At least six people were killed and 21 injured in an Ethiopian army airstrike Thursday on the Tigray regional capital, Mekelle, hospital sources told VOA. 

The attack brings the total number of casualties reported by medical personnel from a series of government bomb strikes since last week to at least 12 dead and 55 wounded. 

The Ethiopian National Defense Forces issued a statement saying the latest attack was aimed at Mesfin Industrial Engineering, which it said was a military equipment maintenance facility operated by the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). 

But witnesses in Mekelle told VOA that the late-morning airstrike hit a residential area. 

The victims were rushed to the city’s Ayder Referral Hospital where Tsega, a wounded resident, told VOA that a bomb had hit her house with her entire family inside.

“There were many people at home. Children slept. Half of our house has been damaged,” she said in Tigrinya. “We’ve survived. However, the house next to ours was demolished. I don’t think anybody could survive there.” 

Gebremeskel Abraha, who was being treated for a knee wound, said he was walking on the street when the attack occurred.

The bomb “fell in between the houses while I was passing by,” he said. “The people you see here were hit by that bomb. Houses were ruined. Those who have been hit are peaceful people.” 

Azeb Aregay, a neighborhood resident, said it was not clear how many people were killed or injured.

“They are still searching,” she said. “Peaceful people are being hit. There are no fighters or armed people here. It is a residential area.” 

Dr. Kibrom Gebreselassie, the medical director at Ayder Referral Hospital, said six dead and 21 injured had been brought to the facility so far.

“Ambulances are coming in as we speak now. The number might go up,” he told VOA. He said three of the dead were children. 

“We are treating people in makeshift tents as the hospital is full to capacity,” he told VOA’s Tigrigna Service.

He blamed a blockade of the region for shortages of food, drugs and medical equipment at the hospital. 

“We survived until now on the drugs we had in the stock. As you see, the hospital is full and we are treating people in the tents we set up on the streets outside,” he said. 

Ethiopian Communications Minister Legesse Tulu insisted that the attack hit a legitimate military target, telling VOA’s Habtamu Seyoum of VOA’s Amharic Service in a telephone interview that the strike “successfully targeted” a site that the government believed the TPLF used as an “arms maintenance facility.”

“The target was Slot 2,” he said. “Manufacturing Slot 2 is a place where they manufacture and repair military equipment. They repair there their heavy weaponry, and they use the heavy weaponry mainly to destroy towns, properties of farmers and infrastructure, et cetera. It was targeted to deter this, and it has been successfully targeted.”

Legesse said the federal government had not received any reports of civilian casualties from the strike and accused the TPLF of trying to deceive the international community and the media with false information. 

“What we know is a successful raid was conducted that hit the military manufacturing that they use for military equipment maintenance facility. Nothing was done to attack civilians intentionally or deliberately.” 

VOA Horn of Africa’s Tigrigna Service reporter Mulugeta Atsbeha contributed from Mekelle, and Amharic Service reporter Habtamu Seyoum contributed from Washington. 
…

Lilian Vihenda prepares afternoon porridge for her young children. The flour she uses has just been delivered by the staff at Food Banking Kenya, a nonprofit organization that helps feed the needy in her Nairobi neighborhood.

In the current hard economic times in Kenya, Vihenda says, these care packages help keep her children in school. She says the money that she would have used to buy food will pay for her children’s school fees, which is a great help.

But in addition to helping the poor by salvaging excess food from farms and markets, Food Banking Kenya is taking steps to blunt the harmful impact of climate change.

John Gathungu, who heads the nonprofit, says the recent acquisition of a cold storage facility allows the food bank to store more food while reducing greenhouse emissions from the farms.

“When food in the farms ends up in the landfills, you find that there is a lot of toxicity within the air, because what happens is that when they rot in the landfill, they produce methane, which is a worse product than carbon dioxide,” Gathungu said. “And if we curb food wastage, we can be able to at least to reduce the amount of gas that is produced from at least 6 to 8 percent.”

Implementing climate-sensitive advances will be key to helping Africa adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, says adaptation strategies analyst Winnie Khaemba.

“Agricultural technologies that also ensure that you have reduced emissions, CO2 emissions, methane emissions, which are all greenhouse emissions, we really are in need of these technologies and also the capacity to be able to apply these technologies,” Khaemba said.

But technology requires funding, and that remains a challenge.

Experts say the continent will need more than $300 billion over the next decade as it develops strategies that will help cushion it from the effects of climate change.
…

In Malawi, health authorities say an outbreak of scabies around the commercial capital of Blantyre has affected more than 300 people. Scabies is a contagious, intensely itchy skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin. 

“We started seeing cases from June and we have seen that the cases have been increasing such that by the end of September we had seen 255 cases. But as I am talking now, as of October, the number has risen to 309 cases,” says Chrissy Banda, the spokesperson for Blantyre District Health Office.

Residents of Blantyre like Matilda Lamba say the outbreak is concerning, especially with records indicating that it is more prevalent in rural areas.

“Those people from villages they come in town. You know we buy things from then like agriculture commodities, we interact with them daily and right at the moment we are very afraid that we might catch the scabies,” she notes.

But Banda says people should not panic, saying efforts are under way to stop the outbreak. “In our facilities the treatment is there. We have a lot of scabicides; the treatment for scabies. So first thing, we identify the cases, and then we are treating the cases to make sure that we block the transmission.”

