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QUOTE OF THE DAY
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HIGHLIGHTS
US says Houthis may give weapons to Al-Shabaab
Ghana to delay more cocoa deliveries
Riots erupt in drought-stricken central Algeria
SAfrica’s IFP says it will join ANC and DA in unity government
PM Meloni wants Italy as the new European face in Africa’
TOP NEWS
Eastern Africa
First DRC female PM Judith Suminwa takes oath of office
Over 80 killed in boat accident in western Congo
Ethiopia, Somalia leaders engage with Qatar’s Emir on ‘shared regional and International Interests’
FBI Director’s 5-day visit to Kenya
Rwanda says UN refugee agency lying in British asylum policy case
US claims Houthis may give weapons to Al-Shabaab
Mass starvation is ‘very real risk’ in some Sudan regions, WHO says
UN Security Council to vote on demand for halt to siege of Sudanese city
Evidence of Iran and UAE drones used in Sudan war – says Dutch NGO
Tanzania police face new murder claims at Barrick gold mine
Tanzania warns of strong winds and large waves
3 Uganda lawmakers charged with corruption, court papers show
Cambridge returns 39 artifacts to Uganda on loan
West Africa
Families plea for jailed SAfricans in EqGuinea
Ghana to delay more cocoa deliveries as supply crisis worsens
Nigeria’s president says economic reforms will continue despite hardships
Facebook, TikTok remove Accounts glorifying wanted Nigerian terrorist
Senegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits
Southern Africa
Malawi announces state funeral and 21 days of mourning for vice president killed in a plane crash
Political parties cobble together unity government as deadline to elect president looms
SAfrica’s IFP says it will join ANC and DA in unity government
All about Friday’s deadline for SAfrica to form a coalition
North Africa
Riots erupt in drought-stricken central Algeria over months of water shortages
Libya and Tunisia agree reopening of major border crossing
AFRICA GENERAL
GOOD NEWS AFRICA
EASTERN AFRICA
DR CONGO
First female PM Judith Suminwa takes oath of office
Judith Suminwa Tuluka was sworn in early Wednesday as the first female prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Before the National Assembly, the lower house of the DRC parliament, Tuluka and the other 54 new government members officially took office after deputies approved Tuluka’s action programme with a required absolute majority. Tuluka was appointed state minister for Planning in March 2023. From 2020 to 2023, she also served as deputy coordinator of the Presidential Strategic Monitoring Council, an agency affiliated with the presidential office. This new government unveiled on May 29, consists of 55 members, including the prime minister, six deputy prime ministers, and 10 state ministers, compared to the 57 members in the March 2023 reshuffle.
Over 80 killed in boat accident in western Congo
More than 80 people have been killed in a boat accident on the River Kwa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said on Wednesday. The accident involved two boats, one of which was heading to the capital Kinshasa before suffering an engine failure. It was hit by a second boat which caused the accident, Ren Maker, an official of the Congolese riverways authority said. The incident that took place late on Monday was caused by night sailing, Rita Bola Dula, governor of Mai-Ndombe province said. Deadly boat accidents are common in the waters of Congo, where vessels are frequently loaded well beyond their capacity. The central African country has few tarred roads across its vast, forested territory, and river travel is common. The presidency, which put the provisional death toll at over 80, called for an investigation to prevent such an accident from happening again.
ETHIOPIA/SOMALIA
Leaders engage with Qatar’s Emir on ‘shared regional and International Interests’
In a phone call on 12 June Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the leader of Qatar, Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, discussed ways to support and enhance the existing cooperative relations between the two countries across various fields. During the call, the two leaders “discussed the most prominent regional and international developments of common concern.” Similarly Qatar’s leader held a phone conversation with Hassan Sheikh Mahmud, the President of Somalia, focusing on bilateral relations between the two countries and strategies to strengthen them. They “discussed the latest developments in Somalia, and several regional and international issues of common concern,” according to Qatar’s readout of the phone call to the two leaders in Addis Abeba and Mogadishu. This come in the backdrop of souring diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Somalia in recent months following the signing on 01 January of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland, granting Ethiopia access to the sea for a leased military base in return for recognition for Somaliland. Qatar was one of the first stops President Hassan Sheikh made in his attempt to rally Arab countries to denounce the MoU when he visited Doha and met with Amir Sheikh Tamim on 23 January.
