WASHINGTON — The United States will send a delegation to Niger on Thursday to begin face-to-face talks with officials in Niamey on withdrawing the more than 1,000 American personnel in the military-ruled country.

Niger has been a key base for regional counter-terrorism operations, but the government — a military junta that ousted the country’s president last year — said in March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington.

The United States said it had agreed to remove its troops last week and would send a delegation to Niamey within days.

As part of ongoing negotiations, U.S. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen FitzGibbon and a senior military officer for U.S. Africa Command, Major General Ken Ekman, will meet with ruling government representatives on April 25 “to initiate discussions on an orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger,” the State Department said Wednesday.

Other Defense Department officials will conduct follow-up meetings in Niamey next week, and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will travel there “in the coming months to discuss ongoing collaboration in areas of joint interest,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

He said the United States is proud of the security cooperation and “shared sacrifice” of U.S. and Nigerien forces, and that it contributed to stability in the region.

But since discussions began last year with the ruling National Committee for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP), “we have been unable to reach an understanding with the CNSP to continue that security cooperation in a manner that addresses the needs and concerns of each side,” Miller said.

This week U.S. officials said there have not yet been changes to troop levels in Niger, a linchpin in the U.S. and French strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa and the location of a $100 million American drone base.
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Nairobi, Kenya — The Kenyan government is threatening to withhold the salaries and union remittances of striking doctors after failing to reach an agreement with doctors’ union. 

“We will be asking our counsel to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially so that we are allowed to take the necessary action to ensure that Kenyans continue to enjoy health care services,” said Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya’s is cabinet secretary for health, after three days of negotiations.

Led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, the doctors went on strike on March 15 to demand a commitment from the government to fulfill collective bargaining agreements signed in 2017. The work stoppage has paralyzed medical services in public hospitals across the country.

The government said it has addressed all issues raised by the medics — except for the salary of intern doctors — which union officials say is the deal breaker. 

“We are not at any point going to support exploitation of workers, we are not at any point going to support wage-slavery,” said Davji Atellah, the secretary-general of KMPDU. “Because we know that our vulnerable members, the intern doctors, once they are touched, once they are exploited, the next step would be the doctors working in the hospital; the next step will be the consultants. If you violate a document that is legal, like collective bargaining agreement, the part of doctor interns, which part of it is safe?” 

Lucianne Odiero, a final year medical student at the University of Nairobi, said the government’s move to reduce intern doctors’ salary is demoralizing. 

“The 70,000 shillings does not reflect the significant investment and research that interns have put in in their training and practice,” said Odiero. “And that just goes to show that the government does not really value and does not prioritize health care in the country.” 

Seventy thousand shillings equals about $520 per month. 

The ongoing strike has severely disrupted health services in public hospitals. The situation has been compounded by a strike by clinical and laboratory workers.

The strikes haver left patients such as Conceptor Oginga in Nakuru County struggling to access care from expensive private hospitals, leading to worsening chronic illnesses and even death. 

“The doctors’ strike is really bad because it has really affected a lot of people, especially people who are not able to support themselves financially,” said Oginga. “Like currently I’m sick and I’m unable to go to the hospital…the only thing I have managed to do is buy medicine over the counter.” 

Oginga said her friend lost a baby during birth because of the walkout. She appealed to the government to end the stalemate. 

“My message to the government is to just try to have a dialogue with the doctors so that they can have a common ground and they can go back to doing their job so that not so many people will be suffering the way they are suffering right now,” she said. 

Kenya’s health sector, which medical experts say is underfunded and understaffed, has seen a number of strikes over the years. A previous walkout in 2017 lasted 100 days. 

Patients such as Oginga said they hope a lasting solution is found soon. 
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Harare, Zimbabwe  — The annual report released Wednesday by Amnesty International paints a dismal picture of human rights repression and international rule-breaking worldwide, all in the midst of deepening global inequality and an escalating climate crisis.

In the report, Amnesty had a rare note of commendation for Zimbabwe, praising the government for enacting the Children’s Amendment Act of 2023, which criminalizes marriages of people under the age of 18. 

But Lucia Masuka, head of Amnesty International in Zimbabwe, still had many critical things to say about President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government. 

“We are mainly concerned with the issue of repression of dissent, which we noted, which was characterized by the severe restrictions in freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, particularly during the election period,” said Masuka. “We are also concerned with the cases that are lost after the (2023) elections, cases of abductions, torture and in some cases, you know, killings where the perpetrators are not apprehended or brought to account.” 

Rights groups have harshly criticized Zimbabwe for human rights abuses for decades, going back at least to the early 2000s, when the government of then-President Robert Mugabe engaged in alleged election rigging and forced thousands of white commercial farmers off their land. 

Farai Muroiwa Marapira, spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, disputes Amnesty International’s conclusions about Zimbabwe, saying the agency releases its reports “not based on facts, not based on merit, but based on agendaism.

“We really do not have much respect for what they have to say, because they do not speak from a point of impartiality, they do not speak from a point of objectivity, and we cannot serve our people and our nation at the same time and attend to agendarists,” said Marapira. “So, they are free to say what they want as usual, we will tell them what to do of it.” 

President Mnangagwa’s government has rejected all criticism of the way the 2023 elections were conducted, despite critical reports from organizations such as the Southern African Development Community. 

In a presentation of Amnesty’s report, Deprose Muchena, a senior director in the rights group, touched on several other African crises.  

Muchena noted that the conflict in Sudan has led to a major displacement internally. According to the United Nations, more than 9 million people have been internally displaced since April 2023, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.

