, be prequalified later this year or early next year,” he said. But this vaccine holds the promise of finishing what MenAfriVac began, such that Africa may be the first continent to be free of meningitis epidemics.”  

Meningitis is caused by inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Acute bacterial meningitis can cause death within 24 hours.  Young children are most at risk. About half the cases and deaths occur in children under age five.

The WHO launched a new strategy Thursday to defeat bacterial meningitis in the African region by 2030. The plan calls for shoring up diagnosis, surveillance, care, and vaccination. The WHO estimates $1.5 billion will be needed to implement the plan between now and 2030.
…

A report published by the U.N. Development Program finds the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, economic uncertainty and other crises have halted progress in human development and reversed gains made over the past three decades.

Data from 191 countries show 90% failed to achieve a better, healthier, more secure life for their people in 2020 and 2021. For the first time in 32 years, the UNDP’s Human Development Index, which measures a nation’s progress, finds human development has declined for two years running.

U.N. Development Program administrator Achim Steiner said that is unprecedented.

“Nine out of 10 countries in this year’s human development report index are shown to have faced a decline,” Steiner said. “This has never happened before even during the last devastating global moment of crisis, the financial crisis, only one out of 10 countries faced a decline in human development indices.”

The Human Development Index captures a picture of a nation’s health, education, and standard of living. This year’s rankings show some countries are beginning to get back on their feet, while others remain mired in deepening crises. The report finds Latin America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have been particularly hard hit.

Switzerland tops this year’s rankings, followed by Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, Australia, and other wealthy nations. Countries from sub-Saharan Africa are among the lowest ranked in human development, with South Sudan at the bottom.

The report’s lead author, Pedro Conceicao, said the unprecedented decline in human development was driven by economic recession, and by an extraordinary decline in life expectancy. That, he said, includes the 21st-ranked United States, which has seen a dramatic drop in life expectancy due to COVID-19 from 79 years to 76.1 years.

Conceicao said other new data from the report show global levels of trust are the lowest on record. He added those who are most mistrustful hold the most extreme political views.

“Uncertainty and the feeling of insecurity hardens people’s commitments to a group that shares a similar set of beliefs and increases hostility to other groups that think differently,” he said. “And digital technology often adds fuel to this flame of divisiveness. So, as a result, the report documents that democratic practices are under stress.”

The report warns insecurity and polarization are feeding off each other. And that, it says, is preventing nations from taking the collective action needed to address the multiple threats and crises the world is facing.
…

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, is warning that the displacement crisis in the Horn of Africa and Sahel is getting worse as the impact of climate change and conflict are forcing more people to flee in search of safety and humanitarian assistance.

Climate shocks like floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense in Africa. Millions of people in Somalia and Ethiopia are struggling to find enough food, water and income to survive four consecutive years of drought.

Faced with this reality, the U.N. refugee agency says it is employing relief strategies to be better able to adapt to the new risks posed by climate change. The UNHCR representative in Somalia, Magatte Guisse, says Somalia is on the verge of a catastrophic famine.

He says that to help those most in need, his agency is setting up humanitarian hubs close to the most affected areas. He says helicopters will be used to transport staff and to deliver assistance.

“But other ideas also are to explore other options to link with community elders and any other actors in the community, which can help to reach the persons affected in those areas,” Guisse said. “This is part of our strategy, and it is ongoing.”

The UNHCR representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde, says 8 million people out of 20 million needing humanitarian assistance are affected by the ravages of climate change and insecurity.

These are people “who are already vulnerable because of lack of food and water,” Balde said. “And then even for accessing energy, you need to walk and move from one place to another. … For us, it is not only about lifesaving. Lifesaving is critical and we need that support now for immediate support. But we also need to help them build resilience, so that you can also get out of that perpetual request for support.”

Unlike the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, heavy rains have inundated Burkina Faso. Climate issues have brought new misery to a country that has one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises.

UNHCR’s representative in Burkina Faso, Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, says attacks by armed groups have displaced 10 percent of the population, or 2 million people. He says the heavy rains have destroyed people’s homes and property and sent even more people fleeing.

One response being provided “is to make sure that, at least in all these open centers, where most of them are living, to make sure that the shelter response that we are providing is somehow, you know, compatible with the climate conditions,” Gnon-Konde said.