The scabies outbreak comes at a time when Malawi is starting to recover from COVID-19, currently registering low infection and death rates.

George Jobe, executive director of the Malawi Health Equity Network says although the scabies outbreak is scary, the good news is that its preventive measures are similar to those that prevent COVID-19, like hand washing and observing social distancing.

In the meantime, the ministry of health is advising institutions that deal with large groups to watch for cases of the skin condition and report suspected cases to health authorities. 
…

Civil war has displaced many in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, and there is no end in sight to their misery. VOA’s Heather Murdock travels to the largely cut-off conflict zone, as well as refugee camps in neighboring Sudan, to bring the story of a complex political situation and the growing humanitarian disaster. Voice of America was among the first on the scene when this conflict broke out in late 2020. Now, VOA gives new light to this crisis in “Terror in Tigray: The Ethiopian Refugee Crisis,” an innovative, comprehensive overview of the crisis.
…

Thousands of Nigerians are expressing concern about the country’s new digital currency after its user app was temporarily removed from the Google Play store this week. The app has recorded tens of thousands of downloads since its launch on Monday.

Central Bank authorities said a system glitch unable to handle the huge amount of traffic on the download site led to the temporary removal of the eNaira Speed Wallet.

They say the problem has been resolved.   

The eNaira app has recorded over 100,000 downloads on the Google Play store alone since launching on Monday. But thousands of early users say they encountered many difficulties.

Among them was Ogunbiyi Olubiyi, who runs a Lagos-based digital company.

“It’s a great initiative by the Central Bank, they’re positioning for the future which means they’re heading somewhere with this. But the execution could have been better,” Olubiyi said.

Nigerian authorities restricted cryptocurrency transactions in the country earlier this year and promised to create a safer option for citizens – the eNaira. 

The government expects to leverage the blockchain technology to improve financial inclusion, ease cross-border trades, increase remittances and boost the economy. 

But users like Abuja stock trader Leonard Nwankwo worry about hacking.  Nwankwo says the Central Bank’s terms offer no insurance in the event of losses of revenues or profits.

“Whether it’s an error that is caused by them or an error that is not caused by them, so that is to tell you that only the consumers of this product or investors in this currency are bearing 100% risk, so an agent can decide to do something dubious and he’s free to go because by limitations of liability he’s not to be held accountable,” Nwankwo.

Olubiyi says more awareness is needed to boost user confidence on the eNaira platform.

“I don’t think that people downloaded and tried the app before they began to report it. You see that is due to mistrust. I think the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) needs to go on a campaign, introducing and educating people about the eNaira and how it’s going to be solving problems in their lives,” Olubiyi.

Central banks around the world are adopting digital versions of their legal tenders. The Nigerian government hopes that the eNaira will boost Nigeria’s gross domestic product by $29 billion in the next 10 years.

But experts say that goal can only be achieved if end users have confidence in authorities and the currency itself. 
…

The World Health Organization warns a shortage of syringes is threatening to upend efforts to vaccinate millions of Africans against COVID-19, a disease that has infected more than 8.4 million people on the continent, killing 217,000.

Lifesaving vaccines are in short supply in Africa. The World Health Organization says only six percent of Africa’s 1.2 billion people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That compares with more than 40 percent of the people in most high-income countries.

Vaccine shipments to the continent are ramping up and expected to increase into next year. While that is encouraging, WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says a scarcity of syringes could paralyze progress.

“I mean just to say, syringes sound like a very small item in the big picture of rolling out vaccines, but we know very well if you do not have syringes, you cannot put shots into people’s arms so it is a very important topic…There is a looming threat that syringe supplies will dry up,” said Moeti.

The U.N. children’s fund ships syringes for the global rollout of vaccines under the COVAX facility.  

Moeti says UNICEF predicts a global shortage of around two billion syringes needed for COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunizations.

“Already, some African countries, like Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, have experienced delays in receiving vaccines, and unless drastic measures are taken to boost syringe production, Africa faces a crisis,” said Moeti.

On a brighter note, Moeti says she is very excited by an announcement from pharmaceutical giant Merck that it will allow other drug makers to produce its new oral antiviral COVID-19 medicine.

“Could this be a game-changer? We sincerely hope so. We sincerely hope in the context of the global crisis of this nature and looking at the gaps in access and the needs,” said Moeti. “And just the principle of local production, learning from the extremely difficult experience of this pandemic that more and more pharmaceutical companies would exceptionally be willing to follow Merck’s example. “

Moeti notes local production of the drug and other COVID-19 therapeutics would help speed up and address inequity and access to key products in poorer nations. She says it would be extremely desirable to have similar patent sharing agreements extended to vaccine production as well.
…

The leader of Sudan’s military junta has fired at least six ambassadors from their posts after they spoke out against this week’s overthrow of the joint civilian-military transitional government.

State-run Sudan TV announced Thursday that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dismissed the envoys to the United States, European Union, China, Qatar and France, as well as the head of Sudan’s United Nations mission in Geneva.  

A group of Sudanese diplomats issued a joint statement this week condemning the arrest of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife on Monday, and General Burhan’s decision to dissolve the Sovereign Council and declare a national emergency.  The joint civilian-military council had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. 

In an interview Wednesday with VOA’s English to Africa service, Sudan’s now former ambassador to the U.S, Nureldin Satti, said he would try to undermine the junta. 

