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Windhoek, Namibia — Seven elephants from Namibia are adjusting to a new home across the border in Angola after conservationists said the animals needed a new habitat to survive.

The Cuatir Nature Reserve in southeastern Angola was known for its bustling elephant population during colonial times, but the 27-year war between Angola’s government and UNITA rebels, which ended in 2002, led to every elephant in the reserve being killed.

“[E]lephants were taken out completely due to their value for meat to feed people and also the value of their tusks to pay for the war expenses,” said reserve owner Stephen Van Wyk.

Now, Van Wyk is working to reintroduce the jumbos to the 40,000-hectare game reserve.

The elephants were transported from the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge in Namibia, where seven years of persistent drought has decreased forage and grazing land for a herd of 50 elephants.

Annette and Alex Oelefse — the mother and son duo who own the reserve –- plan to relocate 14 to 16 more elephants in the coming weeks.

Annette Oelefse told VOA that water resources and forage at the Cuatir reserve in Angola are sufficient for the elephants that have moved there, and they do not expect the elephants to try to make their way back to Namibia.

She said the animals — which include a mother and her young — are calm and are adapting to their new environment.

“She is the stability of a herd and also her young and so that forms a beautiful herd. She has gone with her family, her teenage calves and her little calf, so the structure is a very stable family,” Annette Oelefse said.

Wildlife veterinarian Ulf Tubbesing assisted in tranquilizing the elephants and ensuring they were not harmed during the 700-kilometer (435-mile), 38-hour trip by road to Angola from August 5 to 7, 2024.

He told VOA the relocated elephants will be kept in an electrically fenced area of Cuatir reserve.

“I think the elephants will feel that they have landed in paradise, you know, compared to Namibia, especially with our drought situation where we have very scarce vegetation and very dry trees and no grass,” Tubbesing said. “The transition from Namibia to the southern part of Angola, the Cuando Cubango Province, is really fantastic; the elephants are really enjoying eating from the vegetation there.”

Experts say translocating elephants is a very expensive undertaking, but remains the best option to repopulate areas where the animals once roamed freely — and to decrease pressure in areas where the population has grown too big.
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Gaborone, Botswana — U.S. and Botswanan military personnel took part in a workshop focusing on better integrating women into the African country’s army, addressing issues such as sexual harassment and the need for tailored equipment.

The three-day workshop was part of a larger program wrapping up Thursday intended to strengthen relations between the two countries and build local forces’ capacity.

Major Teisha Barnes, military operations officer of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, which has an initiative to better address the role of women serving their countries, said women in the military face challenges that could limit their opportunities.

“One of the big challenges is not letting women broaden their horizons and putting them in a box,” Barnes said, adding that “not many women rise to the occasion.”

“We have made several changes in the U.S. over the last 10 to 15 years to accommodate women based on body type and changes to uniform just to help women feel more comfortable within the military,” she said.

Barnes elaborated on the U.S. Army’s challenges regarding uniforms and equipment, saying, “In the U.S. we also had issues with the proper fit in the wear of our vest when it came to shooting and injuring females instead of helping us. Another issue we had was the learning that women did not weigh enough to actually break in boots.

“By giving lessons to Botswana,” she said, “we hope they will learn from our mistakes to prevent injuries to women.”

Botswana Defense Forces Major P. Sergio acknowledged that women in the army still face challenges and voiced hope that interactions with the U.S. Army will prove helpful.

“In our culture, men believe that women cannot join the army because it is tough and we are soft, we are not masculine,” Sergio said. “People are not quick to change; it will take time for people to accept that women have joined the army and are doing well.”

U.S. Ambassador to Botswana Howard Van Vranken said it is essential to afford women equal opportunities in the military.

“It is [a] kind of approach to problem solving that incorporates everyone’s strength and enables us to bring everyone into the equation on an equal basis,” he said. “It’s absolutely essential that in order to tackle the problems that we face in the 21st century in security, we need everyone to contribute.”

The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, or SETAF-AF, workshop coincides with a broader initiative known as Southern Accord 2024, which is aimed at strengthening bilateral military capabilities.

The SETAF-AF deputy commanding general, Brigadier General John LeBlanc, said this year’s Southern Accord exercise, which drew 700 military personnel, has been a success. The bilateral exercises end Thursday.
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In Mozambique, two young innovators are using recycled resources to improve lives in their community, creating solutions for using renewable energy and mapping flood-prone areas. Amarilis Gule has the report from Maputo.
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GULU, UGANDA — A Ugandan court found former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo guilty Tuesday of 44 out of 78 war crimes charges brought against him.

The charges included murder, kidnap with intent to murder, pillaging, cruel treatment, torture, rape and crimes against humanity.

