The sudden death of outgoing Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza Tuesday came as a shock to everyone on the African political scene. Nkurunziza ruled Burundi with an iron first for 15 years, including a controversial third term that saw hundreds killed in protests and more than half a million fleeing the country. Some expect nothing will change on how the east African nation handles its governance.Burundi has begun seven days of mourning after the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who died Monday at a hospital in the town of Karuzi.The government said Nkurunziza died from cardiac arrest, but there is speculation the cause might have been COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Local media reported the late president’s wife was flown to a Nairobi hospital last week after contracting the virus.A resident watches a television broadcasting the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza in Bujumbura, Burundi, June 9, 2020. His sudden death came as a shock to everyone on the African political scene.Nkurunziza was due to step down in August and hand power to the winner of last month’s election, retired army general Evariste Ndayishimiye.Domitien Ndayizeye handed power to Nkurunziza in 2005, at the end of Burundi’s civil war. He said the main task given to Nkurunziza was to implement a political agreement between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority.“When he came to power, we were just about to agree on the Arusha agreement. It has been agreed that he will follow and implement the Arusha agreement, he has done his best, maybe there have been some issues that he has not been able to reach, and I think the next president will go on,” he said.The agreement signed in Tanzania ended a civil war that claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people.Some opposition politicians accused the late president of violating the constitution when he ran for a third term in 2015. His government was also accused of unleashing the ruling party youth wing, known as Imbonerakure, on its opponents.FILE – Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza is sworn in for a third term at a ceremony in the parliament in Bujumbura, Aug. 20, 2015.Lewis Mudge is a Burundi researcher with Human Rights Watch.“Most of my time, I was documenting abuses which were committed by Imbonerakure, which were the youth militia aligned with the ruling CNDD-FDD party, and many of these crimes were happening, sort of almost hidden. But what we are really seeing post-2015 is Nkurunziza giving the green light for these Imbonerakure, the youth militias…we see them really become used as the enforcers across the country. The rise of Imbonerakure will be Nkurunziza’s defining characteristic of his human rights record,” said Mudge.A riot police officer sprays teargas on residents participating in street protests against the decision made by Burundi’s ruling party to allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third five-year term, in the capital Bujumbura, April 26, 2015.In 2017, Burundi became the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court after being accused of committing crimes against humanity.Burundi also closed offices of the United Nations on human rights, and in May expelled officials from the World Health Organization.Last week, four journalists were imprisoned to terms of two-and-a-half years for investigating political unrest in the northwest of the country.Mudge said the human rights situation may not improve with the passing of Nkurunziza.“I don’t think we are going to see much change with the death of Nkurunziza with regards to the human rights standard. It went beyond one individual. So, I think we are unfortunately looking at dark days ahead,” said Mudge.Nelleke van de Walle, deputy director for central Africa at the International Crisis Group, said the future of Burundi depends on what the political system left behind by Nkurunziza will do in the coming months.“He was expected to remain influential because he was appointed supreme guide of patriotism, so it was likely that he continued to play a role in the political scene in Burundi with his death. It’s possible that Evariste has more freedom of movement to act more independently. But then again, Nkurunziza is only one man, and his rule was underpinned by a political system, and that system is very much in place,” she said.For now, the speaker of parliament will be in charge of the affairs of the state, until the president-elect is sworn in on August 20. 
…

In Malawi, hundreds of job seekers have been injured in stampedes at walk-in recruitment drives for the Ministry of Health.  Thousands thronged interview venues across the country, violating social distancing guidelines, after the ministry said anyone who graduated from school could get an interview on the spot.Job seeker Doreen Changamala told VOA the stampede in Blantyre started when people were scrambling to collect registration forms which everyone was required to fill out before the interviews.     Changamala says she didn’t manage to get the form and instead returned home.   Speaking via a messaging app she said, “It was almost impossible to collect a form because of the commotion as people were even fighting to get one.” She said the person distributing the forms was just throwing them, for fear of being mishandled by the crowd.   Changamala said police had to use teargas to disperse the crowd. Stampedes took place in Blantyre, Mzuzu, Mulanje and in the capital, Lilongwe. Officials at Mzuzu Central Hospital in northern Malawi said more than 80 people were brought in with injuries, some requiring X-rays and operations. Many of those seeking jobs came without face masks, raising the possibility that more people will get infected with the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, Malawi had confirmed 443 COVID-19 cases with 4 deaths.   Medical workers have faulted the health ministry for ignoring social distancing measures.  The president of the Society of Medical Doctors in Malawi, Victor Mithi, told a local station that the development is disappointing. “Knowing that there is a higher level of unemployment in Malawi, one would then expect that calling for such an interview would act as a harboring area of COVID-19 spread,”  he said.  Job interviews have continued despite calls from health rights activists to suspend them until the COVID-19 crisis is contained.  
…

Of the world’s 10 most neglected displacement crises, nine are in Africa, the Norwegian Refugee Council reports in an annual assessment released Wednesday.   “The deep crises represented by millions of displaced Africans are yet again the most underfunded, ignored and deprioritized in the world,” Jan Egeland, the NRC’s secretary general, said in a news release announcing its new report. “They are plagued by diplomatic and political paralysis, weak aid operations and little media attention. Despite facing a tornado of emergencies, their SOS calls for help fall on deaf ears.” Cameroon tops the list of neglected crises for the second consecutive year. The West African nation has reeled from conflict over the Anglophone separatist movement in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest and southwest regions, displacing more than 679,000 people.Hobbled by Separatist Conflict: Media Freedom in CameroonIntimidation, arrests and journalists held incommunicado for months cut off vital news on conflict and rights abuses It’s followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Venezuela, Mali, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Niger.  The countries from Africa’s Sahel region – Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria and Niger – all have been beset by extremist violence and receive insufficient aid, the NRC said.   Venezuela is the only non-African entry on the list. The once-wealthy South American country has been devastated by falling oil prices and political strife. The socialist government led by Nicolas Maduro also blames economic sanctions by the United States and its allies for its misfortunes.  The NRC said it expects the novel coronavirus pandemic will worsen conditions for the countries on its list – and for others, too.  “The World Food Program is cutting rations at a time when you have an economic struggle caused by COVID,” Pål Nesse, an NRC senior adviser, said by phone from Oslo on Tuesday. Trade and distribution problems have contributed to higher prices than normal, he said, emphasizing that if humanitarian aid is reduced, “the situation becomes more urgent. … More people will starve.”  The World Food Program predicts that 265 million people globally will confront acute food insecurity this year because of the pandemic, more than doubling the number who experienced food shortages in 2019.COVID-19 Puts 265 Million at Risk of ‘Hunger Pandemic,’ Experts Say‘We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions’ The NRC reviewed more than 40 crises in which more than 200,000 people have been displaced. It compiles its list based on three criteria that are lacking: political will, media attention and international aid. The organization defines political will as the degree to which armed parties on the ground will protect civilians’ rights and “engage in peace negotiations, and international actors’ willingness or ability to find political solutions.” [Optional graph] To assess media attention, it used the media monitoring firm Meltwater. It gauges international aid deficits based on U.N. and humanitarian partners’ funding requests and the extent to which these are met. [End optional graph]    The previous year’s list, in descending order of severity, included Cameroon, the DRC,  Central African Republic, Burundi, Ukraine, Venezuela, Mali, Libya, Ethiopia and Palestine. Nesse suggested countries such as Ukraine and Libya commanded more attention last year with the migrant crisis in Europe and elsewhere. “There has been more news interest, whereas Africa often falls off the news screen, partly because conflicts have been going on for a long time” and because in some countries “it is very difficult for journalists to cover or have access.”  Through its list, Nesse said, the NRC hopes to refocus attention, political support and aid.  The NRC report includes recommendations for politicians, donors, humanitarian organizations and the public. Among these are increased diplomatic efforts toward political solutions, more flexible and predictable aid funding, and improved “collaboration and coordination between organizations on the ground.” It urges the public to get informed and speak up about neglected crises, and to check on candidates’ and parties’ humanitarian policies before voting.  
…