The UNHCR is appealing for funds to finance the technological support needed to avert, mitigate and tackle the displacement related to the adverse effects of extreme weather events.
…

Mozambique’s president said Islamist militants in the country’s northern Nampula province have killed six people, all by beheading, and abducted three others. The Islamist militant movement in northern Mozambique is spreading to new territory despite efforts by government and regional forces to contain it.

Speaking live on national radio Wednesday from the southern Gaza province, President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi confirmed the beheadings and abductions and said dozens of houses were set on fire on Tuesday.

This was the third terrorist attack within five days in Nampula province, where the incidents are creating a new wave of displaced people, though authorities do not have exact numbers.

The president said the militants were attempting to bolster their numbers. He said the militants tried to recruit new members in Nampula province but were unsuccessful.

“Hence, their nervousness,” the president said in Portuguese. “They are very nervous.”

On Friday night, militants attacked the village of Kutua, in the district of Eráti. On Sunday, they attacked the village of Naminhanha, also in the Memba district.

In his speech, Nyusi said Mozambique’s defense and security forces, with the support of troops from Rwanda and the regional bloc SADC, are fighting the militants.

The president said Mozambican forces recently recaptured a terrorist base.

He said defense and security forces took over Katupha base in Ancuabe district in Cabo Delgado province. The terrorist base is where terrorists had taken refuge after being displaced in towns and villages now under the responsibility of government authorities.

Nyusi added that finding the militants is difficult because many are hiding in a dense forest.

With the worsening of the terrorist wave in Cabo Delgado in recent years, many residents have fled to Nampula, looking for a safe and peaceful place to live.

Nampula is now the third province of northern Mozambique where terrorist attacks have displaced villagers, following Cabo Delgado and Niassa.
…

Nigerian police in southern Rivers state have rescued 15 children they say were being trafficked by a 44-year-old woman who claimed to be a nun. 

The Rivers State Police Command said the children were rescued from the woman’s residence in the Ikwerre local government area during a raid on September 3. 

Spokesperson Friday Eboka said police had received a tipoff about the matter. He said all the children were under 10 years of age and that some of them had been missing for several months. 

Eboka said they were abducted from various parts of Nigeria’s southern region, including nearby Bayelsa state. 

The woman, who said she was a nun, told reporters Wednesday that she was running a non-profit organization for abandoned kids. 

Eboka said the case has been transferred to higher authorities for investigation. He did not respond to calls from VOA for comment. 

The International Organization for Migration says Nigeria is a source, transit point, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking, for reasons including forced labor and forced prostitution. 

The problem persists despite the establishment in 2003 of a national agency to combat trafficking in persons. 

Police in northwest Sokoto state this week arrested two suspects for allegedly trying to traffic people to Libya. 

 
…

The West African nation of Togo has extended a state of emergency in its northern Savanes region for another six months due to continued attacks by Islamist militants.

A six-month state of emergency was approved Tuesday by the Togolese parliament to restore security in the region.

A statement from Damehame Yark, the Togolese security minister, said that the extension was “necessary for the proper conduct of military operations” and “a return to peace” in the region.

Togo declared a three-month state of emergency in the Savanes region in June, after Islamist militants attacked an area near the border with Burkina Faso, killing eight troops and wounding 13. 

More recently, local media said that between 15 and 20 people were killed in a series of attacks on July 15. While the army gave no official figures about this incident, it was confirmed that “several” people were killed and wounded.

Togolese defense and security forces were again attacked on August 22 in the village of Blamonga, close to the border with Burkina Faso. A few soldiers were injured during an exchange of fire that lasted several minutes before armed groups retreated.

Togo, after Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast, is the latest country on the coast of West Africa to become the target of Islamist militants coming from the Sahel region.
…

The U.N. humanitarian chief predicted Tuesday that at least $1 billion will be needed urgently to avert famine in Somalia in the coming months and early next year when two more dry seasons are expected to compound the historic drought that has hit the Horn of Africa nation. 

Martin Griffiths said in a video briefing from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that a new report from an authoritative panel of independent experts says there will be a famine in Somalia between October and December “if we don’t manage to stave it off and avoid it as had been the case in 2016 and 2017.” 

The undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs told U.N. correspondents that more than $1 billion in new funds is needed in addition to the U.N. appeal of about $1.4 billion. That appeal has been “very well-funded,” he said, thanks to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which announced a $476 million donation of humanitarian and development aid in July. 

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, created by USAID, said in a report Monday that famine is projected to emerge later this year in three areas in Somalia’s southeastern Bay region, including Baidoa without urgent humanitarian aid. 

Up to 7.1 million people across Somalia need urgent assistance to treat and prevent acute malnutrition and reduce the number of ongoing hunger-related deaths, according to a recent analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification or IPC, used by the network to describe the severity of food insecurity. 

The Horn of Africa region has seen four straight failed rainy seasons for the first time in over half a century, endangering an estimated 20 million people in one of the world’s most impoverished and turbulent regions. 

Griffiths said meteorologists have predicted the likelihood of a fifth failed rainy season from October to December, and a sixth failed rainy season from January to March next year is also likely. 

“This has never happened before in Somalia,” he said. “This is unprecedented.” 

“We’ve been banging the drum and rattling the trees trying to get support internationally in terms of attention, prospects, and the possibilities and the horror of famine coming to the Horn of Africa – here in Somalia maybe first, but Ethiopia and Kenya, probably they’re not far behind,” Griffiths said. 

He said the U.N. World Food Program has recently been providing aid for up to 5.3 million Somalis, which is “a lot, but it’s going to get worse if famine comes.” He said 98% of the aid is given through cash distributions via telephones. 

But many thousands are not getting help and hungry families in Somalia have been staggering for days or weeks through parched terrain in search of assistance. 

Griffiths said a big challenge is to get aid to people before they move from their homes, to help avoid massive displacement. 

Many Somalis raise livestock, which is key to their survival, but he said three million animals have died or been slaughtered because of the lack of rain. 

“Continued drought, continued failure of rainy seasons, means that a generation’s way of life is under threat,” Griffiths said. 

He said the international community needs to help Somalis find an alternative way of life and making a living, which will require development funding and funding to mitigate the impact of climate change. 

Griffiths, a British diplomat, said the war in Ukraine has had an impact on humanitarian aid, with U.N. humanitarian appeals around the world receiving about 30% of the money needed on average. 

“To those countries, which are traditionally very generous, my own included, and many others,” he said. “Please don’t forget Somalia. You didn’t in the past. You contributed wonderfully in the past. Please do so now.” 
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Hundreds of truckers have stopped working on Cameroon’s border with Chad to protest a ban on heavy trucking into Chad, which depends on Cameroon for 80% of its imported goods. 

Drivers transporting food and humanitarian assistance say they are disgruntled with what they call Cameroon’s refusal to repair the road linking northern Cameroon and Chad. The route is part of the lone highway used by truck drivers to transport goods from Cameroon’s Douala seaport to N’djamena, capital of landlocked Chad. 

Chadian-born Ahmad Yussuf, president of the Cameroon, Chad Truck Transporters Union, said truckers have decided to stop transporting goods to and from Chad until the government of Cameroon repairs highly dilapidated portions of the road. 

Yussuf said several hundred trucks are grounded in Cameroon and Chad to honor the protest called by their transport union. 

“The situation is very, very complicated [bad],” he said Tuesday by the messaging app WhatsApp from Dabanga, a town on Cameroon’s northern border with Chad. “We have hundreds of trucks parked between Mora, Dabanga and Kousseri for days and weeks, and we call for repairs on that road, it is a very important road for us. If that road is not repaired, the loss is too much. Some goods have expiry dates and so on.” 

Yussuf said perishable food items and medical supplies that have to be stored at particular temperatures are exposed to heavy rainfall and a harsh climate. He said their business is at a standstill as they remain on the spot, but he added that it is a price they have to pay to force the government to repair the road.  

The drivers also are protesting an August 2022 Cameroon government ban on heavy-duty truck use in the area north of the border with Chad. 

Cameroon officials say the lone road linking the two countries has deteriorated greatly, causing accidents and further damage to the road when used by heavy duty trucks. 

Cameroon is instructing heavy duty truck drivers to unload and use lighter vehicles to transport the goods from Cameroon to N’djamena. But the drivers say unloading and transporting goods in smaller trucks is expensive and time consuming. 