“I shall be working with my colleagues in the diplomatic service and with the diaspora around the United States and around the world to see to it that this coup is not accepted, and that the coup intentions and results be reversed as soon as possible,” Satti said.

Burhan has pledged the military will turn power over to a civilian government in July 2023 after general elections are held.  He said the army’s overthrow of the transitional government was necessary to avoid a civil war. 

The U.N. secretary-general’s special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, met with Burhan Wednesday to discuss the takeover and subsequent developments, according to U.N. spokesman Stephan Dujarric.  Perthes reiterated that the U.N. wants to “see a return to the transition process” and demanded an immediate release of all arbitrarily detained.

Sudanese security forces arrested demonstrators in Khartoum Wednesday, including three leading pro-democracy activists.  Deposed Prime Minister Hamdok was released Tuesday, a day after his arrest, but remains under tight security at his home in Khartoum.

The international community has ramped up pressure on Sudan since the military takeover. Wednesday, the African Union said Sudan was suspended from all AU activities until power is returned to a civilian government.

The World Bank said in a statement that it has “paused” financial aid to the country and “stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation.” 

The U.S. State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to Sudan.

In Sudan, opponents of the coup have called for a “march of millions” on Saturday.

Many businesses in Sudan remain closed in response to calls for strikes, which some doctors and state oil workers said they would join in support of the ousted government. Central bank employees have also gone on strike.

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation but have so far not issued any statement condemning the coup. Some members, including Russia and China, have publicly questioned whether this week’s events qualified as a coup, and have said council members should not interfere in Sudan’s domestic affairs.

But Kenya’s U.N. ambassador told reporters Wednesday he hoped the council would pronounce itself now that the African Union had taken action.

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition received strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list. 

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan’s military. On September 21, forces still loyal to Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup attempt was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.
…

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said 12 million children are scared to go to school in the country, where jihadis and heavily armed criminals have kidnapped hundreds of students for ransom.

The first mass school abduction in Africa’s most populous nation was in the northeast in 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from Chibok, triggering a global campaign called #BringBackOurGirls.

Since then, attacks on schools “have grown in number and spread across the northern part of the country,” said Buhari on Tuesday, addressing a conference on safety in education in the capital, Abuja.

Gunmen in northwest and central Nigeria have increasingly targeted schools, kidnapping more than 1,000 students since December.

As a result, Buhari said, “there are more than 12 million children currently traumatized and afraid of going to school.” Girls were particularly affected, he added.

Young girls who leave school early are at risk of being married off, experts warn.

Save the Children said earlier this month that an “estimated 44% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday, one of the highest rates of child marriage globally.”

Most kidnapped students are released after negotiations with their captors.

But “even when the abducted students are released,” Buhari said, “the trauma of the incidences remain long in their minds.”

The retired general, first elected in 2015, said the government was “highly committed to prioritizing safety in schools.”

“We have identified and put mechanisms in place … to ensure the safety and security of schools in Nigeria,” he said.

But it “has been tough dealing with these security challenges and their effect,” the 78-year-old added.

Military operations are underway across the country, but security forces are often described as overstretched and overwhelmed. 
…

Once commonplace, abuses by state security forces against civilians in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have dropped sharply in the previous year, according to rights groups. Henry Wilkins reports from Burkina Faso, where the decline of 77% has been the biggest.
…

Sudanese security forces arrested demonstrators in Khartoum Wednesday, including three leading pro-democracy activists, as the World Bank and the African Union took steps to increase pressure on the leaders of Monday’s military coup.

Witnesses say security forces fired tear gas at protesters and arrested them while removing their barricades in the capital. Activists from the Umma Party, Sudan’s largest political group, were among the detainees.

The activists, all critics of the military takeover, have been identified asSudanese Professionals’ Association leader Ismail al-Taj, Umma Party leader Sadiq al-Mahdi and a former media adviser to the prime minister, Khalid al-Silaik.

Meanwhile, the African Union suspended Sudan’s involvement in the organization’s activities until power is returned to a civilian government, according to an AU statement.

The World Bank said in a statement that it has “paused” financial aid to the country and “stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation.”

Many businesses in Sudan remain closed in response to calls for strikes, which some doctors and state oil workers said they would join in support of the ousted government. Central bank employees have also gone on strike.

On Tuesday, military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan defended the army’s overthrow of the transitional government, saying it was necessary to avoid a civil war.

“The whole country was deadlocked due to political rivalries,” Burhan said at a televised news conference in Khartoum. “The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife.”

Deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife, who had been detained Monday, were allowed to return to their home late Tuesday but were “under close surveillance,” a statement issued by his office reported.

Burhan also acknowledged that “we arrested ministers and politicians but not all” and said that some would face trial for allegedly inciting a rebellion within the military.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing that the secretary-general’s special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, met in Sudan Wednesday with Burhan to discuss the takeover and subsequent developments. Dujarric said Perthes reiterated that the U.N. wants to “see a return to the transition process” and demanded an immediate release of all arbitrarily detained.

Dujarric said Perthes also met with Hamdok in his home.

“What we want to see … is the complete release of Prime Minister Hamdok,” Dujarric declared. “He remains under some sort of house arrest. He is not free of his movements, and he should be free of his movements.”

In a statement Tuesday from the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Hamdok’s release and spoke with him late Tuesday. Blinken again called on Sudan’s military to release all civilian leaders, according to the statement.