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has died after suffering what the government said was a heart attack, two months before he was scheduled to leave office.Nkurunziza died at the Karusi Hospital in eastern Burundi late Monday, two days after he reported feeling unwell and was taken to the facility, the government reported in a news release posted Tuesday on social media.URGENT: Le Gouvernement de la République du Burundi annonce avec une très grande tristesse le décès inopiné de Son Excellence Pierre Nkurunziza, Président de la République du Burundi, survenu à l’Hôpital du Cinquantenaire de Karusi suite à un arrêt cardiaque ce 8 juin 2020. pic.twitter.com/PP46kKzAM5
— Burundi Government (@BurundiGov) The Burundian national flag is taken down at the independent square in downtown Bujumbura as Burundi mourns the death of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, June 9, 2020.In late 2018, Burundi ordered the U.N. Human Rights Council to close its office in eastern Burundi, after a report alleging the “involvement of the regime in systematic abuses and a risk of genocide.”In mid-May, Burundi expelled four officials from the World Health Organization without explanation, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Nkurunziza – a born-again Christian and, like his wife, a pastor – had claimed God gave special protection to faithful Burundians.Burundi Expels WHO OfficialsHealth Ministers expelled prior to election despite pandemic fearsThe country officially had 83 confirmed cases and one death as of Tuesday, though the French news agency, Agence France-Presse, said doctors in Bujumbura confidentially spoke of many unreported cases and deaths.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to Nkurunziza’s family as well as residents of Burundi, according to a statement released Tuesday by Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.  Gervais Rufyikiri, who served in the Senate and then, from 2010 to 2015, as second vice president, told VOA that he and Nkurunziza “worked together on many projects, some of which contributed to Burundi’s development.” Rufyikiri didn’t specify what he considered his accomplishments, but he acknowledged “the national economy did not turn out as we had hoped.”Burundi remains one of the globe’s poorest countries, according to the World Bank, with most people living in poverty, especially in rural areas. The late president found his strongest support in those areas, where he was considered a man of the people because he helped with harvests and organized prayer services. After the coup attempt in 2015, he moved from the then-capital, Bujumbura, to his northern hometown of Ngozi.The two men’s relationship ruptured in 2015 when Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term. Rufyikiri fled the country.Speaking from exile in Switzerland, he added, “My wish for Burundi is not to go back into violence as we experienced in the past. … Whenever there is war, many people shed tears.”  Nkurunziza had not intended to surrender all the privileges of leadership after leaving the presidency. The ruling CNDD-FDD party anointed him its Eternal Supreme Guide in 2018. The government said that when he stepped down, it would send him off with 1 billion Burundi francs – about $535,000 – plus a villa.VOA Central Africa Service’s Geoffrey Mutagoma also contributed to this report.
 
…

Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have agreed to jointly map out a disputed border area after skirmishes between their troops left several wounded and property destroyed.  Officials from the two countries are asking hundreds of traders and farmers who relocated because of the clashes to return to the disputed area but, some are reluctant.Officials from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea agreed to work on defining their disputed border after a crisis meeting Monday night.Cameroon’s South Region Governor Felix Nguele Nguele said in the past two weeks there have been several skirmishes along the border with Equatorial Guinea’s military.Nguele said while nobody was killed, several troops were wounded, and goods were destroyed on both sides of the border.After the meeting Monday, he said Cameroon instructed local officials and traditional rulers to meet with their Equatorial Guinean peers to map out a proposed border.Nguele said after local officials agree on a proposed new border, the central governments in Malabo and Yaoundé will be able to decide if there will be a new demarcation or not.  But for the time being, he said, people should go about their daily activities peacefully.Farmers and traders last week fled the border town of Kye-Ossi after tensions with troops on both sides.Justo Javier Ndong Engon is governor of Equatorial Guinea’s Kie Ntem Province on the border with Cameroon.He said at the meeting the two sides agreed to return troops to their barracks while waiting for the governments to find a lasting solution to the border dispute.Engon said the crisis meeting resolved that border authorities ask community leaders and chiefs to urge farmers to return to their farms and traders to their shops.  He said both sides ordered an end to the destruction of goods and asked that farm produce like maize, cassava, tomatoes and vegetables – which were stuck at the border – be given access into Equatorial Guinea.Engon did not say how many Equatorial Guineans were affected by the conflict.Cameroon said on its side about 350 farmers and traders had fled the border in the last few weeks but that many were returning.Cameroonian vegetable seller Derric Sama said despite the assurances that troops have pulled back, he will not return to Kye-Ossi.He spoke via a messaging application from the town of Ebolowa, where he relocated.”It is not the first time the military from Equatorial Guinea cross over to destroy our goods or seize vegetables and fruits from us.  Cameroon government tell us every time that they will solve the problem, but no solution seems to be coming,” said Sama.It’s not the first time tensions have erupted along the two countries’ border.In August, Equatorial Guinea began to erect a wall along the 183-kilometer border, sparking condemnation from Cameroon.Cameroon said Equatorial Guinea constructed markers on its territory and instructed the military not to tolerate any unlawful intrusion.Equatorial Guinea has also often sealed its border with Cameroon, complaining of security threats posed by illegal immigration.In December 2017, Equatorial Guinea said it had arrested 30 foreign armed men from Chad, the Central African Republic and Sudan on the border who planned to destabilize the government.Cameroon said at the time it also arrested 40 additional heavily armed men but gave no details. 
…