Guy Ondoua Amougou, the highest Cameroon government official in charge of roads in the central African states along the northern border with Chad, said the Cameroon government will repair highly dilapidated portions of the road to enable light vehicles to transport goods, especially perishable foodstuffs to landlocked Chad.

He added that Cameroon is negotiating with the World Bank to fund the construction of a 250-kilometer modern road linking the town of Maroua in Cameroon to N’djamena, Chad. 

Amougou did not say when Cameroon intends to complete repairs on the road nor how far along Cameroon’s negotiations are with the World Bank to fund construction. 

While waiting, Chadians say the interruption of heavy trucks from circulating in northern Cameroon has slowed deliveries in Chad and increased prices of food, including rice, flour and vegetable oil imported through Cameroon. 

Ali Djiba, spokesperson of the Consumers Association of Chad, spoke by a messaging app from N’djamena on Tuesday, saying Chadians are very unhappy because the prices of basic commodities imported through Cameroon have gone up at least a 40 percent in the past month.

He added that Ndjamena and Yaounde should jointly make sure the road linking Cameroon’s Douala seaport and landlocked Chad is constructed to stop a further deterioration of living conditions for civilians in the two countries. 

In May, Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV reported that the World Bank had approved a $538 million loan to improve road and rail infrastructure along the Douala N’djamena road within the next three years. The road also links Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.

In May 2014, Cameroon said the Nigerian militant Islamist sect Boko Haram attacked and kidnapped 10 Chinese road construction engineers and killed one Cameroonian soldier at a camp in Mora for the construction engineers. 

Since then, Cameroon said its military engineering corps took over construction of the road linking Cameroon’s northern borders with Chad and Nigeria. Cameroon said Chinese contractors abandoned the work following repeated attacks by armed Boko Haram fighters. 

Additionally, Cameroon state officials now are blaming ongoing heavy rains and flooding for damaging the road and causing accidents. 

 
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The former Irish President has called on African nations to pile on the pressure on rich, heavily-polluting countries to fulfill their climate pledges to the continent during a visit to Uganda.

Mary Robinson, who is also chair of the Elders group of global leaders who advocate for peace and justice, told The Associated Press on Monday that the Group of 20 “must come up with new plans” to support Africa with its climate change efforts at the upcoming United Nations climate conference in November, known as COP27.

On Monday, European nations pledged a further $25 billion to the continent to help countries adapt to the effects of climate change. The continent has suffered in an ongoing devastating drought in the east, with flooding and cyclones severely damaging southern countries.

Robinson said that the Elders “feel very strongly that we need COP27 to succeed” and encouraged African leaders “to create political pressure” so that developed countries can fulfill their promises.

Rich countries have so far failed to keep a $100-billion-a-year pledge to poorer nations to help them adapt to the effects of climate change and transition to greener energy sources. Developed nations are larger emitters than poorer ones, with the African continent contributing just 3% to 4% of global emissions despite being 17% of the global population.

“We do not want to have a situation where promises that are not fulfilled undermine further the existing trust,” Robinson said. She added that developed countries should “give more to get clean energy, technology and investments towards African countries.”

Robinson is in Uganda for her second visit to the continent this year and is promoting renewable energy initiatives in schools alongside youth climate activist Vanessa Nakate.

Robinson noted that COP27, which will be held in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, will be regarded as an “African COP.”

She added: “It will be more an African COP if there are more voices from Africa and the developing world making this as inclusive as possible” and highlighted the importance of younger and more diverse voices.
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Zimbabwe is struggling to contain a measles outbreak that has killed nearly 700 people, most of them children and young people.

Zimbabwe’s government said Tuesday thousands of people have been infected with measles since an April outbreak and 698 people have died, most of them children.

Zimbabwe’s health ministry blames some religious sects for the outbreak. It says some religious groups and traditional leaders preach against getting vaccinations.

Health authorities have since been struggling to contain the infectious viral disease, which causes a rash, cough, and high fever, and can be fatal for unvaccinated children.

“Measles is a very contagious, infectious disease that spreads when a number of unvaccinated children rises beyond critical thresholds,” said Alex Gasarira, the World Health Organization’s representative in Zimbabwe. “So, what we have in Zimbabwe right now is because the number of unvaccinated children has risen because of several factors: Community who are not comfortable to have their children vaccinated, disruption [of] vaccination services because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic.”