The Lord’s Resistance Army was founded by Joseph Kony, who led a rebellion from 1986 to 2005 against President Yoweri Museveni’s government. The group was accused of carrying out multiple massacres. Kony is still at large.

Kwoyelo, now 50, was captured in 2009 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has been in detention since. His trial began in 2019.

Dressed in a black suit and maroon tie, Kwoyelo sat in the courtroom Tuesday and at times stood tensely, listening as the verdict was announced.

‘It’s some progress’

Stella Angel Lanam, founder of the War Victims and Children Networking initiative, also listened closely as the judge announced Kwoyelo guilty of forced child marriages and forceful sexual intercourse.

At the age of 10, Lanam was abducted by the LRA and held captive for nine years. She was forced to marry a then-38-year-old Lord’s Resistance Army commander. She had a child at the age of 13 and suffered a pregnancy complication known as a uterine inversion.

After the verdict, Lanam, now 38, said it was a good start.

“This court has taken a long time,” she said. “I’m happy today. The victims today will sleep. Because the judgment, at least it is there. It’s some progress.”

Lanam returned in 2006, when most rebels decided to take an amnesty offer announced in 2000. She said she was shocked that her own family and community rejected her and her child because the baby was fathered by a rebel.

Lanam says she and other women in similar circumstances have a simple request.

“How can you be with a person who still has trauma?” she asked. “Between the government of Uganda and the LRA, they should give justice to the victims.”

Man says LRA devastated home, family 

Paul Ogena lost eight family members in the insurgency led by the LRA.

He said the LRA devastated his home and took his parents, whose remains have never been found.

“If we could get their remains and make a decent burial, it would be even far better.” he said. “But the person who did it should get a fair judgment, which judgment we have already heard today.”

Kwoyelo’s sentencing date has not yet been set.
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Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria has launched the country’s first National Elephant Action Plan. Authorities say the measure is designed to protect the small and rapidly declining population of elephants in the country.

Human-caused activities, including poaching, have forced Nigerian elephants to the verge of extinction. The plan aims to save the remaining elephants by reducing illegal killings and trade, maintaining elephant habitats, creating public awareness and promoting community-led vigilance.

Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Nigeria’s minister of state for environment, said the National Elephant Action Plan will be a comprehensive approach to ensure the protection of wildlife.

“What we’re seeing today is an upscaling of the commitment of Nigeria to ensure that our natural resources are protected and preserved,” Salako said. “We’re also focusing on the host communities, because these elephants live around some people. We’re going to see a situation where people can see alternative livelihoods from preservation of our elephants.”

Over the last decade, Nigeria has emerged as a key source, transit and destination country for illegal wildlife trade.

Elephant ivories and pangolin scales are some of the most trafficked items. The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation said Nigeria accounts for nearly a quarter of the world’s seized ivory.

As a result, Nigeria’s elephant population — about 300 to 400 animals — is a fourth of the population size three decades ago.

Authorities say that along with the threats from poachers and habitat destruction, human-elephant conflict due to the animals’ invasion of farms is leading to more elephant killings.

Andrew Dunn, country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, is author of the National Elephant Action Plan. He said the plan has eight main objectives ranging from law enforcement to conservation education to sustainable livelihoods.

“It’s quite a comprehensive document,” he said. “There are a lot of actions in there, including the importance of reducing conflicts between farmers and elephants. That’s a serious problem.

“Nigeria is unthinkable without elephants,” he added. “It’s time we came together and protect the last of our elephants. It would be criminal, sad and catastrophic if we lose them.”

In 2010, all 36 African elephant range states committed to developing measures to ensure a secure future for the continent’s elephants.

And in April, Nigeria and Cameroon agreed to a wildlife protection partnership to tackle cross-border wildlife crimes.

As the world marked World Elephant Day on August 12 to raise awareness about the numerous threats elephants face, Nigerian authorities say the launch of the National Elephant Action Plan is a boost to the pact.
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Blantyre, Malawi — A trio of Paralympic athletes from Malawi, Uganda and the United Kingdom is advocating for the voices of youth with disabilities to be heard at the United Nations’ upcoming Summit of the Future, scheduled for September in New York. Their campaign, with support from the international charity Sightsavers, emphasizes the importance of including the voices of disabled youth on the international stage.

Taonere Banda participates in 400 meters and 1,500 meters Paralympics races, and broke a record in 2016 to become the first athlete to represent Malawi at the Paralympic Games in Brazil. Husnah Kukundakwe is a Paralympic swimmer from Uganda. And Susie Rodgers is a former Paralympic swimmer for Britain’s team, who competed at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.