A former militia leader accused of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court. The ICC said in a statement Tuesday that Abu Kushayb surrendered himself voluntarily in the Central African Republic. Kushayb is accused of commanding Janjaweed militia that attacked Darfur villages in 2003 and 2004, as part of a counter-insurgency strategy by the government of Sudan, then led by longtime president Omar al-Bashir. Among other crimes, Kushayb is accused of enlisting and arming fighters, and personally taking part in attacks on four villages where the killing, rape, and torture of civilians took place. The ICC issued a warrant for his arrest in 2007 that accused him of 22 counts of war crimes and 28 counts of crimes against humanity. The ICC said a date for Kushayb’s first appearance before the court has not been established.  
…

The government of Burundi says President Pierre Nkurunziza has died at the age of 56. The government released a statement on Twitter that said Nkurunziza died of cardiac arrest Monday at the Karusi hospital in eastern Burundi.URGENT: Le Gouvernement de la République du Burundi annonce avec une très grande tristesse le décès inopiné de Son Excellence Pierre Nkurunziza, Président de la République du Burundi, survenu à l’Hôpital du Cinquantenaire de Karusi suite à un arrêt cardiaque ce 8 juin 2020. pic.twitter.com/PP46kKzAM5
— Burundi Government (@BurundiGov) FILE – Evariste Ndayishimiye speaks to the media after voting during presidential and general elections at Bubu Primary school in Giheta, May 20, 2020.Nkurunziza was due to step down in August after his chosen successor, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, won the 2020 presidential election.   
…

School children in South Africa are returning to class amid the COVID-19 outbreak that has closed schools for several weeks.  The first group of students, 7th and 12th graders, returned to class Monday as part of a gradual loosening of coronavirus restrictions. The restart of the school year was delayed after the teacher’s union attempted to create a work stoppage, telling teachers the school system was not equipped with sufficient masks and gloves. The parent of one 7th grader, speaking to a reporter said, “How can we be safe when teachers are not even sure that they are safe, do you understand. We take our children to those schools knowing that the teachers are not safe.”The temperature of a grade 7 pupil is taken as she returns to the Meldene Primary School in Johannesburg Monday, June 8, 2020.Although school staff checked the temperature of children entering schools and masks and gloves were handed out, some parents were not sure the schools were ready. South Africa Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said no school will resume if not ready. She also said the school system will make alternative arrangements for schools unable to reopen.  The schools are reopening, with South Africa confirming more than 50,000 COVID-19 cases and just over 1,000 deaths. 
…

With Nigerian businesses struggling because of coronavirus lockdown measures, the use of mobile money and “no touch”, cashless transactions in business is growing rapidly.  The use of mobile money grew by almost 15 percent in March, and experts say the practice is expected to become even more common as the pandemic continues.  “Cashless Payments Only” is an inscription at the entrance of Washme laundry in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.    Laundry manager Paul Godiya says it’s a recent measure to limit physical contact with cash to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  “There are different people that come here from different places and money is generally accepted which is coming from different people and is circulating from different angles. It may be that Mr. A has this disease or Mr. B has this disease. So, in the process of circulating it may get to me and affect me,” Godiya said.  With more businesses like this Abuja laundry switching to payment technology to ensure health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic, the mobile money industry is experiencing significant growth.   Analysis by the Nigeria Interbank Settlement Scheme (NIBSS) shows mobile money transactions went up by 14.5 percent between February and March – a period when the virus was first reported in Nigeria. Mobile money agents like Isaac Odah, whose business has been booming say the trend has continued to increase since the pandemic. “We are rendering essential services, so our services are not something you can do without because people transact, people pay for one or two things every day, and will need money to carry out such transactions. That’s why our services are booming during this pandemic,” Odah said.As Africa’s largest nation, Nigeria is a huge market for mobile money and financial technology operators. But for many years restrictive government regulatory policies limited investment in this sector.   In 2018, Nigeria’s Central Bank relaxed the restrictions, with the aim of having 80 percent of Nigerian adults use mobile money by 2020. Last December, it issued license to fifteen mobile money operators. Financial technology expert, Raphael Inusa, says the pandemic could fast track this goal.  “There has been a steady growth or increase in the fintech sector. And even way before the coronavirus hit Nigeria, the fintech sector had attracted a lot of foreign investments, from VISA investing in Interswitch, to Flutter wave to several other fintech companies. But the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated a whole lot, we now have increased transactions online,” Inusa said.Apart from favorable government policies, the expansion of Nigeria’s internet penetration by about 20 percent in the last two years is also enabling the mobile money industry to thrive in the West African nation.   
…

The tiny Horn of Africa nation Djibouti has witnessed days of anti-government protests after a detained air force pilot said in a video clip he had been tortured, his lawyer said on Monday.The government did not respond to a request for comment but Djibouti’s ambassador to neighboring Ethiopia told Reuters the pilot, Fouad Youssuf Ali, had been arrested for treason. The envoy denied that Fouad had been tortured.”Many spontaneous protests in support of Fouad’s unlawful detention and mistreatment have taken place in Djibouti,” said the lawyer, Zakaria Ali, adding that some 200 people including members of the pilot’s family had been arrested in recent days.”I visited him on May 13 and saw severe signs of torture on his legs,” Ali added.Grainy footage posted on social media sites appeared to show people protesting in the streets of Djibouti.According to social media, the protests began last week after a video clip began circulating online showing the pilot being held in what appeared to be a toilet of a jail.Asked about the case, Djibouti’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Mohamed Idriss Farah, said the pilot had been arrested on April 9 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where he had escaped after attempting to steal and fly a plane to Eritrea.”He was extradited to Djibouti the following day on charges of treason, as he incited people to rebellion in a video he took in the plane,” Farah said.”Claims that the pilot has been tortured while in detention are false,” he added.Djibouti is home to both Chinese and U.S. naval bases. Its strategic position on the Gulf of Aden means it overlooks the world’s busiest shipping lanes for oil cargos, but many of its citizens are impoverished and human rights groups say abuses by the security forces are common.Independent news sites are blocked in Djibouti and journalists often arrested and beaten, global media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres says.”We should not underestimate the ability of the government to be very brutal in its response if the unrest continues,” said Rashid Abdi, a Nairobi-based Horn of Africa political analyst. 
…

Kenya’s chief justice has accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of disregarding court orders, failing to approve the appointment of new judges, and threatening the constitution.Speaking to reporters Monday, Chief Justice David Maraga called on the president to appoint some judges forwarded by the judicial service commission. “The constitution does not donate any mandate to the president to perform any other act upon [receiving] the names recommended by the JSC except to appoint them,” he said. The names of the 41 judges were forwarded to Kenyatta for appointment in mid-2019. FILE – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks at Nyayo Stadium in the capital Nairobi, Feb. 11, 2020.Through the attorney general, Kenyatta questioned the integrity of some judges, but twice, the court ruled in their favor. 
 