U.N. Security Council 

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation but have so far not issued any statement condemning the coup. Some members, including Russia and China, have publicly questioned whether it is a coup and have said council members should not interfere in Sudan’s domestic affairs. 

But Kenya’s U.N. ambassador told reporters Wednesday he hoped the council would pronounce itself now that the African Union had taken action.

“I very much hope the Security Council will consider this step by the (AU) Peace and Security Council to be a challenge to step up to the plate,” Martin Kimani said.

National emergency 

Burhan declared a national emergency Monday and announced the end of the joint civilian-military Sovereign Council that had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

He pledged the military would turn power over to a civilian government in July 2023 after general elections are held.

The center of Khartoum near the Foreign Ministry and other government offices was quiet early Wednesday, according to journalist Mohamed Ali Fazari.

He said in an interview with VOA the relative calm in central Khartoum could be interrupted by a group of neighborhood committees planning a “march of millions” on Saturday.

“People are calling for a big demonstration, which they call the One Million March demonstration, on October 30, and also there are some calls for civil disobedience,” Fazari said.

On Monday, the Sudan Doctors Committee said at least four people were killed and 80 injured when security forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting the coup. Despite the violence, more demonstrations took place Tuesday.

Global response

The Arab League was also among those calling on Sudan to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

A joint statement issued by the United States, Britain and Norway through the State Department condemned the coup and called on Sudanese security forces to immediately release all people “unlawfully detained.”

“The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition, and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development,” the statement read.

The State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to Sudan.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudan’s ambassador to the U.S., Nureldin Satti, condemned the coup “that has put an end to the civilian democratic transition in Sudan.”

“I am heartened to see that my colleagues in Brussels, Paris and Geneva and New York have followed suit and condemned the military coup,” Satti added. “We shall work with other colleagues in the diplomatic service and in the diaspora to resist the military coup in support of the heroic struggle of the Sudanese people to achieve the objectives of the December 19, 2018, revolution.”

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition received strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan’s military. On September 21, forces still loyal to Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.

Thousands took to the streets last week to protest the prospect of a return to military rule.

“This country is ours, and our government is civilian,” protesters chanted.

Michael Atit of VOA English to Africa’s South Sudan in Focus radio program and VOA’s U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information also comes from AP, Reuters, and AFP.
…

Nigeria loses thousands of doctors every year to Europe, North America, and the Middle East due to poor salaries, benefits, and working conditions back home. Nigerian health authorities are promising to improve compensation to stop the country’ medical brain drain but as Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, it may not be enough.

Camera: Emeka Gibson, Producer: Marcus Harton
…

Despite the military takeover in Sudan on Monday, Nureldin Satti, Sudan’s ambassador to the United States, remains in his post and vows to continue working with U.S. officials. In an interview with VOA’s Nabeel Biajo, Satti said that he rejects the military moves and is coordinating with Sudanese diplomats around the world to mount pressure on Sudan’s military leaders to restore the civilian-led government. 

The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. 

VOA: What is your position regarding the military takeover in Sudan? 

Satti: I reject the military coup that was orchestrated on October 25. … I shall be working with my colleagues in the diplomatic service and with the diaspora around the United States and around the world to see to it that this coup is not accepted, and that the coup intentions and results be reversed as soon as possible.

VOA: Have you received any instructions from Sudan whether you should continue serving as Sudan ambassador? 

Satti: No, no. Nothing.

VOA: The government that appointed you has been toppled. What is your next move?

Satti: Well, my next move is to continue serving as ambassador of the Sudanese people and ambassador of Sudan in the country as long as it takes. I shall remain in position to defend the principles of the government that has been toppled illegally by the military. And I consider myself as being the ambassador of a country and not under a regime. 

VOA: If General Abdel-Fattah Burhan decides to fire you and appoint a new diplomatic mission, let’s say in the U.S, will you defy the order and refuse to abandon your post?

Satti: I will, you know, cross that bridge when I come to it. I cannot foretell what will be my reaction. It depends on the conditions that will prevail from now until that decision, and things are going to be much more complicated than that. In order for him to appoint a new diplomatic mission, it will be an issue. … It’s not going to be easy for this regime … to appoint a new ambassador to the United States.

VOA: So, you’re saying they have power, but they don’t have legitimacy?

Satti: Absolutely.

VOA: You mentioned that you have joined other diplomats in other capitals to resist what is happening in Sudan. What are you doing exactly?

Satti: I am talking regularly to U.S. officials. Today, I spoke to staffers from the [U.S.] Senate and officers from the State Department. Yesterday, I spoke to the assistant secretary for African affairs at the State Department. I continue to engage, you know, the U.S. administration and Congress and to explain the position. And I have to say that there is overwhelming support to my position and that of my colleagues who have taken the same position. … I engage, of course, with the diaspora, and I had a meeting with the representatives of the diaspora in the United States yesterday. It was a very good meeting, and we agreed to work together. And I believe that my colleagues also in other embassies, like the one in Brussels, and in Paris, in Geneva, in Beijing, in South Africa and in New York are doing the same thing.

VOA: When you meet with U.S. officials, what are you asking them to do?

Satti: I am asking them to put pressure on the coup perpetrators in order to reverse the action that they have taken, and to take the country back to where it was 48 hours ago and to accept to engage wholeheartedly with the civilian component in order to take the country out of this crisis. A military coup has never resolved problems. It is only adding to our problems and complicating things for us. So, that’s the message that I’m passing here. The United States [has] to put pressure on the coup plotters in order to change. … We have nothing against the military, but our problem is certain people in the military who do not want this revolution to move forward.