The rising death toll is fueling calls in Zimbabwe for mandatory shots to halt the virus, but experts says the effort has to be well organized.

“Compulsory immunization has to be well planned, and it has to cover every child in this country,” said Tinashe Mundawarara of the Zimbabwe Health Law and Policy Consortium. “That would ensure that the best interest of the child is really considered.”

Zimbabwe’s health authorities have not yet made the measles vaccination mandatory and were not immediately available for comment.

But they have been campaigning for all children between six and 15 years old to be immunized and are working with aid groups like the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, to educate those who resist.

UNICEF Zimbabwe’s Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale said his organization and others are working with the government to contain the outbreak.

“Just like [during] the COVID response, the government of Zimbabwe and partners are taking seriously the current outbreak of measles that we currently have in the country,” he said. “At present, the government has deployed rapid response team supported by UNICEF, WHO and other partners to help better track the incidents of measles. More importantly, UNICEF and our community actors are also working hand in hand to increase awareness of the measles vaccine and also help address community resistance to the vaccination.”

The measles outbreak was first reported in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland province, which borders Mozambique, and has since spread nationwide.
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Police in Nigeria’s southwest Ondo state are searching for more than 30 people abducted Saturday as they were returning home from a funeral. The mass abduction came just a day after gunmen seized scores of worshippers at a mosque during Friday prayers in northwest Zamfara state. The almost weekly attacks have Nigerian authorities under intense criticism for the country’s worsening insecurity.

The police spokesperson in Ondo State, Funmilayo Odunlami, told Lagos-based Channels Television that the state has sent security agents into the forest to search for the hostages.  

Odunlami said one of the victims had been rescued and was aiding security officials with details of the attack. 

Gunmen intercepted two vehicles carrying travelers on the Benin-Owo expressway on Saturday evening. The travelers were returning home from a funeral in nearby Edo State. 

It’s unclear whether the kidnappers have contacted families of the victims. Odunlami did not respond to several calls from VOA for comment. 

A militia in Ondo state known as Amotekun has also deployed its men to search for the abductees. 

The kidnapping comes amid growing criticism of the government for failing to address security issues across the country. Authorities are trying stop kidnap-for-ransom gangs while also battling Islamist insurgent groups in the Northeast. 

Ondo State resident Goke Oluwole said fear is running high.

“Two vehicles, they were 32 in number including drivers and conductors. Thirty-two is an alarming number. The thing has been regular, there’s no day they don’t kidnap.” 

Last Friday, gunmen disguised as worshippers invaded a mosque in northwest Zamfara State and abducted dozens of worshippers. 

In early June, gunmen invaded a Catholic Church in Owo State and killed 40 worshippers and injured almost 90 others. 

Over the weekend, security analyst Senator Ireogbu told VOA that the government has not been proactive in addressing insecurities.

“I feel most of the responses have been reactionary and ad hoc in nature,” Ireogbu said. “There has to be a holistic definition of what is actually happening.”

Another security analyst, Kabiru Adamu, says there has been some progress. 

“Security is best deployed in layers, have layers of protection around these areas using technologies, especially surveillance capability,” said Adamu. “But it must be mentioned that in the last few months we’ve seen an increase in both the clearance and operations by the Nigerian security forces, creating huge blows in the capacity and efficiency of the non-state actors to carry out attacks.”

Last month, Nigerian authorities said military airstrikes neutralized more than 50 members of a kidnapping gang in the northwest and central regions. 

On Monday, a counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said military airstrikes killed 200 insurgents including five commanders. VOA could not immediately verify the claims. 
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At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 were injured in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, when a vehicle in a convoy hit an improvised explosive device (IED), the interim government said in a statement. 

The escorted supply convoy heading to the capital of Ouagadougou hit the IED between the northern towns of Djibo and Bourzanga, an area where Islamist militants have escalated attacks on villages, police and military outposts since 2015. 

“Escorts rapidly secured the perimeter and took measures to assist the victims,” the military government said in a statement. 

Insecurity has risen across West Africa’s Sahel over the past decade as groups with links to al-Qaida and Islamic State have gained ground, killing thousands and displacing more than a million people despite the presence of foreign troops and United Nations peacekeepers. 