Maraga said the delay in approving and swearing in the jurists has made work difficult for the courts. 
 
“If you file a land case in the environment and land court (ELC) at Milimani court Nairobi today, the earliest your case will be heard is in 2022. This is because we have a total of 31 ELC judges in the country against the case backlog of 16,457 as of 31st March this year,” he said. “The situation is probably worse at the court of appeal, which has 15 judges serving the whole republic.” When contacted, the president’s office said it did not wish to comment on the judiciary’s accusations. Bob Mkangi, one of the authors of the 2010 constitution, said the executive branch was “endeavoring to claw back some of the powers that were taken away by the 2010 constitution.” Having an independent judiciary was one of the ways to end Kenya’s cycle of political violence, according to some analysts. 
 
“Right now, the judiciary reads mischief in the entire procedure because there is already a Supreme Court judge who has retired from service, there are two judges who are coming up for retirement, as well as the chief justice himself,” said Joy Mdivo, a political commentator. “This is significant because it’s the Supreme Court that determines if there is a dispute in the presidential election, and so repopulating the Supreme Court is critical not just for the justice system, but clearly it’s critical for in the political arena.” In the 2017 presidential election, the Supreme Court, led by Maraga, nullified the vote for failing to meet the threshold for a credible election, a decision that has angered the ruling Jubilee party. Kenyatta won a new term in a rerun of the election. 
 
…

A Kenya-based company has developed a video conferencing application, the first made in Africa, designed to be more affordable than foreign counterparts.  Gumzo, which means “chatting” in Swahili, is free to join and costs only $1 per week for users who want to host meetings. Eight weeks — that’s the amount of time it took for the first African-made video conferencing system to becreated.Gumzo – which is Swahili for “chatting” was made in the offices of Usiku Games, a Nairobi company that until a few months ago, focused on making video games for the African market.In the wake of COVID-19, only a small staff routinely reports to the company’s office.But that didn’t stop Usiku’s coders and programmers from quickly developing and rolling out the video conference app.Jay Shapiro, Usiku’s CEO, said Gumzo is built to be used on the wide variety of devices used across Africa.“Africa is a mobile phone first continent and so you have to have a platform that works on mobile devices [that are] older, less memory and so that’s why we built a download app that is web-based and is accessible on all smart phones or PC or tablets to try and reach as many people as we can,” he said.In early March, the Kenyan government closed all learning institutions in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. About 17 million students have been kept out of schools since.Teachers have used a variety of conferencing apps, including Zoom, Skype and Whatsapp, to keep in touch with students.Gilbert Walusimbi, a teacher at Upper Hill High School in Nairobi, is one of the users of Gumzo.  On average his video conferencing class has forty-five students.Walusimbi likes the fact that he can have an unlimited number of students in meetings and still have clarity because Gumzo’s servers are in Kenya and South Africa.However, Walusimbi adds that digital access to all learners is an issue.“Now the challenges are where that particular receiver, that is the student is, because not every area in the country has the infrastructure for receiving this particular type of digital learning material. Electricity is also a challenge in some areas,” he said.Vincent Omondi, an information technology expert at Makini School in Nairobi, points out that the digital divide in Africa could pose a challenge in the uptake of emerging innovations and technologies.“The latest statistics that we have 2019 that was conducted by the International Telecommunications Union, 29 percent of the population in Africa had access to internet. After internet access there’s now the issue of device, the appropriate devices to use to access video conference softwares that would also play a big challenge,” said Omondi.Although the digital divide in Africa is still quite large, Usiku hopes that Gumzo will help make it smaller. 
…

Like many Sudanese, car mechanic Mohamed Othman says the government must end its coronavirus lockdown now so that he can get back to work because “me and my family have no other source of income.”
 
The transitional civilian government, which runs Sudan under a power-sharing deal with the army, ordered most businesses, markets, schools and mosques to shut and imposed travel restrictions nearly two months ago.
 
But it is facing growing demands to end the restrictions from a population mired in poverty and facing annual inflation of nearly 100% as well as complaints that promised aid for poorer Sudanese has failed to materialize.
 
“We demand that the lockdown is lifted immediately so that we can… get on with our lives, because hunger is worse than corona,” said Othman, who is paid by the day.
 
And it is not only the poor who are unhappy.
 
“We’re facing huge daily financial losses,” said supermarket owner Magdi Yousif.
 
The government says the lockdown, extended again in the capital Khartoum until June 18, has helped to curb the pandemic.
 
Sudan has so far reported 6,081 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the new coronavirus, with 359 deaths. The daily infection rate, at around 200, is much lower than, for example, in neighboring Egypt.
 Weak enforcement
 
The government blames technical issues for the delays in aid to the poor. The civil service is still in some disarray following the ouster of veteran ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
 
Officials say only 60% of some half a million designated families have received food baskets and cash transfers.
 
“There are now efforts to distribute the rest of the aid supplies,” said Information Minister Faisal Mohamed Salih.
 
The Multipurpose Women’s Cooperative Union, which represents 15,000 tea sellers and street vendors, said its members had not received aid despite presenting the government with lists of those impacted when the lockdown began.
 
“They’re isolating, but they’re in a difficult situation,” union leader Awadiya Mahmoud Kuku said last week. “We need to stand with these people so they don’t go back onto the streets (to sell).”
 
The government later announced it would begin to provide money transfers to union members.
 
Some Sudanese complain that the lockdown is being widely flouted, with some stores remaining open and people continuing to mix in public. Some tea sellers are serving the very security forces who are meant to be enforcing the restrictions, they say.
 
“The government is being lax in enforcing the lockdown and the government forces are only present at the bridges and main markets, while life in the rest of the city is almost as it was before,” said school teacher Nadia Ahmed.
 
Health minister Akram Ali Altom has criticized security forces for not fully enforcing the lockdown. Sudan’s healthcare system, neglected for decades under Bashir, is struggling to cope with the pandemic.
 