Sightsavers says the three athletes are spokespeople for its Equal World campaign, which wants the voices of disabled youth to be included in discussions in September about the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals at the Summit of the Future in New York. 

Currently, Banda and Kukundakwe are in a camp preparing for the Paris Paralympics.

Banda hopes the campaign will address the stigma and discrimination people with disabilities have long faced.

“We are also human beings and we want to be treated equally,” she said. “It’s sad that we are often being discriminated against. For example, we are often sidelined in various developmental programs, including during the distribution of some relief items.”

She fears that without such a campaign, people with disabilities risk, once again, being left behind, and that the Sustainable Developmental Goals will fail.

Banda said the summit should ensure that there are programs benefiting people with disabilities.

Simon Munde, executive director for the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi, welcomed the campaign.

“It’s important that these para-athletes carry the voices of fellow young people with disabilities to the world leaders so that these world leaders, even our leaders from Africa, really champion the issues of inclusion of persons with disabilities.”

Munde said it was high time for people with disabilities to have an equal share of the development cake.

“Taxpayers’ money should actually be used for the development of the nation, or even the resources from the development partners should be used for development, but those kinds of development initiatives leave behind persons with disabilities,” Munde said.

Last week, the Malawi government, with support from the United Nations, convened a high-level consultation with representatives from government ministries, civil society organizations, the private sector, academia and the media to prepare for the Summit of the Future.

A statement from the U.N. office in Malawi says the primary objective of the meeting was to gather diverse perspectives and input that will inform Malawi’s position and contributions to the Summit of the Future in New York.

During the meeting, various issues were discussed, including those seeking to address the needs of youth and future generations.
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nairobi, kenya — As Africa’s Olympic athletes come home from Paris, the continent’s sports fans can’t help but wonder what might have been. While African countries claimed dozens of medals in Paris, several African-born-and-raised athletes won gold for other countries.

Experts warn that a lack of investment in sports and other issues could prompt more African athletes to switch nationalities.

African teams won 38 medals at the Paris Olympics. Kenya won the most with 11.

But Kenya could have claimed another gold had one of its athletes not chosen to represent Bahrain. Winfred Yavi won gold in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and even broke the Olympic record.

Yavi told Kenyan media that she changed her nationality in 2014 after failing to get picked for the Kenyan team on several attempts.

Her coach Gregory Kilonzo, who coaches other athletes from Bahrain, told VOA there are many incentives that can lead an athlete to represent another country.

“Here in Bahrain, we go directly to the Olympics. We don’t go for trials because we are not many,” Kilonzo said. “Kenya, we go national, we go trials. And then Bahrain pays well. They are serious with their athletes. They take care of their athletes. They pay salaries for the athletes every month. If you get sick, they take you to other countries for medical care.”

Hammer thrower Annette Echikunwoke was denied a chance to represent Nigeria at the 2020 Tokyo Games because of the country’s non-compliance with drug testing requirements. This year, she competed for the United States and earned a silver medal.

Meanwhile, Nigerian athletes competed in 12 events in Paris and returned home without a single gold, silver or bronze. Nigerian officials apologized for the dismal performance and said they will review how people are elected to lead the sporting federation.

Other athletes have left Africa to escape poverty, violence or political oppression. Sifan Hassan, an Ethiopian native, fled her country as a refugee and settled in the Netherlands in 2008. She has since won three Olympic golds for her country, including the women’s marathon Sunday in Paris.

African athletes who have changed allegiance have complained of a lack of good sporting facilities that cater to their training needs, a lack of good pay and corrupt officials favoring some athletes over others.

Richard Wanjohi is a researcher with the African Sports and Creative Institute, an organization that supports African sports through research, advisory and advocacy. He said the trend of African athletes abandoning their birth countries creates concerns that may affect African performance in future competitions, particularly if they lose young athletes.

“You see people transitioning maybe between the age of 18 to 21 years, and that’s considerably young even in the athletics space and other sporting disciplines that they compete in,” he said, adding that that creates a loss of talent nationally. “Once these individuals move, you are not able to get representation as a country. Or even when you have representation, [it] is not the best talent you would have.”

To prevent promising athletes from leaving, sports fans on the continent want officials to spot talent among school-age children and give them the training they need to compete on the global stage.

Some observers say African countries also need to invest in sports science and technology. To date, most countries have relied on natural advantages such as East Africa’s high altitude to train its athletes.

Retired middle-distance runner Martin Keino of Kenya said such methods may not work in the future.

“If our countries can invest in sports science and technology — because technology has a huge impact on sports — and if a nation doesn’t utilize technology, you are uncompetitive on the global stage,” Keino said.