“Up to 1.8 million people are now refugees in neighboring countries, such as Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt,” said Muchena. “The catastrophic humanitarian crisis is now approaching famine proportions as many people watch.”  

He also noted the chronic human rights crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where violence has forced millions of people from their homes, and the effects of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. War broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020 between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the party that dominated the region. The war lasted two years. 

“Survivors and victims of this war in Ethiopia have faced horrendous human rights violations and neglect by Ethiopian authorities despite their persistent calls for justice,” said Muchena. “After the guns were silenced in the Tigray region in 2022, two other armed conflicts in Oromia and Amara region continue to rage.”

Women in Ethiopia, he said, “continue to bear the ultimate brunt of this conflict in violation. In addition to conflict-related sexual violence faced by tens of thousands of women, we are seeing harmful practices such as abduction for marriage, which are putting Ethiopia at risk. Ethiopia remains another forgotten crisis.” 

The report also warned that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence worldwide — and the disinformation that AI helps spread — could lead to further breakdowns in the international rule of law.  

Some information for this report was provided by the Reuters news agency.
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Geneva — A new analysis of the state of global hunger finds conflict, climate change, and economic shocks are driving an increasing number of people into acute hunger, jeopardizing gains made over previous years in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goal of ending hunger by 2030.

Published Wednesday, the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis finds 281.6 million people, or 21.5% of populations analyzed in 2023, faced high levels of acute insecurity in 59 food-crisis countries and territories. 

“When we talk about acute food insecurity, we are talking about hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to people’s livelihoods and lives,” said Dominique Burgeon, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, in Geneva. 

“This is hunger that threatens to slide into famine and cause widespread death,” he said. “The report also tells us that 60% of children experiencing acute malnutrition live in the 10 countries facing the highest levels of acute food insecurity.” 

Gaza

The report says, “Food crises escalated alarmingly in conflict hotspots” in 2023, notably in Gaza and Sudan. It says at the end of the year, the Gaza Strip became the severest food crisis in its reporting history.

“The situation in Gaza is extremely worrying. We all know that we are getting closer by the day to a famine situation,” said Gian Carlo Cirri, World Food Program director in Geneva. 

“Malnutrition among children is spreading. We estimate 30% of children below the age of two are acutely malnourished or wasted [underweight for height] and 70% of the population in the North is facing catastrophic hunger. 

“There is reasonable evidence that all three famine thresholds — food insecurity, malnutrition, and mortality — will be passed in the next six weeks,” he said, noting that people in Gaza cannot meet their most basic food needs, having exhausted all coping strategies and largely reduced to selling belongings to buy food. 

“They are most of the time destitute and clearly some of them are dying of hunger,” he said, adding that “when we declare a famine, it is too late. We have already lost a huge number of people.” 

Courtney Blake, senior humanitarian adviser for the U.S. Mission in Geneva, told journalists that senior government officials in Washington have clearly stated that more needs to be done to mitigate this situation. 

“Israel needs to provide unimpeded access to both northern and southern Gaza in order to reverse the fast-paced deterioration of the food situation and prevent the loss of life due to starvation, acute malnutrition and disease outbreaks,” she said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied people are starving in Gaza and has blamed Hamas for the lack of humanitarian aid entering the occupied territory. 

Sudan

The FAO’s Burgeon said Sudan is facing a hunger crisis and requires immediate action to stop the rapid deterioration of the food security situation in the country. 

“We have about 18 million people who are in acute food insecurity … and we have about 5 million people who are in IPC 4 [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which means] one step away from famine, and nine out of 10 of these people … are in the current hotspots of Darfur, Kordofan, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum. 

“What is very concerning for us is that the bulk of those people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods,” said Burgeon. “We are a couple of weeks away from the planting season; it is absolutely critical that wherever it will be possible to access people, we provide them with agriculture input on time so they can plant their fields.” 

Children worldwide

Stefano Fedele, global nutrition cluster coordinator at UNICEF Geneva, notes 36.4 million children under age 5 in 32 countries in crisis are acutely malnourished and 9.8 million are severely acutely malnourished and in urgent need of treatment. 

“These children are at increased risk of dying,” he said. “And even if they recover from malnutrition, they are likely to not meet their full cognitive or developmental potential, which obviously has a critical impact on the individual level, but also in terms of potential development of a country.”
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Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana says it has rejected a proposal to accept asylum-seekers from the United Kingdom, an arrangement similar to the one Rwanda has agreed to.

The UK’s House of Lords on Monday passed a bill that will see migrants deported to Rwanda in a move condemned by human rights activists and the United Nations.

In Botswana this week, an umbrella of civil society organizations urged the government to reject proposals from the U.K. to send thousands of migrants to the African nation.

Botswana’s minister for foreign affairs, Lemogang Kwape, told VOA that U.K. officials had reached out, but authorities in Gaborone would not commit to “hosting people not knowing what the end game would be.”

Kutlwano Relontle, is the program manager for the Botswana coalition, the Universal Periodic Review NGO Working Group.

Relontle said the groups called on the government of Botswana “and other countries to distance themselves from this controversial U.K. program, which appears to be aimed at protecting only some of those who are fleeing their countries on the basis of fear of persecution, and not others.”

“We noted that in the case of the conflict in Ukraine, those seeking asylum were fast-tracked into the system, and citizens even encouraged to host them in their homes,” Relontle said.

Relontle said the group also wants the U.K. government to respect international conventions on the treatment of asylum-seekers.

Officials in the U.K. said they want to put an end to asylum-seekers arriving in small boats, mostly from Asia and Africa.

Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics and public policy in the U.K., said under the Rwanda arrangement, some deserving asylum-seekers will be turned away. 

“There is a general view that the small boats crisis needs to be resolved, [as] that it is very dangerous and unacceptable for people to be arriving in such numbers across the channel, but that does not mean that the majority of the population want to send people, particularly people who would have a claim to refugee status, to Rwanda.”

Portes says it is not surprising that countries such as Botswana are turning down the controversial policy after it came under heavy criticism from the United Nations and activists.

“Frankly it will be highly unlikely for any other country to participate in this, both from a reputational and practical point of view,” Portes said. “I think frankly even the Rwandans, despite being offered really quite remarkably large sums of money by the U.K. government, are regretting or at the very least, having second thoughts about whether this policy is sensible.”

The policy was first initiated two years ago, but the U.K. Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, which halted deportation.

Following Monday’s passage of the bill, the U.K. is expected to start deporting asylum-seekers to Rwanda by mid-July.
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UNited Nations — Actor and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira told diplomats Tuesday that finding a child to sexually abuse in a conflict zone can cost less than one dollar. She urged policymakers to curb the illicit flow of weapons as one way to prevent these crimes.

“Eighty cents. When was the last time you handled 80 cents?” the Zimbabwean American actor and playwright asked Security Council members.

“Paid for something that was all that it cost? It is not even enough to buy a packet of gum in this day and age, but it can buy you a child to rape at a so-called maison de tolérance in a camp for internally displaced people in Eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo].”

The United Nations recorded 3,688 verified cases of rape, gang rape and abductions in conflict zones in 2023 — an increase of 50% over 2022. About 70% to 90% of such incidents involved small arms and light weapons. Nearly all the victims were women and girls. Many survivors of sexual violence do not come forward, so the U.N. says this is just a fraction of the real numbers.

“The actors committing sexual violence at such high rates in Sudan, the DRC, Ethiopia or Haiti are armed to the teeth, flagrantly violating arms embargoes,” an angry Gurira said. “We hear so much about disruptions to the global supply chain, but the weapons keep flowing.”

Women and young girls suffered from rape and sexual violence at the hands of at least 58 state and nonstate armed groups in 21 conflict areas around the world last year, Pramila Patten, the U.N. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, told the council.

“We cannot condemn the perpetrators of sexual violence in our speeches while continuing to fund and arm them through our supply chains,” she said of the ease of access to weapons.

She said her office’s latest report highlights an “unprecedented level of lethal violence” used to silence rape survivors.

“In 2023, reports of rape victims being subsequently killed by their assailants surfaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, demonstrating the need to strengthen forensic capabilities, investigations and accountability processes that ensure the protection of victims and witnesses,” Patten said.

She said those who assisted survivors often suffered retaliation.

“Armed actors threatened health care workers in Sudan, and reprisals against human rights defenders were reported in South Sudan, the DRC and elsewhere,” Patten said.

Niemat Ahmadi, founder and president of the Darfur Women Action Group, told the council that the year-old war between rival generals in Sudan has unleashed devastating suffering on women.

“Women and girls have been raped multiple times, sometimes in front of their fathers, husbands and sons in an effort to break their will and destroy their dignity,” she said. “These women and girls have no protection, no access to humanitarian or medical assistance, and nowhere to turn for help.”

She said with health care in a state of collapse and humanitarian aid obstructed, it is very difficult for survivors to access reproductive health and other critical services.

“We hear that there are less than a dozen obstetricians and gynecologists left working in Khartoum,” Ahmadi said. “Further, the fear of retaliation for speaking up has made it impossible for many survivors to come forward.”

Fears are growing of a new battle in Sudan’s war, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly either close to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur where their rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are positioned, or already inside its eastern and northeastern neighborhoods. More than 800,000 civilians are in the city.

After the council meeting, Ahmadi told VOA that if an attack happens, the result will be “devastating atrocities,” because the people have nowhere to escape.

“I hope that policymakers, member states of the Security Council, the United States government, will take a step to exercise pressure over the warring parties to stop the attack on El Fasher and stop the attack in Sudan and Darfur everywhere, so vulnerable people can receive humanitarian assistance,” she said.

In the early 2000s, Darfur saw large-scale ethnic violence, crimes against humanity and genocide when Arab “Janjaweed” militias targeted the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic African groups. The Janjaweed fighters are part of the RSF.
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blantyre, malawi — Malawi and its development partners are trying something new to help the country’s most vulnerable women and girls get out of extreme poverty. Besides enhancing their socio-economic status, a new three-year program will strengthen their resilience to crises, shocks and disasters.

The U.N children agency, UNICEF, the European Union and the Irish government say more than 20% of Malawi’s 19.6 million people live in extreme poverty.

They said Tuesday women head over 75% of all families living in poverty amid violence and harmful practices that undermine their participation in economic activities.

The new Gender Empowerment and Resilience program is expected to benefit more than 500,000 people in nine districts, giving them access to social services and cash transfers.

The districts are Mzimba, Ntcheu, Balaka, Chikwawa, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje and Zomba.

Shadrack Omol, UNICEF representative in Malawi, said experience has shown that parents and caregivers need to be supported with livelihoods and resources to support their children.

“That’s why this program is extremely important because through this program we will be working [with] parents,” Omol said, “to support them to have the right livelihoods and incomes to support their children to grow to their full potential.”

About $26 million is being spent to tackle challenges that would help give Malawi women access to economic opportunities and essential social services.

Besides cash transfers, the program will help promote access to social behavior change, nutrition, early childhood development, sexual reproductive health and prevention of gender-based violence.