Adil Mohamed said he had tried unsuccessfully to report mosques that continued to host banned group prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
 
“Why make the announcement of shutting mosques if you’re not going to enforce it?”
…

Ever since Tanzania’s president endorsed inhaling steam to prevent coronavirus, some have flocked to shops selling steam machines – even though health experts say there is no evidence the method has any impact on COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Msafiri is making good money with a steam machine that he invented.    Mjema says people are coming to buy his product ever since President John Magufuli declared that steam works against the coronavirus.     Mjema says he now makes up to $200 dollars a day.   Mjema says before in his clinic he was earning 70,000 to 100,000 shillings but now he earns 500,000 and there is one day that he earned up to one million. He adds that is just the beginning.Two months ago, the Tanzanian leader suggested inhaling steam could be a coronavirus treatment.    Magufuli said, “The Ministry of Health should continue to clarify how inhaling steam helps to contain the coronavirus,” he says, adding that If those viruses are in the nose or mouth, they will melt when the temperature reaches above 100 degrees centigrade. He says that is also an important thing.Jane Makyao has put her faith in steam and comes for the treatment. Makyao says she steams because she knows there is the coronavirus, adding that when you get out from the steaming booth your body becomes more comfortable. Even President Magufuli and their ministers recommend steaming because they know its importance, she says. But health experts warn there is no evidence steam protects anyone from the coronavirus, adding that inhaling steam could even cause health problems.     Fazel says it is better to understand that there is no scientific proof of this, adding that one can’t rely on steaming as the cure for the coronavirus. He also says it is better that people understand that there are effects of inhaling steam. He also says some people may get a certain type of pneumonia that causes lungs problems, and this may increase their chance to contract the coronavirus. In the meantime, Mjema continues to make money with his service from people who believe that steam, somehow, will protect them from the infection.    
…

Ever since Tanzania’s president endorsed inhaling steam to prevent coronavirus, some have flocked to shops selling steam machines – even though health experts say there is no evidence the method has any impact on COVID-19.  Charles Kombe reports from Dar es Salaam.Camera: Rajabu Hassan                      Produced by: Jason Godman 
…

Dozens of Malian migrants stranded for nearly three months in Niger by COVID-19-related border closures have returned home.  Earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration was finally able to repatriate 179 migrants who had been waiting at IOM transit centers in Niamey and Agadez.In the past two weeks, the U.N. migration agency was able to return 43 migrants to Burkina Faso and 58 migrants to Benin from Niger by land.  However, the return of the Malian nationals was the first by air since restrictions on air travel were imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19.IOM spokesman Paul Dillon said the airlift was made possible by an agreement between Niger and Mali.“An additional 1,400 migrants from several, mainly West African, countries remain in six IOM transit centers and quarantine sites in Niger waiting for travel restrictions to lift so they, too, can return to their countries of origin,” he said.IOM agrees extraordinary measures taken by governments to curb the spread of COVID-19 may be necessary.  However, it says they are having a serious impact on many vulnerable migrants.  It notes many migrants stranded in foreign countries by travel restrictions cannot work, making them vulnerable to exploitation, including trafficking.The agency reports around 30,000 migrants are stranded in West and Central Africa.  Dillon said more than half are foreigners unable to cross borders to return home.  Among them, he said, are Mauritanian herders who need to cross into neighboring countries to graze their cattle.“The establishment of humanitarian corridors is essential to ensure that people are able to cross international borders in a timely and dignified manner, with their rights respected and public health issues addressed.  IOM stands ready to help governments increase disease surveillance at their borders, train and equip border officials, and assist with quarantine measures for those who return,” said the spokesman.IOM reports tens of thousands of migrants are stranded across the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.  It says it is providing many with financial support, food, clothing, shelter, and other essential relief.  However, the agency says it is limited in what it can do. It urges governments to assist and protect migrants who are stranded on their territory and find themselves in dire straits. 
…

Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi says authorities in Mogadishu pose the biggest challenge for the autonomous region’s fight for recognition as an independent state, 29 years after the region broke away from Somalia after the overthrow of military ruler Siad Barre.In an exclusive interview with VOA’s Somalia service that aired Saturday, Bihi called on the international community to recognize Somaliland’s independence, saying the only solution for Somaliland is for Somalia’s leadership and the international community to accept “the reality of two independent nations.”“Since Somaliland announced its independence from Somalia, we have done everything that we could to earn a recognition. We rule in democracy, we have peaceful and functioning institutions, and economically we are not a burden to the world, yet we have no recognition and did not see anyone saying we do not deserve it,” Bihi said.Broke away in 1991Somaliland, a former British protectorate, broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has continued its effort to be a separate country ever since, but it has not been internationally recognized.  The government in Mogadishu, however, wants the country’s northern territory to be part of a single Somali state.“We face the biggest fight from the government in Mogadishu, which uses its international recognition and support to fight Somaliland, whether it is economic pressure, instigating violence within Somaliland or spreading a propaganda war,” Bihi said.Unlike the southern part of Somalia, Somaliland has had relative peace for 29 years, but it is often accused by rights organizations of making arbitrary arrests and being tough against journalists.“We do not arrest anyone without court trials or due process. We rule in democracy where the rights of our people are respected.” If the incidents alleged by rights groups happen, “it is a mistake and we are ready to correct it,” Bihi said.Female singers and journalists are among people still in Somaliland jails.After VOA Somali aired Bihi’s interview, detained journalist Abdimalik Muse Oldon, who was arrested in April 2019, was released in Hargeisa. The journalist told VOA he was let go with a presidential pardon.Somaliland Celebrates Independence Despite Lack of International Recognition

        The breakaway state of Somaliland is preparing to celebrate 28 years since it declared independence from Somalia. No country recognizes Somaliland as a sovereign nation, but in the capital, preparations for the celebration are under way.  

Inside a boardroom in the Somaliland parliament, legislator Abdurahman Atan explained his country’s struggle for international recognition.
 