If Africa fails to harness the power of sports science, Keino said, African athletes will fail to win medals, and may not even make it to the finals.
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KAMPALA — The death toll from a mountain of rubbish that collapsed in the Ugandan capital rose to 24 on Monday as rescuers with excavators continued searching for victims, according to the city authority.

At least four children are among those killed by the collapse at the Kiteezi landfill Friday, police told reporters.

The collapse is believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall. The precise details of what happened were unclear, but the city authority said there was a “structural failure in waste mass.”

Irene Nakasiita, a spokesperson for the Uganda Red Cross, said there was no hope of rescuing more people alive.

It was not clear how many people were unaccounted for. The Kiteezi landfill is a vast rubbish dumpsite in an impoverished hillside area that receives hundreds of garbage trucks daily. The city authority has been aiming to decommission it since declaring it full years ago. 

It’s also a kind of no-man’s land in the city of 3 million, attractive to women and children who scavenge plastic waste they aim to sell. Others have built permanent homes nearby.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered an investigation into the disaster, asking in a series of posts on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, why people were living in close proximity to an unstable heap of garbage.

“Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap?” Museveni said, adding that effluent or liquid waste from the site is hazardous enough that people should not be living there. 
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Abuja, Nigeria — The United Nations and Nigerian police Monday held a youth summit in the capital to commemorate International Youth Day and discuss the role of youths in national security intelligence.

The summit came days after Nigerian youths led nationwide protests calling for a reversal of government policies that they say cause severe hardships.

More than 400 delegates – including government officials, security agencies and youth representatives – cheered as the Nigerian police chief, Kayode Egbetokun, took the stage at the summit.

The one-day event with the theme “Enhancing the Nigerian Youth’s Value for National Security Intelligence” was a partnership between the police and UNESCO and was part of the International Youth Day commemoration.

Authorities said the summit was designed to examine the role of youths in national security matters and create room to enhance youth participation.

“Let us remain steadfast in our commitment to our youths,” Egbetokun told the gathering. “Together we must pledge to support, empower and create a brighter future for all. The task before us is indeed significant, but I am confident that with the collective strength, creativity and enthusiasm of our youth, coupled with the support of our partners, we’ll rise up to the challenge and make a meaningful impact.”

The summit featured interactive sessions between the police and youths on crime prevention, conflict resolution, social media and community engagement.

The summit followed recent protests in several cities, by mostly young people, over the spiraling cost of living.

The “Ten Days of Rage” protests began on August 1. Protesters blame Nigeria’s worsening economic situation on government policies, including the scrapping of fuel subsidies introduced last year.

At the summit, police authorities said that while the protesters might have had good intentions, the protests gave rise to criminal elements with ulterior motives.

Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu, president of UNESCO’s Read and Earn Federation, said Nigeria’s youth are a valuable asset.

“Our focus today is on youths recognizing themselves as change agents,” he said. “It is imperative that our young people understand their potential to influence and drive positive change. They are the ones who can bridge the gap between innovative approaches to national security because of their familiarity with technology, social media and contemporary communication tools. This will strategically lead to more effective community policing, improve intelligence gathering and enhance crisis response.”

The protests ebbed earlier than scheduled because of security crackdowns, but Amnesty International said at least 22 protesters were killed, mostly in northern Nigeria.

On Saturday, Nigeria’s minister of industry, trade and investment, Doris Nkiruka, said the country lost about $325 million per day during the protests.

Olanrewaju Fagbohun, a former professor and the co-founder of the RouQ and Company law firm, delivered a keynote address during the summit.

“There’s a trust gap in terms of security agencies and the youth,” he said. “When that protest was brewing and when it eventually happened, there were two forces at play — those with genuine grievances who wanted the nation to listen to them, and there where those who had mischievous purposes who wanted to use it for other agenda, and that is why this kind of conversation is very important.”

Authorities at the summit pledged to improve youth participation in national security matters.
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geneva — Prospects for a cease-fire deal emerging from planned U.S.-sponsored peace talks on Sudan this week are off the table for now, as the warring parties have not yet confirmed their attendance. The talks are set to take place in Geneva.

“We have had preliminary engagements with RSF. We have had extensive engagements with SAF. But they have not yet given us an affirmation, which would be necessary today for moving forward on the 14th,” Tom Perriello, U.S. special envoy for Sudan, told journalists Monday in Geneva.

By RSF, he was referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The SAF is the Sudanese Armed Forces. The two sides have been at war with each other since April 2023.

“We will move forward with our international partners to reach an action plan, a concrete action plan about how we can advance to a cessation of violence and have full humanitarian access, and a monitoring enforcement mechanism. These are long past due,” Perriello said.