 
…

The Committee to Protect Journalists says Sudanese military authorities on Tuesday arrested journalist Maher Abugoukh, a manager at Sudan state television, at his home in Khartoum.

The military seized power in a coup on Monday.

The CPJ said in a press release the reason for the arrest has not been disclosed and that Abugoukh’s whereabouts are unknown.

Abugoukh has been critical of the military during live radio and television shows, said the New York-based media rights group.

“Sudanese authorities must release Maher Abugoukh immediately,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour in the statement. “Sudanese journalists must be free to cover the unfolding coup without fear of reprisal and raids and with unrestricted access to telecommunications services.”

Abugoukh’s arrest comes amid several recent attacks on journalists in Sudan.
…

Pro-government Zimbabweans say sanctions imposed in 2003 and earlier by some Western nations, including the United States, because of election rigging and human rights abuses, are derailing the country economy’s recovery. The sanctions are a divisive issue among Zimbabweans. For VOA, Columbus Mavhunga reports from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, where the U.N. Special Rapporteur has been assessing the impact of sanctions.
…

The U.N. refugee agency reports it has restarted a voluntary repatriation operation for thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic who were living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Over the past two years, the U.N. refugee agency has helped more than 5,000 refugees return from Congo to the Central African Republic. The voluntary operation, which has been interrupted on two occasions, resumed on Friday. 

The program was first halted in March 2020 when both countries closed their borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The second interruption occurred last December when violence surrounding the C.A.R. presidential elections sent an estimated 92,000 refugees fleeing into the DRC. 

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo says a first group of 250 refugees left Mole camp to Zongo city in the northwestern DRC last Friday. 

She says a second group of 250 people left the camp on Tuesday morning. Later in the day, she says a 20-minute boat ride will ferry the refugees across the Ubangi River to Bangui, the C.A.R. capital. 

“People are only returning to areas where security has improved in the past six months, such as Bangui and the prefectures of Ombella Mpoko and Lobaye. Most of those set to return fled their homes because of violence in 2013. UNHCR and partners will also soon organize voluntary repatriation flights for refugees living in Inke camp in North Ubangi province. Air transport is necessary due to the distances and poor roads,” Mantoo said. 

The voluntary repatriation began in November 2019. That followed the signing of a Tripartite agreement between the C.A.R. and DRC in July. Mantoo says nearly 10,000 refugees in three camps hosting them have signed up for voluntary repatriation. 

“UNHCR is providing assistance to the returning refugees and together with partners is working on reintegration projects in C.A.R., including in education and agriculture. Some 206,346 C.A.R. refugees live in camps and with host communities in DRC’s three provinces. And UNHCR and partners plan to assist 6,500 of them to return this year,” Mantoo said.  

Since violence between armed groups erupted in 2013, more than 680,000 refugees and asylum seekers have fled to Cameroon, the DRC, the Republic of the Congo, and Chad. About a third are being hosted in DRC. Another 630,000 people are displaced within Central African Republic. 
…

The United States says it will review its support for an elite unit of the Somali National Army following its participation in a battle against a former ally in the fight against al-Shabab extremists. 

An official at the U.S. embassy in Mogadishu spoke to VOA’s Somali service following reports that U.S.-trained elite Somali forces known as Danab, or “lightning,” took part in this week’s fighting in the central Somali town of Guriel. 

The fighting pits government troops and Galmudug regional forces against the militias of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ). The moderate Islamist group is a rival to al-Shabab, which the United States considers the major militant threat in the region. 

A Danab commander, Major Abdilatif Ahmed Ali Fayfle, was among those killed in the fighting.

The U.S. official in Mogadishu, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the embassy is aware of the reports that Danab forces were involved in the fighting and of the death of the Danab commander.

The official said the support would be reviewed as a result of that involvement.

“The United States provides training and support coordination to Somali National Army Danab Brigade units to advance our shared objective of defeating al-Shabab,” said the official. “As a result of this incident, we will be reviewing the support we provide to ensure it is being used appropriately and consistent with U.S. policy and objectives.”

VOA Somali tried unsuccessfully to contact the commander of Somali national forces, General Odawaa Yusuf Rageh, who was in the Guriel area this week.

The fighting in Guriel, which started on Saturday, has claimed the lives of dozens of people, injured scores of others, and displaced about 100,000 Somalis, according to local officials and health workers. 

ASWJ militias were ousted from the area in early 2020 following the formation of a new administration for Galmudug state. The group’s leaders fled the area at the time.

Earlier this month, the group suddenly remerged ahead of planned parliamentary elections, sparking the current armed conflict against the federal government and Galmudug forces.

The official said the U.S. extends condolences to the families and loved ones of all those affected.

“We call on all sides to cease military operations and engage in political dialogue towards peaceful resolution,” said the official.

The U.S. has been training and providing support to Danab since 2013. Danab, which is currently about 1,400 military personnel, has bases in southern and central Somalia. In addition to training the Danab soldiers, the U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes against al-Shabab militants in support of the Somali government.

 
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Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has launched the continent’s first digital currency, the e-Naira. The launch also ranks Nigeria among very few nations in the world to adopt the electronic money system which leaders hope will help boost the country’s GDP and fight inflation.