“There’s a legitimate case for Somaliland to be recognized, a legitimate case to look at what has been done, legitimate…
Somalia-Somaliland talksStrong positions on both sides — separation versus unity, enshrined in each of their constitutions — and the lack of compromise have made negotiating Somaliland’s independence an insurmountable task.In June 2012, however, delegates from the two sides held their first formal talks in London, which ended with no progress. Then, Turkey mediated another round of talks, which stalled.The European Union has been pushing for the resumption of the talks, but most recently, in February 2020, Bihi and Somali President  Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed met in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for the first major face-to-face talks between the leaders.“In our recent meeting in Addis Ababa, we have agreed to continue talks and end our issues through talks, but we still need impartial international mediation,” Bihi said in the VOA interview.In Mogadishu, delivering a speech that was briefly interrupted by loud whistling, boos and hisses, Abdullahi also said Mogadishu was ready for talks.   “President Bihi of Somaliland had accepted our talks to be resumed and I hope we will solve everything through peaceful and consensus means,” Somalia’s president said.ProtestsMembers of parliament who interrupted the president’s speech were protesting the government’s failure to address promises made, including security, and proper preparations for the upcoming elections.The president reaffirmed in his speech that Somalia’s elections would not be delayed.Somaliland, has not been part of Somali elections since its independence declaration and has its own electoral system.
…

The United States says there is no doubt that the long-time leader of a key al-Qaida terror group affiliate in North Africa is dead. Officials with U.S. Africa Command Saturday confirmed the death of Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), citing an independent assessment of a June 3 operation led by France. “This mission is a collective win,” U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesman Colonel Chris Karns told VOA. “This was a great example of cooperation and partnership to get after a common threat,” he said, praising France’s commitment to fighting both al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked terror groups in Africa. French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly first announced Droukdel’s death in a series of tweets late Friday. “On June 3, French army forces, with the support of their local partners, killed the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, and several of his closest collaborators, during an operation in northern Mali,” she said.  France Says It Killed Al-Qaida North Africa Chief With US HelpFrance also had help of local partners in killing Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic MaghrebFrench forces had been hunting Droukdel, a key figure within North African jihadist circles, for years. Various reports had placed him in Tunisia or the mountains of northern Algeria, although he also had been active in Mali. The French, along with partner forces, finally caught up to Droukdel this past week with help from the U.S., which provided intelligence and surveillance support to “fix the target,” according to AFRICOM. The long-time AQIM emir rose to power after starting out as an explosives expert for the Algerian-based Armed Islamic Group (GIA) before assuming control of the group that was to become AQIM in 2004. U.S. officials designated Droukdel in 2007, blaming him and AQIM for a series of deadly attacks and bombings, including one on a bus belonging to a U.S. company in Algiers and a bombing at the Algerian prime minister’s office and at police facilities that killed 33 people.Starting in 2011, Droukdel proved support to Ansar Dine, a Malian terror group, and helped it engineer a take-over of parts of Mali until French forces intervened two years later. U.S. officials said, more recently, Droukdel, had been seeking to expand the amount of territory under his control and increase recruiting while plotting to ramp up attacks across the region. “This definitely is a blow to AQIM and certainly degrades their ability to plan and carry out operations,” Africa Command’s Chris Karns said. Even with Droukdel’s death, however, French, U.S. and African officials remain concerned that AQIM and other jihadist terror groups are growing, taking advantage of economic and political turmoil across parts of West Africa and the Sahel. As part of an effort to counter that, France, along with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad, created a combined force this past January. Public sentiment has soured, though, and some critics blame French forces for failing to do more to restore stability. West African Leaders, France Vow New Fight on TerrorismLeaders invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to G5 summit agree to pursue their engagements with France – and put aside their differences with former colonial power – to fight against jihadismFrance has about 5,100 troops in the region and has been urging other Western countries to do more. Already, French officials say European allies have pledged to send 100 special forces to aid in the counterterrorism efforts. And Parly, the French defense minister, promised there will be no let-up. A separate French operation, on May 19, led to the capture of Mohamed el Mrabat, a veteran jihadist with Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. And more operations are to come.  “Our forces, in cooperation with their local partners … will continue to track these (terrorists) down without respite,” Parly said. French calls for greater assistance in the fight against terrorism in Africa have been joined by the U.S., though officials in Washington have said they are looking to drawdown the U.S. military in presence in Africa in order to focus more on countering threats posed by powers like Russia and China.  US Noncommittal on Keeping Troops in AfricaDespite pleas from France, which is spearheading counterterror efforts in the Sahel, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Washington’s focus is on China, RussiaEarlier this year, the U.S. began by withdrawing combat troops stationed in Africa, replacing them with military trainers. In Africa, US Sees Trainers as ‘Better Fit’ Than Combat TroopsDefense Secretary Mark Esper says the change will improve US relations with African partners while freeing up combat troops for great power competition with China and RussiaFrench officials, however, have urged the U.S. to keep some forces in Africa, stressing that some U.S. assets cannot be replaced, including the intelligence and surveillance capabilities that help lead to the death of AQIM’s Droukdel. Members of the global coalition to defeat IS also have expressed a desire to focus additional efforts in Africa, but planning has been delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. In a communique issued following a virtual meeting Thursday, coalition members promised to move ahead with those efforts, with a focus on “capacity building … upon the request and prior consent of the countries concerned, and be coordinated with existing efforts and initiatives.”
…

There has been massive condemnation in Cameroon after the central African state’s military bowed to pressure from rights groups and journalists Friday and issued a statement that missing Cameroonian journalist Samule Ajiekah Wazizi  died in a military hospital 10 months ago.  Wazizi was arrested for collaborating with separatists fighting to create an English-speaking state in the majority-French Cameroon and had not been seen in public since.Jude Viban, the Yaoundé-based national president of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists says he is scandalized that it was only after pressure from journalists, civil society groups and the international community that Cameroon’s military finally issued a statement that journalist Samuel Wazizi had died in a Yaoundé military hospital.”We are now calling for an independent inquiry, which will involve an autopsy, so that we can know exactly if the cause of death stated by the Ministry of Defense is exact,” Viban said. “Right now, we want to see the corpse of Samuel Wazizi.”The military said in its statement Friday that Wazizi, who was arrested August 2 in the English-speaking southwestern town of Buea for complicity in acts of terrorism, died on August 17. The statement said when the military transferred Wazizi from Buea to Yaoundé   for further investigation, he became ill and was rushed to the Yaoundé   military hospital, where he died. The statement further indicates that Wazizi, while in detention and before he died, communicated with his family and had access to his lawyers, and that Wazizi’s family was informed of dis death.His lawyers and family said they never heard from him and none of them knew he died 10 months ago.French Ambassador Christophe Guilhou says after getting conflicting reports about Wazizi’s death, he discussed the matter, which he describes as a human rights issue, with Cameroon’s president.  He says when he met with Cameroon President Paul Biya Friday (June 5), he discussed human rights concerns the French government had when it learned of Wazizi’s death  and Biya promised to order immediate investigations to determine the true causes of his death.Christopher Ndong, lawyer and rights defender, said the military killed Waizizi and that investigations should be opened.  He says Wazizi’s killing is just one of many committed by the military on Anglophones suspected to have links with separatists fighting to create an independent English-speaking state in French-majority Cameroon. “In fact, it is condemnable,” Ndong said. “We have series and series of killings in Cameroon where the regime is killing and does not look accountable. They do all of that with impunity. We regret. Honestly it is not correct.”Wazizi worked for Chillen Muzik and TV. English-speaking journalists say his arrest, torture and death and the fact that the military hid his dead body for 10 months without a statement until pressured to do so show how reporters risk their lives in Cameroon.The military says Wazizi is in a Yaoundé mortuary but Wazizis family members and lawyers say they have not seen the body. 
…