“We could do more together if SAF commits to arriving with a delegation that can make decisions. We would prefer that option, and we will mediate with the parties if they choose to do so,” he said. “The RSF is not here as far as I know. But they have committed to participating if there is a commitment from SAF.  We are continuing to keep those options open.”

The United Nations considers Sudan to be the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The catastrophic conflict that has engulfed Sudan has displaced more than 10.7 million people inside the country and forced 2 million to flee to neighboring countries for refuge.

A recent U.N. food assessment finds 25.6 million people, or half the country’s population, are facing acute hunger, and while 13 areas are at risk of famine, the U.N.’s Famine Review Committee has declared a famine in Zamzam camp near El Fasher in North Darfur.

Previous efforts to get Sudanese peace talks under way have failed. While uncertainty regarding the presence of the two warring parties hovers over this week’s talks, Perriello stressed, “We will move forward with this event on the 14th.”

“It is still our goal to do everything we can along with our Swiss and Saudi co-hosts, and the participation of Egypt, the UAE, African Union and the U.N., to make progress this week,” he said.

He noted that one particularly critical issue likely to be discussed is the desperate need to protect and get aid to thousands of people trapped in El Fasher, the site of intense fighting between the SAF and RSF.

“The United States has been extremely clear from the beginning of the siege of El Fasher that the RSF needed to stand down from that siege,” Perriello said.

“We have spent four weeks trying to negotiate a local cease-fire for humanitarian access agreement between the parties and we will continue to be very focused on anything we can do to get relief to the affected people of El Fasher,” he said. Perriello added this is not the only acute crisis in Sudan – a crisis that “has not been sufficiently heard by the international community.”

This first round of peace talks is expected to last up to 10 days. The U.S. envoy said the negotiations might involve a combination of proximity talks, but that it was his intention to have “at least some in-person conversations, which is by far the best opportunity to make progress.”

He added, “We will not be able to do in-person mediated talks with the parties if the parties are not there – even if only one party is not there.”
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Nairobi, Kenya — Scientists and conservationists in Kenya are sounding the alarm over the killing of elephants with large tusks. According to scientists, the elephants were killed by trophy hunters in Tanzania. They say other elephants in the group are in danger if they cross into Tanzania where hunting is allowed.

In a news briefing Monday, conservationists and scientists said five large-tusked elephants were targeted and killed in the last eight months by trophy hunters in Northern Tanzania.

They added that only 10 of the elephants, with tusks weighing 45 kilograms (100 pounds) each, remain in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, which has the highest density of the animals.

Conservationist Paula Kahumbu is the chief executive officer at Wildlife Direct.

“This is bigger than Kenya, this is bigger than Tanzania. It’s actually a global issue because elephants cannot speak for themselves. We as the people of the world have to speak for these elephants. They cannot go to court; they cannot go to the east African court,” she said.

In March, Tanzanian authorities issued controversial hunting permits for the large-tusked elephants, known as “super tuskers,” in the greater Amboseli-West Kilimanjaro border area.

Festus Ihwagi, a research scientist for conservation group Save the Elephants, called on Kenya to raise the issue with Tanzania.

“They may not overhaul it immediately but for the interest of cross border conservation initiatives it would be very good if our president engaged [with] his counterpart in Tanzania and we come up with an arrangement whereby no more hunting blocks are allowed within the defined range,” said Ihwagi.

To mark the August 12 World Elephant Day, the group of scientists say they have handed the Tanzanian government a global petition with over 500,000 signatures, calling for an end to trophy hunting along the country’s border with Kenya in Tanzania’s portion of the park.

In a telephone interview, Conservation Commissioner Mabula Misungwi Nyanda of the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority said the hunters are required to follow protocol.

“Hunting depends on whether the procedure has been followed or not. If you found them, they would explain whether they follow the procedure or not, but the animals should be protected as required.” said Nyanda. 

Kenya is home to over 2,000 different species of elephants. About 600 of them, conservationists say, cross over to Tanzania regularly.

Kenya has banned elephant hunting for more than four decades. Authorities hope the campaign to stop hunting the “super tuskers” in Tanzania will help save the remaining elephant families.
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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — Tanzanian police have detained leading opposition Chadema party figures including former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu, and rounded up several hundred youth supporters, a Chadema official said on Monday.

The Chadema leaders were arrested in the southwestern city of Mbeya, where the party was due to hold a rally on Monday to mark International Youth Day, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs, John Mrema, told AFP on Sunday.

He said that around 500 youth supporters had also been arrested by police as they were making their way to the Mbeya gathering and were being escorted back home.

Tanzanian police had announced Sunday a ban on the Chadema youth gathering, accusing the party of planning violent demonstrations.