The official launch of the Central Bank of Nigeria Digital Currency, CBDC, took place at the state house in Abuja on Monday, with top government officials attending.

Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the e-Naira and said it could potentially boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product by up to $29 billion over the next decade.

Blockchain technology expert, Jadel Chidi welcomes the launch.

“Digital currency helps to foster faster payments, it also [is] supposedly less expensive than the regular payment systems you have already. You make your transactions person to person; you don’t need an intermediary,” said Chidi.

The e-Naira app went live and became available for citizens to download, immediately after the launch.

A digital currency is a means of payment that exists purely in electronic form. Other types include the cryptocurrency which authorities banned in February saying its instability exposed citizens to huge financial risks.

The government expects the e-Naira to improve store of value for Nigeria weakening currently as well as drive financial inclusion for millions of citizens.

But digital money experts like Janet Kaatyo say Internet penetration and tech savviness could present initial problems.

“For every technology that is new, people have to learn how to use it. It is not different with the digital currency, the e-Naira or even the cryptocurrency. People need to learn how to use these things,” said Kaatyo. 

Jadel Chidi said there are also concerns about the e-Naira’s regulation by Nigeria’s government.

“Ideally a cryptocurrency is not supposed to be centralized, but central bank digital currencies are going to be centralized because they’ll be managed by a central body, the CBN in this case and that defeats the aim of digital currency or decentralization,” said Chidi.

The use of digital currencies has grown in recent years in Nigeria, especially among the younger population.

Authorities say with the e-Naira, they can better monitor transactions, curb black market trading for the paper currency, protect against devaluation, and lower inflation.
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Global pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions are just a fraction of what’s needed to prevent catastrophic global warming. That’s the warning from the United Nations, ahead of the critical COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, Britain next week – where world leaders will try to agree on further action to combat global warming. Henry Ridgwell looks at what is at stake ahead of the meeting.
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United Nations officials say more than 100,000 people are displaced in central Somalia following days of fighting between the government forces and a group opposing the region’s local administration.

The clashes that began last week in Gurieel town in Somalia’s Galmudug federal state are reported to have killed at least 120 people, most of them soldiers or fighters. 

The fighting is between government forces and their former ally, Islamist group Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a. Gurieel is the second largest town in Galmudug state and both sides want control of the town ahead of parliamentary elections. 

Speaking at a virtual conference Tuesday, James Swan, the U.N. representative in Somalia, called for an end to the fighting. 

“We are concerned that this is a distraction from other critical priorities, namely the completion of the electoral process and a continuation of the fight against al-Shabab,” Swan said. “As a consequence, we would certainly welcome efforts by the parties to this conflict to pause on the ongoing hostilities and explore opportunities for talks or dialogue that might allow for peaceful resolution of the situation without further suffering of the people.” 

Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF’s country representative in Somalia, says the aid agencies are struggling to provide humanitarian assistance to the population in the area. 

“Our assessment so far has shown that 20,000 households have been displaced and that’s more than 100,000 people,” he said. “The problem is that getting access to people with the service we can offer at the time is extremely complicated and difficult. So as we speak, we on the ground, we have partners trying to provide the services in terms of water and sanitation, hygiene but also food.”

The aid agencies said health centers have been damaged in the conflict, reducing people’s ability to access health care. 

The U.N. also said a local humanitarian organization was targeted while doing their work, and one of its workers was killed. 

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 7.7 million Somalis will be in need of assistance in 2022, as conflict, unpredictable weather patterns and diseases continue to disrupt people’s lives. 

Delayed elections

In recent months, Somalia has been locked in political crisis due to delays in elections, caused by threats from al-Shabab militants and disagreements over the process. 

Swan says the postponements contribute to the overall state of distress in the country. 

“These delayed elections are occupying such a central place in the attention of the leadership of the country at this time that, unfortunately, it is causing other critical priorities to be deferred,” he said. “We can look across the board at the development agenda, additional work to be done in the security sector. We can look at longer-term state-building priorities around the constitution, around establishing the rule of law institutions, judicial institutions.” 

In hopes of ending the Galmudug conflict, Somali opposition groups have urged the government to stop sending reinforcement troops to the town. 

 
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The United Nations Security Council is set to hold a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss the military overthrow of Sudan’s transitional government.

Demonstrators remained in the streets of Sudan’s capital Khartoum to protest Monday’s arrest of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials of the ruling Sovereign Council.

Military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan declared a national emergency hours after the takeover and announced the end of the joint civilian-military council, which had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

In a televised address, General Burhan said he dissolved the council and the government due to “political quarrels that were threatening the security of the country” and announced that a “new government of technocrats will soon be appointed.”

He pledged the military would turn over power to a civilian government in July 2023 when general elections will be held.  

The Sudan Doctors Committee said at least four people were killed and at least 80 people injured on Monday when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Khartoum.

Despite the violence, protesters were on the streets of Khartoum again Tuesday, condemning the coup and shouting “no to military rule.”

The U.S. Embassy in Sudan has warned Americans in the country to shelter in place.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the African Union, and the Arab League were among those expressing alarm and dismay Monday at the latest events in Sudan and called for the country to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

The White House said it was “alarmed” by the developments, while the U.S. State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to the country.

A joint statement issued by the United States, Britain and Norway through the State Department condemned the coup and called on the security forces to immediately release all those people who are “unlawfully detained.”

“The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition, and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development,” the statement read.