French military forces killed al-Qaida’s North Africa chief, Abdelmalek Droukdel, during an operation in Mali, officials said Friday.”On June 3, French army forces, with the support of their local partners, killed the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, and several of his closest collaborators, during an operation in northern Mali,” French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly wrote on Twitter.French forces had been hunting Droukdel, a key Islamist fighter, for more than seven years, officials said.The French-led operation against Droukdel was aided by U.S. forces, which provided intelligence and surveillance support to “fix the target,” according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).”This mission is a collective win,” AFRICOM spokesman Col. Chris Karns told VOA.”This was a great example of cooperation and partnership to get after a common threat,” he said, praising France’s commitment to fighting both al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked terror groups in West Africa.Officials said Droukdel, who was known to be involved in all aspects al-Qaida’s operations in the region, had been seeking to expand the amount of territory under his control and increase the number of attacks.“This definitely is a blow to AQIM and certainly degrades their ability to plan and carry out operations,” Karns added.Fighting IS-linked militantsThe announcement of the death of Droukdel comes almost six months after former colonial power France and regional states combined their military forces under one command structure to focus on fighting IS-linked militants in the border regions of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, according to a Reuters report.Droukdel, among North Africa’s most experienced militants, took part in an Islamist militant takeover of northern Mali. In 2013, a French military intervention pushed them back and scattered the fighters across the Sahel region.Droukdel was believed to be hiding in the mountains of northern Algeria, according to a Reuters report. Al-Qaida North Africa was the dominant jihadist force in the region, staging several high-profile deadly attacks until 2013, when it fractured as many militants flocked to the more extremist IS as it seized territory in Iraq, Syria and Libya, according to the news service.It remained active in North Africa’s largely desert and often scarcely governed Sahel region. In Mali, it focused its activities to the north in Libya and Tunisia. As IS waned, it sought to lure new talent from among IS veterans.Parly said that French forces, which number about 5,100 in the region, had also on May 19 captured Mohamed el Mrabat, a fighter she identified as a veteran militant in the region and a member of IS in the Greater Sahara, a Reuters report said.”Our forces, in cooperation with their local partners … will continue to track these (people) down without respite,” Parly said, according to Reuters.Militants strengthen footholdCritics in the region have increasingly scorned Paris for failing to restore stability. Anti-French sentiment has grown as militants have strengthened their foothold, making large swathes of territory ungovernable and stoking ethnic violence.Parly told Reuters that earlier this week about 100 special forces from other European countries would be deployed to the region to support French and regional troops.Both France and the United States have been calling on other European countries to contribute more to the fight against terror groups in Africa, especially as the U.S. military looks to move forces to counter threats posed by powers like Russia and China.Members of the global coalition to defeat IS have also expressed a desire to focus additional efforts in Africa, but planning has been delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic.In a communique issued following a virtual meeting Thursday, coalition members promised to move ahead with those efforts, with a focus on “capacity building … upon the request and prior consent of the countries concerned and be coordinated with existing efforts and initiatives.”French officials, however, have urged the U.S. to keep some forces in Africa, stressing that some U.S. capabilities, especially in the areas of intelligence and surveillance, cannot be replaced.VOA’s Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information for this report also came from Reuters.   
…

Cameroon says hundreds of hospital patients have fled health facilities after a jump in cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.Cameroon has about 7,400 confirmed cases and more than 205 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Patients say they are afraid of catching the coronavirus at hospitals, but health officials warn that not getting needed treatments for other health issues can put them at higher risk. 
 
The highest number of patients who have fled hospitals are in the western towns of Bamenda and Bafoussam; the capital, Yaounde; and the economic capital of Douala, where confirmed cases of COVID-19 are increasing daily, said Health Minister Manaouda Malachie.FILE – A man wears a mask while walking outside the entrance to the Yaounde General Hospital in Yaounde, March 6, 2020.Each time a special ward for COVID-19 patients is created in a hospital, Manaouda said, Cameroonians worry that if they go to that hospital, they will contract the illness. He stressed that hospital wards dedicated to COVID-19 patients are separated from wards caring for other patients. However, he added, President Paul Biya has instructed the government to build special care centers for COVID-19 cases.About 600 patients have fled from health facilities, while thousands of others are avoiding hospitals for fear of becoming infected, according to Manaouda.Thirty-one-year-old banker Wilfred Awemo said he decided to seek African traditional treatment for his malaria because he no longer trusts hospitals in Cameroon.”When you go with a little illness like this, most especially when you have a health complication and then you are going for checkup, they will just take your temperature and if it goes above 37, they just say that you are a suspect and they try to quarantine you,” he said.Cameroon’s Traditional Healers See Rush for Herbal Medicines to Treat COVID-19Traditional healer says demand so high that he could not treat some patients because he ran short of potions Authorities are putting all suspected coronavirus cases under quarantine. If a person tests negative, he or she is still kept under observation for 14 days.Dr. Getrude Ashu, who is working with the public health ministry, said the government has sent out representatives to encourage people to visit hospitals and to stop going to traditional healers.”We are trying to sensitize the population that it is not in all hospitals and that the probability of contracting COVID in the hospital is just the same as getting it in the marketplace or in the church or in the community,” Ashu said. “So, we just require them to protect themselves when they go to the hospitals and respect all the preventive measures. We will not have any problems.”Since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Cameroon three months ago, government and health workers have been asking civilians to consider the situation as a serious health threat and refer suspected cases to hospitals.The government says confirmed cases continue to rise because many people either do not believe the coronavirus exists, or refuse going to hospitals for treatment until their symptoms worsen. 
 
…

Public schools in Botswana re-opened this week, after a two-month break due to COVID-19, but some remained closed as they failed to meet new safety requirements.This week, Botswana reopened schools following the end of a seven-week lockdown on May 21.While the government made efforts to upgrade facilities at public schools, some were not ready on the day of reopening on Tuesday.Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions secretary general, Tabokani Rari said the reopening should have been delayed.  
 