Jean Sendenza, minister of gender, community development and social welfare, said in a statement that Malawi has previously made progress in expanding social protections to reach more vulnerable people. However, she says significant gender gaps remain.

Eneless Pemba, executive director for Chikondi Girls Project in southern Malawi, said she welcomes the program but says similar interventions haven’t yielded results in the past. That’s because there has been a tendency to impose solutions without asking what people really want, Pemba said.

“We sometimes feel like a girl-child just wants money while there are a lot of issues happening,” Pemba said. “For example when you talk about mental health issues, a girl-child, maybe her parents are sick or they don’t have food at home like hunger we are facing in Malawi now.”

Pemba, whose project teaches girls how to make sanitary pads and other skills, says there is a need to encourage girls’ entrepreneurship skills to help her find food for the whole family.

“There are other small businesses she can do while in school, which can be sustainable for a long time rather than a project which can be there for a year and phase out,” Pemba said.

Maggie Kathewera-Banda, executive director of the Women’s Legal Resources Centre, says there still are some people who need more than resources to help lift themselves up.

“Much as we have empowerment programs, where people are supposed to have the skills so that they can move out of poverty, we still have some section of population which are so vulnerable to the extent that they cannot move out of poverty on their own, they need a booster,” Kathewera-Banda said. “So as a starting point, cash transfers offer such kind of a thing.”

Kathewera-Banda says the impact of some projects may not be seen or felt because they focus on small groups out of thousands of people facing poverty.

However, EU Ambassador to Malawi Rune Skinnebach and Irish Ambassador to Malawi Séamus O’Grady said in a statement the program will help create an enabling environment for Malawi women and girls to contribute meaningfully to their communities.
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Abuja, Nigeria — A high-level Africa counterterrorism summit opened Monday in Nigeria with hundreds of delegates from around the world. Africa has become the world’s epicenter of terrorism. Leaders at the summit hope to change that through regional cooperation and partnerships.

The summit was jointly hosted by Nigeria and the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) with the aim of strengthening regional security response and cooperation against acts of terror.

“Terrorism snaps at the very fabric of the prosperous and just society we seek to build for ourselves and our children,” Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said during remarks at the two-day summit in Abuja. “This violent threat seeks to frighten the farmer from his field, children from their schools, women from the marketplace and families from their very homes. We must therefore fight this threat together, combining determined national effort with well-tailored and regional and international collaboration.”

The summit seeks to enhance intelligence sharing among African nations and promote African-led strategies on counterterrorism.

Authorities say it will also serve as a guide to the international community’s collective response to terrorism in Africa.

Terrorism and violent extremism are spreading at an alarming rate in Africa. According to a new study by the African Center for Strategic Studies, acts of terror increased by more than 100,000% in the last two decades despite local and foreign intervention.

The report says more than 23,000 people were killed in Africa last year — a 20% increase compared to 2022.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo says fighting terrorism goes beyond a country’s borders.

“The evolving nature of terrorism demands a dynamic and coordinated response that transcends national borders and individual efforts,” Akufo-Addo said. “These groups are exploiting grievances, vulnerabilities and are manipulating ideologies to spread fear, division and chaos. We recognize the urgent need to combat this menace that continues to threaten the peace, security and development of our continent.”

Authorities say the threat of terrorism in Africa is exacerbated by the illicit arms trade, unemployment, poverty, inadequate policing, marginalization and political instability.

For more than a decade, Nigeria has struggled to stem the violence by Boko Haram and its splinter, ISWAP in the northeast.

And more recently, armed gangs known as bandits have been making matters worse.

Nigeria’s security adviser Nuhu Ribadu said these factors need to be addressed.

“Effective strategies require comprehensive approaches that address these drivers, promotes socioeconomic development, enhance governance resolve conflict and strengthen regional and international cooperation,” Ribadu said.

But getting the funding to do this has been a major challenge in Africa.

Authorities hope to change the narrative for the better. Vladimir Voronkov, undersecretary-general of the UNOCT, stressed the important role African regional organizations have in effectively countering terrorism.

“The success of the United Nations in Africa hinges on our commitment to support Africa-led solutions to African challenges,” Voronkov said. “We recognize no single actor can resolve today’s threats to peace and security. Instead we need multiple actors working together with solutions grounded with strong national ownership and support of bi-funding partners.”

Acts of terror in Africa are largely concentrated in the Sahel, Somalia, the lake Chad basin, North Africa and Mozambique.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso were absent from the summit due to coup-related sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and the African Union.

Critics say for counterterrorism measures to be truly successful every country must be involved.
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In Eswatini, only 46% of girls complete secondary education, according to UNICEF, with pregnancy and poverty being major contributing factors. A new mentorship program for young rural girls, STEM Sisters, is designed to buck these trends by teaching coding, robotics, and engineering, opening doors to careers and opportunities they never knew existed. Nokukhanya Musi reports.
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Mount Hampden, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwean authorities responded swiftly to the recent decline in the new gold-backed currency by apprehending illicit moneychangers and closing the bank accounts of businesses accused of exclusively dealing in U.S. dollars.

On Monday, Zimbabwe business owners pleaded with parliamentary committees to ask the government to stop arresting moneychangers and re-open the bank accounts of companies accused of only accepting foreign currency.

“This is an inception process of a monetary policy shift,” said Sekai Kuvarika, the chief executive officer of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries. “So, let’s give ourselves time. Let’s give the market time. Let’s give the policymakers time to iterate how the policy is going to work in our markets. But we definitely do not support that we accompany our policies with the police.”