Frustrations about spiraling attacks spurred a military coup against Burkina Faso’s ex-President Roch Kabore in January. 

But levels of violence have remained high. 

Nearly one in 10 people in Burkina Faso has been displaced by conflict and severe food insecurity has almost doubled compared to 2021 as fields and livestock are abandoned, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. 
…

The death toll from a measles outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to almost 700 children, the country’s health ministry has said.

Some are calling for the enactment of legislation to make vaccination mandatory in a country where anti-modern medicine religious sects hold sway on large swathes of the population of 15 million people.

The southern African country’s health ministry announced at the weekend that 698 children have died from measles since the outbreak started in April.

The ministry said 37 of the deaths occurred on a single day on Sept. 1. The health ministry said it had recorded 6,291 cases by Sept. 4.

The latest figures are more than four times the number of deaths announced about two weeks ago when the ministry said 157 children, most of whom were unvaccinated due to their family’s religious beliefs, had succumbed to the disease.

Dr. Johannes Marisa, the president of the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association, told The Associated Press on Monday that the government should escalate an ongoing mass vaccination campaign and embark on awareness programs targeted especially at anti-vaccine religious groups.

“Because of the resistance, education may not be enough so the government should also consider using coercive measures to ensure that no one is allowed to refuse vaccination for their children,” said Marisa. He urged the government to “consider enacting legislation that makes vaccination against killer diseases such as measles mandatory.”

UNICEF on Monday said it “is deeply concerned” with the number of cases and deaths among children due to measles. The agency said it is assisting the government to combat the outbreak through immunization programs.

The measles outbreak was first reported in the eastern Manicaland province in early April and has since spread to all parts of the country.

Many of the deaths have been of children who were not vaccinated, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in August.

Zimbabwe’s Cabinet has invoked a law used to respond to disasters to deal with the outbreak.

The government has embarked on a mass vaccination campaign targeting children aged between 6 months and 15 years old and is engaging traditional and faith leaders to support the drive.

Zimbabwe continued vaccinating children against measles even during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, but the drive has been hampered by religious groups that preach against vaccines.

The Christian sects are against modern medicine and tell their members to rely on self-proclaimed prophets for healing.

Church gatherings that have resumed following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions have “led to the spread of measles to previously unaffected areas,” said the health ministry in a statement last week.

Measles is among the most infectious diseases in the world and mostly spreads in the air by coughing, sneezing or close contact.

Symptoms include coughing, fever and a skin rash, while the risk of severe measles or dying from complications is high among unvaccinated children.

Outbreaks in unvaccinated and malnourished populations have been known to kill thousands. Scientists estimate that more than 90% of the population needs to be immunized to prevent measles outbreaks.

The World Health Organization in April warned of an increase in measles in vulnerable countries as a result of a disruption of services due to COVID-19.

In July, the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, said about 25 million children worldwide have missed out on routine immunizations against common childhood diseases, calling it a “red alert” for child health.
…

United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has warned that Somalia is on the brink of famine following the worst drought in four decades.  

During a news conference in Mogadishu, Griffiths said he has “concrete indications” that famine may occur in the southern Bay region by the end of the year. 

Griffiths was in Somalia over the past week to assess the impact of the drought and speak with affected individuals. 

His visit to Mogadishu, where most of the drought-affected Somalians live, was followed by a visit to Baidoa, one of two southern towns where many people are at risk of starvation. 

During his stay in Baidoa, Griffiths visited camps for internally displaced people and hospitals treating malnourished children. 

“I have been shocked to my core these past few days by the level of pain and suffering we see so many Somalis enduring,” he said. “Famine is at the door and today we are sending the final warning.”  

Griffiths warned that Baidoa and nearby Burhakaba will be at the epicenter of famine if no action is taken to prevent it.   

“The Somalia Food Security and Nutrition analysis report, being released today, shows concrete indications that famine will occur in two areas in the Bay region in South-Central Somalia between October and December of this year,” he said. “The impending famine is similar to the famine that occurred in the country from 2010 to 2011.”  

The famine that struck Somalia in 2011 resulted in the deaths of nearly 260,000 Somalis, half of whom were children.   

Currently, the situation in the Bay region falls just short of a formal declaration of famine. But thousands there are under threat of starvation. 