The youth wing had said about 10,000 youngsters were expected to meet in Mbeya to mark International Youth Day under the slogan “Take charge of your future.”

Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe said he “strongly” condemned the arrests of his deputy Lissu, secretary general John Mnyika, zonal chair Joseph Mbilinyi and leaders of the youth council.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all our leaders, members, and supporters who were arrested in various parts of the country,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. 

“The party is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to inform the public of every development step by step.”

Chadema officials had on Sunday denounced the police ban and called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene.

Since taking the helm in 2021 after the sudden death of president John Magufuli, Hassan has moved away from her predecessor’s authoritarian policies and embarked on political reforms, including relaxing some restrictions on the media and the opposition.

In January 2023, she lifted a ban on opposition rallies imposed in 2016 by Magufuli, in an overture to political rivals seeking the restoration of democratic traditions.

Lissu had returned to Tanzania soon after Hassan lifted the ban, ending five years spent largely in exile following a 2017 assassination bid.

In March 2022, Mbowe was freed about seven months after he and other Chadema leaders were arrested just hours before the party was to hold a public forum to demand constitutional reforms.

Announcing the ban on Sunday, Awadh Haji, Tanzania’s police chief in charge of operations and training, said the force had “clear indications that their aim is not to celebrate the International Youth Day but to initiate and engage in violence.”

Lissu had on Sunday vowed that the youth event would go ahead as planned.

“President Samia, don’t bring Magufuli’s strange ways. International Youth Day is celebrated globally. Why are your police blocking Chadema youth on the road and arresting them?” he said on X.

“This is not a time to stay silent, be afraid, or just talk. It’s a time to stand up and be counted. Let’s raise our voices with all our strength!”

Tanzania is due to hold presidential and parliamentary polls late next year.
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STATE DEPARTMENT — The United States will proceed with peace talks on Sudan in Geneva this week, even without confirmation of the Sudanese army’s attendance.

U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said he has arrived in Geneva from Saudi Arabia to launch the “urgent international effort in Switzerland to end the crisis in Sudan.”

On Sunday, consultations between the Sudanese government and the U.S. in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ended without an agreement on whether a delegation from the army or the government would participate in the Geneva peace talks, casting doubt on the cease-fire negotiations set to begin on Aug. 14.

The United States has invited leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, to discuss a potential cease-fire. The RSF has confirmed its participation in the talks.

A State Department spokesperson told VOA on Sunday that the U.S. will continue discussions with SAF on preparations for the cease-fire negotiations.

“In addition to consultations with the parties, we have heard from tens of thousands of civilians inside and outside of Sudan. Their message is clear: they want an end to the daily terror of shelling, starvation, and sieges, and the United States and our partners stand committed to answering that call,” Perriello wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In Washington, U.S. officials have said that there is no military solution to the crisis in Sudan. They stressed that convening national cease-fire talks—backed by unified pressure from key international stakeholders—is the only way to end the conflict, prevent the spread of famine, and create space to restore the civilian political process.

More than a year of fighting between SAF and paramilitary RSF troops has displaced nearly 10 million people across the Greater Horn of Africa country and left 26 million facing crisis-level hunger.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep alarm over the evolving situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where fierce fighting between Sudan’s rival military factions, the SAF and RSF, has had devastating consequences for civilians.

“The fighting will further exacerbate humanitarian needs in and around El Fasher at a time when famine conditions have been confirmed in Zamzam camp south of El Fasher,” said U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
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Beni, DRC — The death toll of two attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed to at least 18, with 14 people missing, local sources told AFP on Sunday. 

The attacks, which took place Saturday in the Beni territory in the troubled North Kivu province, were blamed on ADF rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group. 

The death toll of those killed “has been revised from 10 to 18 people,” Kinos Katuo, a civil society leader of the area where the attacks took place, told AFP. 

He added that 14 people are missing, with four houses and two motorcycles also burned. 

Another local leader, Charles Endukado, told AFP the number of people killed in the attacks is “more than 18.” 

“No one can go to recover the bodies that are still lying on the ground,” he said. 

The ADF, originally mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels, have established a presence over the past three decades in eastern DRC, killing thousands of civilians. 

The group pledged allegiance in 2019 to the Islamic State group, which portrays them as its central African branch. 

The ADF was also blamed for an attack that killed 20 at the end of July. 

Local authorities in Beni told AFP in mid-June that since the beginning of the same month 150 people had been killed in attacks attributed to the ADF in eastern DRC. 

Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and the neighboring province of Ituri, but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians.
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Kigali — Rwanda’s all-powerful President Paul Kagame was sworn in on Sunday for a fourth term after sweeping to victory in elections last month with more than 99% of the vote.  