Last week, police arrested several people it said were fueling the black market where Zimbabwe’s new currency, called ZiG, introduced earlier this month, is trading at around 20 ZiG for one U.S. dollar. 

The government’s official exchange rate is 13 ZiG to a dollar. 

Owen Mavengere, with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe, said 

arresting moneychangers causes panic.

“The parallel market and those dealers in the streets are a symptom of the problem,”  Mavengere said. “Sending the police doesn’t inspire confidence. So, we would rather have a situation where we handle the root cause. And use a soft approach.”

He said the government, and government-related services, should be the first to move from the dollar.

“There must be deliberate effort to make sure that the government starts to take the ZiG,” Mavengere said.

The government said for now, commodities like fuel and import duties will still be paid with U.S. dollars.  

Parliament had summoned Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mushayavanhu to explain how the ZiG currency rollout would work, but for unspecified reasons neither attended. 

Last week, Mushayavanhu announced a shift in the central bank’s policies — vowing to restore confidence in an institution that has failed to stabilize the nation’s currency.

Ngonidzashe Mudekunye, chairman of Parliament’s Industry and Commerce Committee said he was happy to hear from business owners about the new currency.

“We want to get feedback regarding the new policy, whether it’s working, whether the industry has new suggestions that may be helpful, to ensure that this new monetary policy works,” he said. “We all want a stable currency. Everyone is crying for it. We got so many views; the market wants a stable currency. This is what we are going to suggest to them.”

The next stage for ZiG — introducing physical notes and coins to the public — is set for April 30.
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Farmers in rural Malawi are learning to move away from over-dependence on maize, the country’s primary staple crop. A local charity Never Ending Food is teaching farmers about 200 types of food crops they can grow and eat. Lameck Masina reports from Lilongwe.
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Nairobi, Kenya — Government representatives from Africa, along with ICT (information and communication technology) officials, and international organizations have gathered in Nairobi for a Connected Africa Summit. They are discussing the future of technology, unlocking the continent’s growth beyond connectivity, and addressing the challenges and opportunities in the continent’s information and technology sector.

Speaking at the Connected Africa Summit opening in Nairobi Monday, Kenyan President William Ruto said bridging the technology gap is important for Africa’s economic growth and innovation.  

“Closing the digital divide is a priority in terms of enhancing connectivity, expanding the contribution of the ICT sector to Africa’s GDP and driving overall GDP growth across all sectors. Africa’s digital economy has immense potential…,” Ruto said. “Our youth population, the youngest globally, is motivated and prepared to drive the digital economy, foster innovation and entrench new technologies.”    

Experts say digital transformation in Africa can improve its industrialization, reduce poverty, create jobs, and improve its citizens’ lives.

According to the World Bank, 36 percent of Africa’s 1.3 billion population have access to the internet, and in some of the areas that have connections, the quality of the service is poor compared to other regions.

The international financial institution figures show that Africa saw a 115 percent increase in internet users between 2016 and 2021 and that 160 million gained broadband internet access between 2019 and 2022.  

Africa’s digital growth has been hampered by the lack of an accessible, secure, and reliable internet, which is critical in closing the digital gap and reducing inequalities.  

Lacina Kone is the head of Smart Africa, an organization that coordinates ICT activities within the continent. He says integrating technology into African societies’ daily activities is necessary and cannot be ignored.  

“Digital transformation is no longer a choice but a necessity, just like water utility, just like any other utility we use at home,” Kone said. “So, this connected Africa is an opportunity for all of us. I see a lot of country members, and ICT ministers are here to align our visions together.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the consumption of technology in different sectors of the African economy, and experts say opportunities now exist in mobile services, the development of broadband infrastructure, and data storage.  

The U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, called on the summit attendees to develop technologies that can solve people’s problems.  

“I encourage all of you to consider this approach for your economies. Look at what strengths already exist in your countries and ask how technology can solve challenges in those sectors to make you a leader through innovation,” Whitman said. “Sometimes innovation looks like Artificial Intelligence, satellites and e-money. Sometimes though it looks much different than we expect. However, innovation always includes three elements: solution focused, it’s specific and it’s sustainable. Bringing solution-focused, being solution-focused is the foundation of shaping the future of a connected Africa.”

The summit ends on Friday, but before that, those attending aim to explore ways to improve Africa’s technology usage, enhance continental connectivity, boost competitiveness, and ensure the continent keeps up with the ever-evolving tech sector.
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Experts say one of the health care challenges in Africa is a shortage of training and education for workers. To help, a U.S. charity called Mission to Heal is training local workers who serve patients in remote locations. Juma Majanga reports from Ngurunit village in northern Kenya. Videographer: Jimmy Makhulo
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YAOUNDE — Cameroon’s opposition and civil society have launched a mass campaign to combat voter apathy. The goal is to encourage disgruntled youths to register to vote before the August deadline and go to the polls in presidential elections next year, instead of just complaining that longtime President Paul Biya will rig elections to die in power. There are about 15 million potential voters in Cameroon but only about 7 million are registered voters.

About 20 opposition and civil society members shout using loudspeakers on the streets of Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, that all civilians of voting age should register to qualify as voters before an August 31 deadline.

Cameroon’s presidential elections will take place in October 2025 on a date to be decided by 91-year-old President Paul Biya, who has ruled the central African state for more than four decades.

Among the campaigners is Mbah Raoul, spokesperson of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, or CRM, party. The spokesperson says Cameroon’s opposition and civil society want civilians, especially reluctant youths, to register now and to vote and defend their votes when elections are called.