KENYA
FBI Director’s 5-day visit to Kenya
The FBI director Christopher Asher Wray concluded his trip to Kenya Wednesday after a series of meetings with top security officials. He arrived Saturday, June 8, for a five-day trip which drew speculation. When he arrived, there were speculations on his mission here even as officials termed it a boost to the country. But when asked about the mission, Wray said he was simply visiting a great partner in various areas to enhance operations for general stability in the region. Wray was at the DusitD2 Complex to witness the impact of terrorism in the country following the January 16, 2019 terror attack that left 22 civilians and five terrorists dead. Among others, Wray held separate meetings with National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission CEO Twalib Mbarak and Director of Public Prosecution Mulele Ingonga. Cyber crimes, terrorism and corruption topped the agenda of the meetings. Wray said they will continue to cooperate with Kenyan institutions in training and tooling for the security of the country and region at large.This month, Wray said, a team of over a dozen Kenyan investigators will begin undercover training at the FBI Academy in Virginia. He said he came to Kenya to say ‘thank you’ for the outstanding collaboration and cooperation they have with the FBI.
RWANDA
UN refugee agency lying in British asylum policy case says Gov’t
Rwanda said the UN refugee agency had lied when the organisation told a British court this week that asylum seekers sent to the country could be moved on again to states where they risked torture or death. Lawyers representing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the court on Monday that Rwanda’s asylum system was inadequate, as part of a challenge to the British government’s policy to deport asylum seekers there. The lawyers said removing asylum seekers to Rwanda put them at risk of being transferred again in a banned process known as refoulement – building on past evidence which formed an important part of the UK Supreme Court’s reasoning when it ruled last year that the British plan was unlawful. “UNHCR is lying,” Rwanda’s government spokesperson said in a statement late on Tuesday. “The organisation seems intent on presenting fabricated allegations to UK courts about Rwanda’s treatment of asylum seekers, while still partnering with us to bring African migrants from Libya to safety in Rwanda,” the spokesperson added.
SOMALIA
US claims Houthis may give weapons to Al-Shabaab
US intelligence has learned of discussions between Houthis in Yemen to provide weapons to the Somali militant group al-Shabaab, in what three American officials described to CNN as a worrying development that threatens to further destabilize an already violent region. Officials are now searching for evidence that Houthi weapons have been delivered to Somalia, and are trying to work out whether Iran, which provides some military and financial support to the Houthis, is involved in the agreement. … It’s not a natural alliance for the two groups, which are divided by sectarianismand are not known to have had a relationship in the past. The Houthis are Zaydi Shiites, and al-Shabaab traditionally has been deeply ideologically opposed to Shiism. … The intelligence raises the alarming possibility that a marriage of convenience could make things worse both in Somalia and in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where the Houthis have launched regular attacks on commercial shipping and US military assets since the war in Gaza began.
SUDAN
Mass starvation is ‘very real risk’ in some regions, WHO says
Mass starvation is a “very real risk” in some regions of war-torn Sudan, where conflict has made medical aid broadly unavailable, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Fighting broke out in the capital Khartoum in April 2023 and quickly spread across the country, reigniting ethnic bloodshed in the western Darfur region and forcing millions to flee.
“People are dying from a lack of access to essential services and medicines, while there is a very real risk of mass starvation in some regions,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Tedros said more than 70% of hospitals in conflict-affected states of Sudan and 45% of health facilities in another five states are not working. “The remaining ones are overwhelmed with people seeking care,” he added. “Critical services, including maternal and child health care, the management of severe acute malnutrition and the treatment of patients with chronic conditions, have been discontinued in many areas.” UN agencies warned last month that Sudan was at imminent risk of famine, with about 18 million people acutely hungry, including 3.6 million children who were severely malnourished.