Several dozen heads of state and other dignitaries from African nations joined the inauguration ceremony at a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali, where crowds had started gathering from the early morning.  

Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to “preserve peace and national sovereignty, consolidate national unity.”  

The outcome of the July 15 poll was never in doubt for the iron-fisted Kagame, who has ruled the small African nation since the 1994 genocide, as de facto leader and then president.  

He won 99.18% of ballots cast to secure another five years in power, according to the National Electoral Commission.  

Rights activists said the 66-year-old’s overwhelming victory was a stark reminder of the lack of democracy in Rwanda.  

Only two candidates were authorized to run against him out of eight applicants, with several prominent Kagame critics barred.  

Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza scraped into second place with 0.5 percent of the vote against 0.32 percent for independent Philippe Mpayimana.   

DRC cease-fire talks

Kagame is credited with rebuilding a ruined nation after the genocide, when Hutu extremists unleashed 100 days of vicious bloodletting targeting the Tutsi minority, killing around 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also Hutu moderates.   

But rights activists and opponents say he rules in a climate of fear, crushing any dissent with intimidation, arbitrary detentions, killings and enforced disappearances.  

Kigali is also accused of stoking instability in the east of its much larger neighbor the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

Angola’s President Joao Lourenco, among those attending Sunday’s ceremony, was due to have private talks with Kagame on a DRC ceasefire deal, the Angolan presidency said.  

Luanda brokered the agreement last month after a meeting between the foreign ministers of DRC and Rwanda, which is accused of backing the M23 rebel group fighting Kinshasa’s armed forces.  

But on August 4, the day the deal was supposed to take effect, M23 rebels — who have seized territory in the east since launching a new offensive at the end of 2021 — captured a town on the border with Uganda.  

With 65 percent of the population aged under 30, Kagame is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known.  

“I proudly cast my vote for president Kagame and made it a priority to be here today to witness this historic inauguration,” said Tania Iriza, a 27-year-old trader, one of the tens of thousands who turned out for the ceremony.  

“His leadership has been transformative for our nation. Under his leadership, Rwanda has risen from our tragic past and forged a path towards prosperity, unity and innovation.”  

Kagame has won every presidential election he has contested, each time with more than 93 percent of the ballot.  

In 2015, he oversaw controversial constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms to five years from seven but reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034. 
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KANYARUCHINYA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Children sit on the dirt, their clothes ragged and torn, their shoes punctured with holes, but their eyes bright and fixed on what’s playing out in front of them.

In a corner of a refugee camp in conflict-wracked eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, about a dozen chess games are going, each one with its own fascinated audience.

The Soga Chess Club for children doesn’t have enough tables and chairs. The “boards” are squares of paper with green and white blocks marked on them and are lined with plastic to protect them from the wear and tear coming their way. Irritatingly, the pieces sometimes topple over if players haven’t found a flat enough stretch of ground to lay their game out on.

But the chess club founders say it’s good enough to try to take these kids’ minds away from what they’ve seen and experienced so far: fighting and killing, hunger and fear. They’ve all lost their homes. Some have lost fathers, mothers or siblings in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Chess is “a therapeutic escape from the stress and horrors these children have endured,” said Gabriel Nzaji, one of the club’s instructors. He said the game encourages the children to be quiet and to focus, a way of calming their minds.

More than 5 million people have been displaced by decades of conflict in eastern Congo, where dozens of armed groups fight each other over land and control of areas rich in sought-after minerals. An increase in fighting in recent months has led to a new surge of refugees, and there’s no end in sight for a displacement disaster that dwarfs many others that get more global attention.

Hundreds of thousands of people forced to escape the attacks that destroy their towns and villages have ended up in vast displacement camps like Kanyaruchinya, where the Soga Chess Club operates. The United Nations Children’s Fund says around a quarter million children live in the camps, ripped away from their homes and their schools, and sometimes their families.

Soga has around 100 children signed up to its club. One of them is 9-year-old Heritier, who is still learning the game but confident enough already to hand out his own lesson.

“Here,” he said, his fingers flicking across the board. “I’m doing everything to protect my king on the chessboard. I have to sacrifice this queen. You see that?

“I like this game,” Heritier said. “It relaxes me.”

The trauma suffered by children in eastern Congo is incalculable as aid agencies battle to provide food and shelter to as many of the millions that have been displaced as possible. Some of the children in the chess club have been living in the Kanyaruchinya camp for almost two years, their lives in limbo.

But in Heritier’s grin and his newfound delight in a game — a given for so many kids — the club organizers see a sign of hope.

“The perspective of these children has changed drastically,” said Nzaji. “[They] approach life with a different mindset.”