“If we are really feeling these pains that this government has infringed [inflicted] on Cameroonians for the past 40 years we have to come out in 2025, vote massively and protect our votes. We should be the ones to choose our leaders,” Mbah said. “We have to combat electoral fraud by voting massively and protect[ing] our votes.”

Mbah said if many people registered and voted, Maurice Kamto, the CRM candidate, would not have been robbed of victory in Cameroon’s October 7, 2018 presidential elections. Biya’s government has always denied the polls were rigged.

Opposition and civil society estimate that at least half of Cameroon’s 30 million people are 20 years and older and qualified to register and vote in elections as stated in the country’s electoral code.

ELECAM, the country’s elections management body, reports that about 7.3 million civilians have registered for future elections.

Opposition and civil society say high voter apathy is due to the belief that votes do not count because Biya rigs all elections to stay in power. Biya has won all elections since he took power in 1982. The opposition accuses him of what it calls massive electoral fraud.

Catholic Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda, capital of Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest region, says civilians should not be discouraged because it is a divine responsibility for all citizens to register and vote.

“Many Cameroonians are skeptical [to register], but we cannot always presume that our votes will not make sense,” Neka said. “If people go out massively to vote, their voice will make a difference and it is very important for those who are organizing elections to ensure that the elections are free, elections are fair and that elections reflect the minds of voters.”

Nkea said all political parties and civil society groups should educate civilians, especially youths who refuse to take part in the elections to know that it is their democratic right to determine who their leaders should be.

On Monday, ELECAM said there was an increase in the number of potential voters in their branches in all towns and villages of Cameroon. They also dismiss claims that they rig elections to favor Biya.

Elvis Mbowoh is ELECAM’s manager for Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest region. He told state TV on Monday that opposition parties and civil society groups are gradually noticing that the elections body plays a neutral role in polls.

“The situation on the ground is changing. I see more politicians running to the field, galvanizing people to come out and register,” Mbowoh said. “I am already establishing a good relationship with the civil society, not only the civil society, all political stakeholders. That is why we set out an objective to work with all stakeholders and especially the media.

At 91, Biya is the world’s oldest president and second-longest serving leader after his neighbor, Theodoro Obiang Nguema, of Equatorial Guinea. Biya has been in power for 41 years. Before becoming president, he served for seven years as prime minister. In 2008, Biya removed term limits from the constitution, allowing him to serve indefinitely.

Cameroon’s opposition and civil society blame Biya for the country’s underdevelopment, increasing underemployment, economic hardship and a separatist crisis that has claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced 750,000 in eight years, according to the International Crisis Group.
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Maputo, Mozambique — The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, is seeking $413 million in emergency aid to support over 1 million people in northern Mozambique dealing with climate disasters and an insurgency concentrated in the province of Cabo Delgado.

OCHA Mozambique representative Paola Serrao Emerson told a media conference in Maputo on Friday that her organization’s efforts to deal with the souring humanitarian situation in the southern African nation face financial problems.

According to the U.N, a total of 2.3 million people need humanitarian assistance in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, but her organization is operating under a tight budget.

“We are looking for $413 million for Cabo Delgado or war in Mozambique, and of that we have received just about $43 million or so, just over 11%, so we are woefully underfunded,” she said. “Normally at this time of the year we would at least 20 or more percent funding.”

According to Emerson, food insecurity compounds the vulnerability of the internally displaced people, host communities and returnees alike.

Mozambique is regularly exposed to cyclones, floods and droughts, damaging private and public infrastructure.

In 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy, a storm of record-breaking length, hit Mozambique’s northern region twice with destructive winds, extreme rainfall, and widespread flooding.

Droughts, which have become more frequent, are also a dire concern, as 80 percent of the population of more than 33 million depends on rain-fed agriculture.

“Humanitarian organizations, the U.N., national and international organizations are supporting people every day with food assistance, with health support, with child support assistance, with mental health psychiatric support amongst many others throughout Cabo Delgado,” she said. “However, the funding situation is difficult to provide comprehensive multi-sectoral support to all areas that are affected.”

The news comes at a time when terrorist attacks have increased in northern Mozambique. Last month, missionaries, priests and religious sisters were forced to flee from remote towns and villages to Pemba and other large cities, which are overwhelmed with displaced people as the insurgency in Cabo Delgado intensifies.

At the same time, troops from the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, have begun to draw down due to financial issues.

Defense Minister Cristovao Chume told state-run Radio Mozambique on Friday that the end of the mission cannot be seen as a rupture in cooperation with SADC.

He said the SADC military mission is leaving Mozambique because it fulfilled the objective for which it was created — to stabilize the north of Cabo Delgado and recover areas controlled by terrorists.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi says his country’s armed forces should take a more prominent role in counterterrorism operations, despite some challenges.

Since 2017, the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, waged by a group that claims affiliation with Islamic State, has terrorized civilians and caused interruption to several multi-billion-dollar oil and natural gas projects.
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London — Alexander Mutiso Munyao delivered another win for Kenya on a day the London Marathon remembered last year’s champion Kelvin Kiptum.

A race that started with a period of applause for Kiptum, who was killed in a car crash in Kenya in February, ended with his countryman and friend running alone down the final straight in front of Buckinhgam Palace to earn an impressive victory in his first major marathon.  

Mutiso Munyao said he spoke to Kiptum after his win in London last year and that the world-record holder is always on his mind when he’s competing.  

“He’s in my thoughts every time, because he was my great friend,” Mutiso Munyao said. “It was a good day for me.”

It was a Kenyan double on the day, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir pulling away late to win the women’s race and cement her status as the favorite to defend her gold in Paris.