“The best solution in our view is that we should push the deadline or the timeline for reopening by two weeks, so that we could then push those that are behind to also move towards complying so that when we restart schools,” Rari said. “All schools should open at the same time.”   Rari estimates that around 60% of public schools had not met new safety standard.Learners in Gaborone practise social distancing while being addressed by their teachers on the opening day. (Photo: Mqondisi Dube)The government embarked on an exercise to upgrade public schools to improve hygiene.This included installing washing basins and building additional toilets.
While most learners heeded the call to return to class, some parents, like 38-year-old resident, Goabaone Modise remain skeptical.
 
“I would not want to take chances. There are concerns that some schools are not ready,” Modise said. “I will therefore not risk sending my child to school now. She will only go after I am fully satisfied that the school is compliant.”  
 
President Mokgweetsi Masisi was expected to tour some schools in Gaborone on Friday, to check progress. He said his government will do its best to protect teachers and students from COVID-19 infection.
 
“The education system is ready to adapt to the new normal. To this end, class sizes have been reduced by half (to observe social distancing). Health and safety measures will be high on the daily agenda ,” Masisi said.
 
Only students sitting for their final year examinations returned to class. The remaining grades are expected back by mid-June. 
…

Public transport and taxi service resumed Thursday in Uganda, nearly three months after they were halted to control the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. New restrictions and regulations, mainly on taxis, however, have left many Kampala residents without a ride.Tempers grew short Thursday at a Kampala taxi park as drivers, passengers and security personnel dealt with the new restrictions.The park, which normally has more than 300 vehicles, had just 15, leaving hundreds of people unable to get to where they wanted to go.Kampala traffic police commander Norman Musinga was checking on whether the few drivers present were freshly registered with the City Council and had their driving permits in order, a requirement for getting back on the road.“Where is the manager?” he asked. “Sir, drive your car and leave the stage and go to Natete,” he told one driver. “Have you heard? Don’t load from here anymore. You have the right documents, but you’ve parked at the wrong place.”  The registration requirement has angered taxi drivers, who say they were not given enough time to register or adequate instructions on how to do so. Others say they are not familiar with new traffic routes for public transport out of the city center.Also, every vehicle is allowed to have only seven passengers, including the driver and conductor.Drivers feel stuckKasirye Muhammed, who said he has been driving taxis for 16 years, said the new regulations were unfair and oppressive. But taxi drivers have to comply with them, because this is their only means of income.A woman and a child wait for a taxi at the old taxi park in Kampala, Uganda, on June 4, 2020, the first day of the reopening of public transport.He said, “The president told us to get back on the road and work; we haven’t come in bad faith. Look around — people are traveling to Kamuli, others are going to Jinja and others to Masaka. What will they do at curfew time? So many people who have been in difficult situations at home, with no food and money, have an opportunity to return where they belong and take care of their families. They are here stranded in the park, like useless people.”The Kampala Capital City Authority said it used the lockdown period to improve the city infrastructure and all drivers must adhere to the new regulations.Peter Kaujju, the KCCA spokesperson, said the city was taking steps to make taxis easier to use and, above all, safer.“We are saying they should return better organized, better coordinated and well-regulated,” he said. “So we are now issuing route numbers for every passenger service vehicle in the city. So we have had to register them. But also, safety. We are doing all this to ensure that the lives of the traveling public are not at a risk anymore, especially of accidents.”Kaujju said the city was registering thousands of taxi drivers who would soon be on the road.Passengers strandedBut the shortage Thursday left hundreds of passengers stranded. Mbabazi Joselyn arrived at the taxi park early in the morning, intending to travel to Masindi in southwestern Uganda. She quickly noticed that prices had doubled, and she was still waiting at lunchtime for a vehicle.“The transport costs have gone so high,” she said. “They charged us 15,000 shillings [$4] from Mityana. Yet previously we would pay either 7,000 [$2] or 5,000 shillings [$1.30]. Yet we are here and don’t know whether we shall go or not.”The Kampala Capital City Authority maintains that only registered drivers will be allowed back on the road. If the city has its way, both drivers and passengers will have to adjust to the new normal.
…

Online learning during the coronavirus pandemic is providing opportunities to hundreds of students in northeast Kenya, where school was cancelled even before COVID-19, as teachers fled terrorist attacks.  The al-Shabab militant group killed six teachers and four students in Garissa county in January and March.  But distance learning is allowing teachers and students to safely complete the school year, a practice that many in the area hope to continue after the pandemic. Eighteen-year-old Halima Abdinoor, a high school student in Garissa, northeastern Kenya, says all she needed was online learning to finish her education.
 
“We only covered three chapters and in physics its always ten subjects,” said Abdinoor. “So were really behind in that subject, and in these online classes in just two months, we have finished, and we did the revision.”Abdinoor’s school closed in January when instructors backed by the Teachers Service Commission, or TSC, withdrew from the area due to insecurity.  All schools in Kenya closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shutdown left Abdinoor feeling helpless. 
 
“It was really very hard for us, we were so worried, and we have been waiting for it, it is our final year,” said Abdinoor. “We have been struggling since primary then secondary, it is our final year, and we had no teachers. We have been very worried. So this lockdown came and became another problem for us.”
 
But with a smartphone and internet, students can learn and finish their course work.
 
Moustapha Kassim is one of the teachers helping students like Abdinoor with their online studies.  He says in just two months, the students mood changed from hopelessness to joy.
 
“In the last two months we have been able to run through because we were having about five days a week two hours, we were able to run through all the topics that they were supposed to have done,” said Kassim.  “They were in despair. They didn’t know if this would work, and by the end of the day after two months, they were happy. They joined the group.”Fatuma Dubow of the “Northern Innovation and Empowerment Hub,” an organization that helps women and youth in the region, says online learning can save students in the area now and in the future.
 
“Northeastern is still insecure, and the teachers from TSC will not be posted again, there will be issues, so this is something that will continue post-COVID, and our plan is to work now directly with the schools and to have proper tech set up and to have teachers in other areas of Kenya still support these kids,” said Dubow. The women’s organization, which consists of professionals from the region, has hired three science teachers to help high school candidates to prepare for their exams.John Kemuru teaches chemistry.  He says the students can benefit from the current program even when schools reopen.“This is something you can teach even if you are far from each other. Therefore you can be able to reach them as long as there is that online platform that’s continuing,” said Kemuru.  “The students will be very much catered for so I think is going to help them much even after we resume schools.”Garissa, Mandera, and Wajir counties, have experienced numerous terror attacks targeting schools, government facilities and security forces.  
 
In the worst incident, al-Shabab attacked Garissa University College in 2014, killing 150 people, most of them students.
…