The organizers said they noticed that most of the children would spend their days engaged in rough, war-like games, sometimes involving sticks they’d swing at each other. They hope chess offers the children something other than a mimicking of the conflict they’ve grown up around.

Akili Bashige, president of the Soga Chess Club, said parts of the camp have been transformed into sites of optimism by children playing chess. “Despite their limited resources, their passion persists,” he said of his club’s recruits.

Soga has also taken the game to orphanages in the region, and Bashige said he wants to start clubs for children who live on the streets in nearby towns.

The club can also be uplifting to parents, who worry for their children and their future — which they see slipping away.

Arusi, a 13-year-old girl, recently won a tournament and with it a reputation for being a fierce competitor. Her mother beamed with pride as she recalled the feat.

“Before Soga chess, they were idle because of the war and a lack of schooling,” said Feza Twambaze, Arusi’s mom. “Seeing them engaged and thriving fills me with immense joy.”
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Windhoek, Namibia — Poverty, family dysfunction, hopelessness and learning challenges are among the reasons children, sometimes as young as 9, take their own lives. The Namibia Association of Occupational Therapists on Saturday brought together children, parents, and health care workers to teach children how to cope and adapt into adulthood.

When Samuel Njambali was 11 years old, he began drinking and smoking with his peers.

This destructive behavior led to fights and failing grades at school.

His grandmother helped him get his act together.

Now an intern occupational therapist, Njambali gave a peer talk at a #Be Free Youth Campus workshop Saturday on the impact of substance abuse on adolescent mental health and the role of occupational therapy in treating and correcting negative behavior patterns.

“Occupational therapy is a profession that helps people who are using substances to quit, and we help to rehabilitate them through activities,” he told VOA. “So, we will help them with restructuring their activities of their day so changing their routines providing more structure to their habits so that they don’t have free time and opportunities for them to use substances.”

Karlien Burger from the Namibia Association of Occupational Therapists organized the event, which attracted more than 150 students, parents, teachers and health care providers.

Given Namibia’s past of apartheid and colonization, she said, its citizens experienced inter-generational trauma that manifests in poor mental health outcomes.

As occupational therapists, she said, they want to reach families when their children are young to re-model their behavior into healthier lifestyles.

“There are a lot of difficulties with mental health, and because these difficulties are starting earlier and earlier, we wanted to take a pro-active and a preventative approach. And that’s why we are looking at adolescent mental health today at this event and different facets of it. The emotional development that happens and how to look after that, how to prevent substance use, how to support the adolescent learning processes and then lastly, we looked at spirituality and how we can foster health promoting spirituality in our everyday tasks.”

Monica Amukoto, a student at the event, said she now has a greater understanding of how her body works and how she can communicate her boundaries with her parents and her peers.

She said greater awareness in the community can help children like her avoid common substance abuse problems.

“I practically learnt about self-love and how as a young person I am supposed to control my emotions, and we encounter a lot of young people on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “On how I am supposed to control my anger and all these things.”

Occupational therapy is a branch of health care that helps people of all ages with physical, sensory or cognitive problems. It is relatively unknown in Namibia and Africa and the Occupational Therapy Association used the opportunity at the #Be Free Youth Campus to create awareness of its practice.

A first of its kind in Namibia, the #Be Free Youth Campus provides sexual and reproductive health services, counseling, sports and learning facilities in the underserved township of Katutura to teens and young adults.  
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FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE — A military court in Sierra Leone sentenced 24 soldiers to lengthy prison terms Friday for their roles in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of President Julius Maada Bio in November 2023.

The sentences were read out in court with the judge handing out prison terms ranging from 50 and 120 years for those convicted.

They were among 27 men court-martialed for participating in the attempted coup on November 26 that saw gunmen attack military barracks, two prisons and other locations, freeing about 2,200 inmates and killing more than 20 people.

The sentencing followed the jailing in July of 11 civilians, police and prison officers for their role in the insurrection.

A seven-member military jury found most of the court-martialed soldiers guilty by unanimous verdict after hours of deliberations. The men faced a total of 88 charges including mutiny, murder, aiding the enemy and stealing public or service property.

All but one of those arraigned were rank-and-file soldiers. A lieutenant colonel was found guilty and received the longest prison term, 120 years.

Before handing out the sentences, Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba — himself a former military officer — said, “When we reach this conclusion for sentences, it is to send a message of zero tolerance for such an act in the military.”

Of the remaining three, one was found not guilty, another was sentenced earlier due to pleading guilty, and the third’s trial will conclude later.

Family members of the convicts wailed inside the court as the sentences were announced.

The failed attempt followed an election which Bio narrowly won to secure a second term. His victory was disputed by the main opposition APC party, while some local and international observers also questioned the transparency of the vote.
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