UN Security Council to vote on demand for halt to siege of Sudanese city
The United Nations Security Council is likely to vote on Thursday on a British-drafted resolution that demands a halt to the siege of al-Fashir in Sudan’s North Dafur region by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), diplomats said on Wednesday. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also calls for an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around the city and the withdrawal of all fighters that threaten the safety and security of civilians. … Top U.N. officials warned the Security Council in April that some 800,000 people in al-Fashir were in “extreme and immediate danger” as worsening violence advances and threatens to “unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur.” The draft Security Council resolution “demands that all parties to the conflict ensure the protection of civilians, including by allowing civilians wishing to move within and out of Al-Fashir to safer areas to do so.” … It also calls on countries “to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability and instead to support efforts for a durable peace and reminds all parties to the conflict and member states who facilitate the transfers of arms and military material to Darfur of their obligations to comply with the arms embargo measures.”
Evidence of Iran and UAE drones used in Sudan war – says Dutch NGO
Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been accused of violating a UN arms embargo by supplying drones to the warring sides in the 14-month conflict that has devastated Sudan. … In March, Mr Zwijnenburg identified one more version of the Zajil-3 captured in a satellite image of Wadi Seidna. “[It is] an indication of active Iranian support for the Sudanese army,” he says, although Sudan’s governing council has denied acquiring weapons from Iran. “If these drones are equipped with guided munitions, it means they were supplied by Iran because those munitions are not produced in Sudan,” Mr Zwijnenburg adds. In early December, a Boeing 747 passenger plane belonging to Iranian cargo carrier Qeshm Fars Air took off from Bandar Abbas airport in Iran, heading towards the Red Sea before disappearing from radar. … According to a UN report presented to the Security Council earlier this year, aviation-tracking experts observed a civilian aircraft air bridge allegedly transporting weapons from the UAE to the RSF… The route starts from Abu Dhabi airport, passes through Nairobi and Kampala airports, before ending at Amdjarass airport in Chad, a few kilometres from Sudan’s western border, and Darfur, where the RSF has its stronghold. The UN report also cites local sources and military groups reporting that vehicles carrying arms unload planes at Amdjarass airport several times a week, before travelling to Darfur and the rest of Sudan.
TANZANIA
Police face new murder claims at Barrick gold mine
Human Rights Watch has accused police guarding the North Mara Gold Mine in northern Tanzania of complicity in the deaths of at least six people and injuries sustained by several others in clashes around the mine in the past four months. The rights watchdog called on Tanzanian authorities to promptly launch “independent and impartial investigations” into the incidents, the latest in a series of similar allegations involving security operations at the mine since 2014. The mine, which is located in Mara region close to the border with Kenya, is operated by Canadian multinational Barrick Gold with the Tanzanian government holding joint shares and providing the security as part on their agreement. This is not the first time local police have been accused of using excessive force, including killings, to prevent artisanal miners from conducting their own small-scale operations in and around the premises. According to rights groups and community members, police officers have been responsible for beating, shooting, torturing, and detaining without charge residents of areas near the mine and dumping areas. The police in turn have accused the residents of illegal invasion and stealing from the mine and its surrounding waste rock dumping sites, but have made no arrests so far.
Tanzania warns of strong winds and large waves
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) has issued an alert for strong winds and large waves affecting 11 regions, including Dar es Salaam, over the next four days. TMA’s severe weather forecasts, released on Monday, indicate the regions will from, June 11 to 14, witness high winds reaching 40 kilometres and waves exceeding two metres would occur in Tanga and Pwani islands. Other regions include Mafia Isles, Lindi, Mtwara, and Unguja. The poor weather conditions are expected to disrupt economic and maritime activities, providing major challenges for inhabitants and companies in the impacted areas. Other regions to be impacted include the Lake Victoria basin, Kagera, Geita, Mwanza, Mara, and Simiyu. TMA advised caution, asking the public to take necessary safety and minimise potential disruptions.
UGANDA
3 Uganda lawmakers charged with corruption, court papers show
Three Ugandan ruling party legislators have been charged with corruption for trying to influence a rights body to inflate its budget. Graft is rampant in the east African country but prosecution of top officials, especially those allied to the country’s long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni and his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, is rare. The three legislators – Mutembuli, Paul Akamba and Cissy Namujju Dionizia – were charged with corruption late on Wednesday at the High Court in the capital Kampala. According to the charge-sheet, they were accused of attempting to influence the chairperson of the state-funded Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) to inflate the organisation’s 2024/25 (July-June) budget, in return for giving the lawmakers 20% of the inflated budget. The three all pleaded not guilty and were remanded to a maximum security prison. Last week, Museveni said he received intelligence that some lawmakers were conniving with officials from government departments to inflate their budgets in exchange for a commission. The opposition has long criticised Museveni’s government for failing to prosecute top officials for graft, saying the government was prioritising political loyalty over accountability in public finances.