Prime Minister Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named the country’s transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition won strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan’s military. On September 21, forces still loyal to al-Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.  

Thousands of protesters took to the streets last week to voice concern about the prospect of a return to military rule. 

“This country is ours, and our government is civilian,” protesters chanted.  

Some information in this report also came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence-France Presse.
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Ugandan police are investigating an explosion on a long-distance bus that killed one person Monday, the second fatal blast in less than 48 hours in the East African country. 

The bus was traveling from the capital, Kampala, to the western part of Uganda.  

The cause of the blast was not immediately known. Police said in a statement they dispatched bomb experts to the scene in central Uganda.  

Initially, police had said two people on the bus were killed but later said there had been one death, without explaining the revision. They made no mention of injuries, but the Red Cross, which sent ambulances, said at least one person was injured in the leg. 

On Saturday, a bomb explosion at an eatery in a busy Kampala suburb killed one person. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack.  

The extremist group said in a statement late Sunday that it detonated an explosive device at the eatery allegedly “frequented by elements and spies” with Uganda’s government.  

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni described Saturday’s explosion as an apparent terrorist act.  

Museveni said three people entered the eatery where pork is grilled and left a plastic bag with contents that later exploded. Police have not announced any arrests. 

The British government updated its travel guidance for Uganda this month to say extremists “are very likely to try to carry out attacks.” 
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Sudanese protesters demonstrated into the night Monday after the military seized power in an apparent coup.

Security forces opened fire on protesters earlier Monday, killing three demonstrators, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee. The group said at least 80 people have been injured. 

Sudan’s military chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, declared a nationwide state of emergency Monday and announced the end of a joint civilian-military council that ran the country for the past two years.

The general made a televised address after military forces arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials of the Sovereign Council.

Burhan said he dissolved the council and the government due to “political quarrels that were threatening the security of the country” and announced that a “new government of technocrats will soon be appointed.”

Journalist Michael Atit, who is in the Sudanese capital, told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Khartoum following reports of Hamdok’s arrest. Atit reported hearing gunfire and seeing tires burned in the streets.

Atit said most telecommunications in Khartoum have shut down, including the internet and radio stations. Only a state-owned television station was on the air, broadcasting patriotic music.

U.N. Special Representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, said the military “took control of Khartoum, closing the entrances and the bridges, and closing down the airport and also taking control of state TV.” 

He briefed reporters in New York virtually from Khartoum, saying that as night fell in the city, he could see from his location barricades still burning and could hear occasional gunshots. He described the situation as “fluid.” 

The events were a sharp turnaround from what many had hoped would be a transition toward a civilian-led, democratic government in Sudan, where former President Omar al-Bashir ruled with an iron fist during 30 years of rule that ended with his ouster by the military in April 2019.

“Those in support of a military takeover will argue that this is a ‘correcting’ of the path of the revolution, but I think many who have had their hearts set on a transfer of power to a full civilian rule will see this definitely as a setback,” said Isma’il Kushkush, an independent journalist and former East Africa reporter for The New York Times.

“I see this as a setback for the transition into a democracy,” Kushkush told VOA.

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named the country’s transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition won strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan’s military. On September 21, forces still loyal to al-Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.

U.S. embassy, AU Commission react

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the African Union, and the Arab League were among those expressing alarm and dismay Monday at the latest events in Sudan and called for the country to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

The White House said it was “alarmed” by the developments, while the U.S. State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to the country. 

“In light of these developments, the United States is pausing assistance from the $700 million in emergency assistance appropriations of economic support funds for Sudan,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. 

“We reject the actions by the military and call for the immediate release of the prime minister and others who have been placed under house arrest. The actions today are in stark opposition to the will of the Sudanese people and their aspirations for peace, liberty and justice,” said principal deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum warned Americans in the city to shelter in place.

The U.N. Security Council is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the situation. 

Last week, thousands of protesters took to the streets to voice concern about the prospect of a return to military rule.

“This country is ours, and our government is civilian,” protesters chanted.

‘Major blow’ to democracy in Sudan

The Sudanese Professionals Association, an organization made up of trade unions instrumental in organizing the protests, called on the public Monday to go out and occupy the streets to protect the transitional government.

“It is a major blow to the democratic experiment in Sudan,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center, an expert on Sudan and a former White House Africa director.

The apparent coup comes a day after U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman concluded two days of meetings in Sudan to underscore U.S. support for Sudanese democracy.

Hudson said Feltman received assurances from military leaders that they were committed to the work of the transitional government.

“The U.S. has invested more diplomatically in Sudan than almost anywhere else in the world in trying to prove that countries can move from autocracy to democracy,” Hudson told VOA. “This is a setback to transitions in Chad, Mali and Guinea where the stakes are high, but which had not received nearly as much U.S. diplomatic attention as Sudan.”

Kushkush said there had been other attempts at military intervention leading up to the coup Monday. However, despite earlier coup attempts and support for a military takeover, Kushkush said, there were also thousands of Sudanese in several cities and throughout the diaspora voicing support of the democratization process.

“From Day One of [the ousting of] al-Bashir, the greatest fear that many Sudanese had was that the fate of the Sudanese revolution will be similar to that of the similar uprisings in the region and perhaps that the greatest fear is unfolding as we speak,” Kushkush said.

U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer, Michael Atit of VOA English to Africa’s South Sudan in Focus radio program, and Salem Solomon contributed to this report. Some information in this report also came from Agence-France Presse. 