With around 400 meters (yards) to go to, Jepchirchir left world-record holder Tigst Assefa and two other rivals behind to sprint alone down the final stretch. She finished in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds, with Assefa in second and Joyciline Jepkosgei in third.

Her time was more than 4 minutes slower than Assefa’s world record set in Berlin last year, but it was the fastest time ever in a women-only marathon, beating the mark of 2:17:01 set by Mary Keitany in London in 2017. The elite women’s field in London started about 30 minutes ahead of the elite men.

For Jepchirchir, though, the main goal was to show Kenya’s selectors for the Olympic team that she should be on the team again in Paris.

“So I was trying to work extra hard to (be able to) defend my title in the Olympics,” she said.

Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele a first London Marathon victory by pulling away from the Ethiopian great with about 3 kilometers to go Sunday for his biggest career win.

Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were in a two-way fight for the win until the Kenyan made his move as they ran along the River Thames, quickly building a six-second gap that only grew as he ran toward the finish.

“At 40 kilometers, when my friend Bekele was left (behind), I had confidence that I can win this race,” the 27-year-old Mutiso Munyao said.

He finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing 14 seconds behind. Emile Cairess of Britain was third, 2:45 back.

Bekele, the Ethiopian former Olympic 10,000 and 5,000-meter champion, was also the runner-up in London in 2017 but has never won the race.

Mutiso Munyao is relatively unknown in marathon circles and said he wasn’t sure whether this win would be enough to make Kenya’s Olympic team for Paris.

“I hope for the best,” he said. “If they select me I will go and work for it.” 
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Bangui, Central African Republic — At least 20 people have drowned in Central African Republic after a ferry sank while carrying passengers on a river, witnesses said Saturday.

The wooden ferry was carrying more than 300 people to a funeral over the Mpoko River in the capital, Bangui, on Friday when it started to collapse, witnesses told The Associated Press on Saturday. Local boat pilots and fishermen were the first to react and rescued victims and collected bodies from the river before the emergency services arrived.

One fisherman who was involved in the rescue, Adrien Mossamo, said that at least 20 bodies were found while waiting for the military to arrive. 

“It’s a horrible day,” he said.

The death toll is rising as the military takes over the search, officials at Bangui University Hospital Center said. The exact number of deaths is currently unknown, and the government didn’t comment.

Civil society groups and local political parties sent their condolences in social media posts and called for an inquest into the sinking.
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NIAMEY, Niger — Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday in a new U.N. report, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking.

In 2022, 1,466 kilograms of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger compared to an average of 13 kilograms between 2013 and 2020 , said the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

Cocaine is the most seized drug in the Sahel after cannabis resin, the report said. The analysis comes as Senegal, which borders on the Sahel, announced Sunday a record-breaking cocaine seizure of 1,137 kilograms – the most ever intercepted on land and valued at $146 million – near an artisanal mine in the east of the country. Incidents like this are becoming more common in the region: In one incident last year in December, the Senegalese navy seized a total of 3 tons of cocaine at sea.

The location of the Sahel, lying south of the Sahara desert and running from the Atlantic to the Arabian Ocean, makes it a natural transit point for the increasing amount of cocaine produced in South America and destined for Europe. The trafficking has detrimental impacts for both peace and health, locally and globally, said Amado Philip de Andrés, UNODC Regional Representative in West and Central Africa.

“The involvement of various armed groups in drug trafficking continues to undermine peace and stability in the region,” said Philip de Andrés. The report said the drug trade provides financial resources to armed groups in the Sahel, where Islamic extremist networks have flourished as the region struggles with a recent spate of coups.

Increased trafficking networks in the region is spilling out onto local markets and leading to higher drug consumption, said Lucia Bird, director of the West Africa observatory of illicit economies at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

“We’ve had reports of rising crack cocaine consumption in Agadez, Niger driven by payment in kind,” said Bird. “Smaller traffickers get paid in drugs and offload it onto local markets because they don’t have the contacts in more lucrative consumption destinations.”

A patrol in southwest Niger on Monday intercepted a shipment of cannabis and Tramadol, an opioid painkiller pill, worth $50,000, according to a national TV announcement.

Another significant trend in the region is the direct exchange of Moroccan hashish for South American cocaine via West Africa, said Bird. This arrangement – which has been developing since 2020 — bypasses the need for cash payments and exploits differences in the prices of drugs across continents, she explained, adding that this increases the amount of drugs trafficked overland which transit from West African ports across some of the most conflict-affected areas of the Sahel.

Corruption and money laundering are major enablers of drug trafficking and recent seizures and arrests revealed that political elite, community leaders and leaders of armed groups facilitate the drug trade in the Sahel, the UN report added.

“States in the Sahel region — along with the international community — must take urgent, coordinated, and comprehensive action to dismantle drug trafficking networks,” said Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa.
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washington — The United States will withdraw its troops from Niger, a source familiar with the matter said late on Friday, adding that an agreement was reached between U.S Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Niger’s leadership. 

As of last year, there were a little more than 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operated out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201 near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. 

Since 2018, the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al-Qaida affiliate, in the Sahel region.  

Last year, Niger’s army seized power in a coup. Until the coup, Niger had remained a key security partner of the United States and France.  

But the new authorities in Niger joined juntas in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending military deals with one-time Western allies like Washington and Paris, quitting the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS, and fostering closer ties with Russia. 

In the coming days, there will be conversations about how that drawdown of troops will look, the source told Reuters, asking not to identified. 

The source said there would still be diplomatic and economic relationships between the U.S. and Niger despite this step. 

Earlier Friday, The New York Times reported that more than 1,000 American military personnel will leave Niger in coming months. 