Cambridge returns 39 artifacts to Uganda on loan
The University of Cambridge returned 39 Ugandan items which range from tribal regalia to pottery to the East African country on Saturday (Jun. 8). The items remain the property of the collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge, which is loaning them to Uganda for an initial period of three years, said Mark Elliott, the museum’s senior curator in anthropology. The objects, selected by Ugandan curators, represent a small fraction of about 1,500 ethnographic objects from Uganda that Cambridge has owned for a century. Cambridge acquired most as donations from private collections, and many were given by an Anglican missionary active in Uganda in the 1890s and early 20th century. The Uganda Museum in the capital, Kampala, is expected to put on a temporary exhibition of the objects next year. Uganda’s agreement with Cambridge is renewable, allowing for the possibility of a permanent loan and perhaps local ownership, said Jackline Nyiracyiza, Ugandan government commissioner in charge of museums and monuments. Ugandan officials, seeking such restitution, first traveled to Cambridge in 2022 as more African governments started to demand accountability over items of aesthetic or cultural value that were looted before and during the colonial era. Elsewhere in Africa, including the West African nation of Nigeria, there have been successful restitution events in recent years.
WEST AFRICA
EQUATORIAL GUINEA/SOUTH AFRICA
Families plea to free jailed South Africans
The families of two South African engineers imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea have launched a campaign for their urgent release. Frik Potgieter (54) and Peter Huxham (55) were arrested in February last year on what their families say are trumped-up drug charges. It was alleged during the court case that drugs had been found in their luggage. The South Africans were imprisoned for 12 years and fined $5m (£4m) each last June. Their arrest came days after luxury assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President Teodore Nguema Obiang were seized in South Africa. Mr Obiang’s yacht and two villas in Cape Town were impounded in execution of a court ruling. The yacht has reportedly since been released but the villas remain impounded. The South African expatriates were working for an oil and gas company when they “were illegally arrested and imprisoned” on “fake drug charges”, their petition says. South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor last month asked for the release of the two men during her visit to the Equatorial Guinea last month. But the family says while that had raised their hopes, since then “there has been no movement”.
GHANA
Ghana to delay more cocoa deliveries as supply crisis worsens
The world’s second largest cocoa producer Ghana is looking to delay delivery of up to 350,000 tons of beans to next season due to poor crops, sources confirmed in a further worsening of the outlook for the global chocolate industry. Chocolate makers around the world are raising prices for consumers after cocoa more than doubled in value this year alone following a third year of poor harvests in Ghana and Ivory Coast, responsible for 60% of global production. The country’s cocoa crop has been ravaged by adverse weather, bean disease and illegal gold mining, which often displaces cocoa farms. Ghanian farmers are also smuggling more beans to neighbouring countries to sell them at higher prices than the state purchasing price, further eroding what little crop is available for delivery in Ghana. Five sources with knowledge of the matter said Ghana pre-sold some 785,000 tons worth of beans for the current 2023/24 (October-September) season, but will likely only be able to deliver some 435,000 tons. Ghana regularly sells one year forward about 80% of its crop – which usually totals 750,000-850,000 tons.
NIGERIA
President says economic reforms will continue despite hardships
President Bola Tinubu said economic reforms would continue despite increasing hardships that have fuelled public anger, and promised to send an executive bill to parliament soon to set a new minimum wage. Tinubu, who came to power a year ago, removed a decades-old petrol subsidy that kept prices artificially low and devalued the currency, sending inflation soaring to 33.69% in April, its highest level in nearly three decades and eroding incomes. In a television broadcast to mark Democracy Day, Tinubu acknowledged hardships caused by the reforms, which also include higher interest rates and the partial removal of electricity subsidies, but he said this would create a stronger foundation for future growth. “Our economy has been in desperate need of reform for decades. It has been unbalanced because it was built on the flawed foundation of over-reliance on revenues from the exploitation of oil,” Tinubu said. Nigeria is grappling with the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades and labour unions last week suspended a strike called to pressure the government to agree a new monthly minimum wage. The government has offered to double the minimum wage to 62,000 naira ($41.89) a month against labour demands of 250,000 naira, and Tinubu said his government had negotiated in good faith. The last minimum wage was set in 2019.