 
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Monday’s apparent military coup in Sudan crippled the nation’s leadership and could have sweeping regional implications, including inflaming already bitter disputes among Sudan’s neighbors, analysts say. 

“I would say key in today’s considerations really are questions of the ongoing conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” said Jonas Horner, a senior analyst and Sudan expert at the International Crisis Group. 

The longstanding dispute over Ethiopia’s hydroelectric dam stems from Ethiopia’s insistence on building and filling the dam to help alleviate poverty in the country, and Egypt and Sudan’s opposition to it, Horner said. 

Egypt favors military rule in Sudan, while Ethiopia will likely back a civilian transition in hopes that the potential for improved relations will move the needle on the dam, Horner told VOA. 

“Egypt is very keen to see a military dispensation in Sudan because they believe that they will take care of their interests best when it comes to representing Egyptian concerns over the dam,” Horner said. 

The coup in Sudan could also affect Ethiopia’s ongoing crisis in the Tigray region, which is spreading and has seen a recent escalation. The Ethiopian government may have cause to worry if the Sudan military remains in power, Horner said. 

“The concern is that the military, if it is indeed in the ascendancy and there is no mediation from civilians, that they will more robustly perhaps support the Tigrayans as they fight against the central government in Addis Ababa,” he said. 

The United Nations and the African Union condemned the military takeover. The Norwegian Refugee Council issued a statement Monday appealing to Sudan’s rulers to protect civilians and keep commitments to allow humanitarian aid to reach millions of people affected by war.

Monday’s military takeover was triggered by a fear that the military was losing control over Sudan’s Sovereign Council as the deadline for transfer to civilian rule was approaching, analysts said. 

Khartoum was in political and social chaos after Sudan’s military chief, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, declared a state of emergency and dissolved the joint civilian-military council that has run the country for the past two years. 

Protesters took to the streets, derisively chanting Burhan’s name and singing Sudan’s national anthem. 

Medical sources say dozens of people have been injured in the protests, and at least seven people died in clashes with security forces in Khartoum amid an internet and telecommunications shutdown. 

With Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials of the ruling Sovereign Council in detention, the future of the nation’s leadership is in turmoil. 

“I think the thing that the military was most fearful of losing (was) control of the Sovereignty Council — the executive authority in the country,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. 

Internal pressure from hundreds of thousands of protesters who came out from different towns across Sudan in recent weeks demanding civilian rule made Sudan’s top military leader feel “under siege,” Hudson said. 

“This is a reaction internally to release the pressure that they were feeling,” Hudson told VOA. 

The coup seems to have the backing of the Sudan Armed Forces and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, some analysts said. 

But Hudson warned that the army might be divided on this. 

“What we don’t know and what we should be fearful of is there are divisions within the military, especially in the younger ranks, the lower ranks of the military,” he said. “We should not be surprised if we see a counter coup of some kind of younger military officers who push back against what happened.” 

The military takeover looks hurried and poorly planned, according to Hudson, and may have dangerous consequences, including street violence, which escalated Monday. 

“It’s a very dangerous situation, because you have the military trying to assert its control, and now you have people taking to the streets in protest,” he said. 

Sudan’s neighbors are watching closely, possibly fearing a spillover effect, Horner said. 

“There are plenty of autocratic governments that are in Sudan’s immediate neighborhood and then even across the Red Sea and elsewhere, too, who will concern themselves with what inspiring effect a successful civilian transition might have to their own populations,” he said. 

VOA’s Kathleen Dawson contributed to this report. 

 
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the “immediate” release of Sudan’s detained leaders following an apparent military coup.

“There must be full respect for the constitutional charter to protect the hard-won political transition,” Guterres wrote on Twitter, referencing the landmark power-sharing agreement that Sudan’s military and civilian leaders signed in 2019 after months of deadly protests.

His remarks came as military forces Monday arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials.  Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also declared a state of emergency and announced the dissolution of a joint civilian-military council, known as the Sovereign Council, that has run the country for the past two years.

In a lengthier statement issued through a spokesperson, U.N chief Guterres said, “Sudanese stakeholders must immediately return to dialogue, and engage in good faith to restore the constitutional order and Sudan’s transitional process.”  

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking on Air Force One, said the United States is deeply alarmed at the reports of the military takeover. 

“We reject the actions by the military and call for the immediate release of the prime minister and others who have been placed under house arrest. The actions today are in stark opposition to the will of the Sudanese people and their aspirations for peace, liberty and justice,” she said. 

“The United States continues to strongly support the Sudanese people’s demand for a democratic transition in Sudan and will continue to evaluate how best to help the Sudanese people achieve this goal,” Jean-Pierre added.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, a group consisting of trade unions, called on the public Monday to occupy the streets to protect the transitional government. The association was instrumental in organizing protests that led to the 2019 deal.

Separately, the Arab League and Egypt echoed remarks calling for political agreements to be upheld, as did the African Union.

“The Chairperson calls for the immediate resumption of consultations between civilians and military … The Chairperson reaffirms that dialogue and consensus is the only relevant path to save the country and its democratic transition,” African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement.

Detained Prime Minister Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named the transitional prime minister in August 2019. The interim government took power following the ouster of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was arrested during widespread street protests. The country is preparing for elections late next year and, under the constitution, Hamdok is forbidden from running.
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