Last month, Niger’s ruling junta said it revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defense on its soil. 

The Pentagon had said thereafter it was seeking clarification about the way ahead. It added that the U.S. government had “direct and frank” conversations in Niger ahead of the junta’s announcement and was continuing to communicate with Niger’s ruling military council. 

Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital last week to demand the departure of U.S. troops after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending the military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors. 

Eight coups in West and Central Africa over four years, including in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, have prompted growing concerns over democratic backsliding in the region. 
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United Nations — Two senior United Nations officials raised the alarm Friday that an attack on the North Darfur capital of El Fasher could be imminent and may trigger a deadly intercommunal conflict across Darfur.

“In Darfur, recent reports indicate a possible imminent RSF attack on El Fasher, raising the specter of a new front in the conflict,” U.N. political and peacebuilding chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council.

The RSF are the Rapid Support Forces, the rebel militia that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for the past year. The two generals leading them were once allies in Sudan’s transitional government after a 2021 coup but have become rivals for power.

The war began last April in the capital, Khartoum. It has since spread to other parts of the country, forcing more than 8 million people from their homes in search of safety. Nearly 2 million of them have fled Sudan to neighboring countries. Of those who remain, 25 million need humanitarian assistance.

DiCarlo said clashes between the RSF and SAF-aligned members of the Joint Protection Forces have erupted in Mellit, a strategic town to the north of El Fasher.

“Fighting in El Fasher could unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur,” she said. “It would also further impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance in an area already on the brink of famine.”

El Fasher is an established humanitarian hub. Fighting there would make it even more dangerous and complicated to store and deliver aid.

“Beyond Darfur, greater Khartoum continues to be the epicenter of fighting between the SAF and the RSF,” DiCarlo added. “Galvanized by recent gains, the SAF has intensified aerial raids in Khartoum, the Kordofan regions and parts of Darfur.”

The U.N. says the violence threatens 800,000 civilians living in El Fasher and risks setting off more violence in other parts of Darfur – where more than 9 million people need humanitarian assistance.

“On 13 April, following weeks of rising tensions and airstrikes, RSF-affiliated militias attacked and burned villages west of El Fasher,” Edem Wosornu told council members. “Since then, there have been continuing reports of clashes in the eastern and northern parts of the city, resulting in more than 36,000 people displaced,” the director of operations and advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

She said medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, has reported that more than a hundred trauma patients have arrived at their El Fasher facility in recent days but said the number of civilian casualties is likely much higher.

Final battle for Darfur

A report released Friday by the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab says satellite imagery and open-source information indicates that the RSF is either close to El Fasher or already inside its eastern and northeastern neighborhoods.

“At least 11 villages are confirmed burned to the ground on the western access on the approach to El Fasher,” Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the lab, told VOA.

He said it is their assessment that the RSF likely controls the north, east and west roads into El Fasher, and they have credible reports that the Sudanese army had to be re-supplied by air in the past week.

“This suggests that SAF has already assessed that they do not have a ground route for resupply or escape,” Raymond said.

That means civilians are also trapped, including thousands of African Zaghawa, Masalit, Fur, and other non-Arab ethnic groups.

“This is the final battle for Darfur,” Raymond said. “If RSF is victorious, then they will be able to complete the genocide begun at the beginning of the 21st century, and all indications are consistent with the fact that they intend to.”

He said a victory in El Fasher would be pivotal, giving the RSF control over all the regional capitals in the Darfur region and creating a stronghold from which they can fight the remaining elements of the SAF for years to come.

Darfur saw large-scale ethnic violence, crimes against humanity and genocide in the early 2000s when Arab “Janjaweed” militias targeted the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. 
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Abuja, Nigeria  — Nigeria and Cameroon on Friday signed a historic partnership designed to protect wildlife, preserve critical habitats and tackle illegal wildlife trade across their borders.

Nigeria’s environment minister, his Cameroonian counterpart and other dignitaries were present at a signing ceremony for the pact, which provides legal support for the joint protection of endangered species, including gorillas and chimpanzees, and shared natural habitats.

Authorities said the countries would share intelligence, conduct research and strengthen law enforcement against offenders.

Jules Doret Ndongo, Cameroon’s minister of forestry and wildlife, said, “The exploitation of forestry resources and poaching, especially cross-border poaching, are serious threats to the sustainable management of our natural resources.”

The partnership will also address illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking.

Nigeria shares a nearly 2,000-kilometer border to the south with Cameroon. The region is home to some of Africa’s most endangered species of apes, chimpanzees, leopards and elephants, all of them threatened by poaching, growing population, mining activities and illegal felling of trees.

Balarbe Abbas Lawal, Nigeria’s environment minister. said that “apart from the global phenomenon of climate change and environmental challenges, social factors include overpopulation, poverty, food insecurity have continued to amass these resources on the brink of extinction. While this is going on, cross-boundary illegality has further aggravated the trend. And we’re coming up with so many other steps to address this, including trying to enforce our legal system to see environmental crime as serious as other crimes. So we need the cooperation of the two countries to achieve this.”

Nigeria is the epicenter of wildlife smuggling in Africa. Pangolin scales and elephant ivory are the most trafficked items.

In February, Nigerian authorities intercepted 200 kilograms of elephant tusks in a southern border town near Cameroon.

Lack of awareness and prosecution of offenders are the reasons the trend has continued.

Apart from the joint partnership, Nigerian lawmakers are also considering a new bill that would protect endangered species and punish wildlife poachers and traffickers. A public hearing for the bill is expected in May.
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