Overall, the United Nations and Somali government say 7.8 million people nationwide are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as the drought drags on and the food situation gets worse.   

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the crisis in Somalia, which is suffering from a shortage of humanitarian aid as international donors focus on Europe.  

Somalia received at least 90% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine before the war and has been hit hard by scarcity and the sharp rise in food prices.     
…

President-elect William Ruto said he will work to deliver for the Kenyan population, speaking after the country’s Supreme Court upheld his recent election win. The court unanimously dismissed claims by petitioners, including runner-up and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, that the vote was rigged. 

President-elect William Ruto welcomed Monday’s decision, pledging to serve the Kenyan people.

“We are truly grateful and I want to say to the people of Kenya and to those who have made efforts to get us here that we will not let you down, we will work hard and we will not let you down,” he said.

The seven-judge court ruled that results of the August 9 presidential election were valid under the constitution and electoral law.

The judges also said they found no significant irregularities or illegalities. 

Chief Justice Martha Koome read the ruling on behalf of the other six judges. She dismissed eight petitions challenging the outcome, including the one from former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“The presidential election petition E005 of 2022 as consolidated with the presidential petition numbers E001, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 of 2022 are hereby dismissed. As a consequence, we declare the election of the first respondent as president-elect to be valid under Article 143 of the constitution,” said Koome. 

The court found that the electoral commission deployed technology that correctly identified voters, transmitted results and was not disrupted.

The court also said the polling station results were not tampered with and found that Ruto attained more than 50 percent of the vote, the standard required for the leading candidate to avoid a run-off.

Koome said there were some problems with the election but none that would call for the election to be invalidated.

“Although the petitioners have provided numerous environments pointing to possible irregularities and illegalities marked by failure of technology, arrange voter suppression, … ill preparation by the IEBC and its chairperson, commission indiscretions, transposition anomalies, agent absence and many others, we are of the view that the pointed irregularities and illegalities were not of such magnitude as to affect the final result of the presidential election,” said the chief justice.

The IEBC is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Odinga said in a statement that he would respect the court’s ruling. He said, quoting here, “We have always stood for the rule of law and the constitution. In this regard, we respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today.”

His running mate, Martha Karua, said on Twitter that the court had spoken but that she disagreed with the findings.

One of the lawyers representing Odinga, James Orengo, also objected to the ruling.

“The rule of law should prevail; the court normally has the last word in making a statement as to what’s the law of the land, but as citizens who are sovereign, we are entitled to disagree and disagree very vehemently,” he said.

Ruto will be sworn in next week and become the fifth president of the republic of Kenya, succeeding Uhuru Kenyatta.
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Three female Ivorian soldiers arrived home late Saturday after being detained for nearly two months in Mali, while 46 others remain jailed in a case that has heightened tensions between the West African neighbors.

Togolese Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Dusse, whose country has been mediating talks, said the three women were “released as a humanitarian gesture” by Mali’s leader, Col. Assimi Goita.

“We are sad because our friends are still there and we hope to be able to retrieve them very soon,” said one of the soldiers, Sita Bamba, who was released along with Awa Bakayoko and Kangah Badou Adele Bledou.

The Ivorian soldiers were sent to Mali in July to work for Sahelian Aviation Services, a private company contracted by the United Nations.

However, Mali’s government said it considered the Ivorians to be mercenaries because they were not directly employed by the U.N. mission and charged them with undermining state security. Malian authorities said the aviation company should “henceforth entrust its security to the Malian defense and security forces.”

In a statement, Malian Prosecutor Samba Sissoko gave no update about the 46 Ivorians who are still detained, other than to say that “investigations are ongoing.” The Togolese foreign affairs minister indicated discussions about the remaining detainees continue.

The detention of the Ivorian soldiers marked the latest sign of tension between Mali’s leader and the international community. Goita has faced growing isolation after he seized power in a coup two years ago and then failed to meet an international deadline for organizing new democratic elections.

In June, Malian authorities said they would not authorize the U.N. mission to investigate human rights violations in Mali, including the deaths of more than 300 civilians earlier this year. Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of carrying out the killings.

France, the one-time colonial power that had fought Islamic extremism for nine years in Mali, completed its troop withdrawal from the country last month.
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