Facebook, TikTok remove Accounts glorifying wanted Nigerian terrorist
Facebook and TikTok have done a massive clean-up of impostor accounts whitewashing Bello Turji, a terrorist group leader in North West Nigeria who found an appeal on the internet sometime in 2021 after masterminding some of the deadliest attacks against civilians in the region. In January, an investigation revealed that fake accounts from different social networks were opened in Bello Turji’s name for malicious reasons, including clout chasing and sharp practices by influencers gathering followers for merchandise. The impostor accounts helped the terrorist leader to enjoy some acceptance and patronage on social media. The imposters preyed on the vulnerability of many internet users to spread terror, demonstrating the terrorist’s kidnap-for-ransom escapades and celebrating his cruelty. During mass kidnap cases in the northwestern region, the ghost accounts amplified the terrorist’s demands from the government, indirectly spreading his campaign of violence and creating panic for unsuspecting individuals.
SENEGAL
Senegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has said profits from the sale of oil and gas will be “well managed” as the West African state started producing oil for the first time. Australian energy giant Woodside described the extraction as a “historic day” and a “key milestone” for the company and the nation. The Sangomar deep-water project, which also has gas, aims to produce 100,000 barrels of oil per day. It is expected to generate billions of dollars for Senegal and boost its economy. … Mr Faye, who was elected president in April, has been keen on renegotiating the deal as part of reforms he promised during the election campaign. Speaking to students on Tuesday, he said that the earnings would be “well managed”, and that an “inter-generation fund” had been set up for the benefit of “your generation and those to come”. Senegal’s move to renegotiate oil and gas contracts has been seen by some analysts as making investors jittery, but government supporters say it is vital for the West African state to increase its stake in projects so that the nation benefits from its natural resources.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
MALAWI
State funeral and 21 days of mourning for vice president killed in a plane crash
The Malawi government said Wednesday that Vice President Saul’s Chilima will be honored with a state funeral after he died in a plane crash along with eight other people. President Lazarus Chakwera announced 21 days of national mourning on Tuesday, when the wreckage of the small military plane carrying Chilima and a former first lady was discovered in a mountainous area in the country’s north. Chilima was 51 and had been vice president since 2014, having served a first term in the role under former President Peter Mutharika. Chakwera previously said there were 10 people on the plane, but the government now says nine were on board. Everyone was killed on impact when the twin-propeller aircraft went down in a hilly, forested area in bad weather, the president said. The victims included former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, the ex-wife of former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi. Six passengers and three military crew members were on board. The plane was on a short flight from the capital, Lilongwe, to the northern city of Mzuzu for a funeral of a former government minister when it went missing Monday morning.
SOUTH AFRICA
Road to a new Gov’t:
Political parties cobble together unity government as deadline to elect president looms
South African lawmakers are expected to elect the country’s president on Friday after being sworn in at the first sitting of Parliament that will also reveal the kind of unity government that the ruling African National Congress has managed to cobble together after losing its majority for the first time since 1994. The lawmakers are also expected to elect Parliament’s new speaker and deputy speaker, choices that will be determined by negotiations that have taken place between the ANC and opposition parties since the country’s election results were declared nearly two weeks ago. Parties are under pressure to conclude negotiations by Thursday to fulfill the constitutional requirement to swear in lawmakers and elect the president within 14 days of election results being declared. The ANC has opted to form a national unity government that will include most political parties that contested the election instead of a straightforward coalition with a few parties. However, initial negotiations have laid bare the deep divisions between South Africa’s political parties, with some already rejecting the proposed unity government while others have agreed to be part of it.
IFP says it will join ANC and DA in unity government
South Africa’s Inkatha Freedom Party will join a unity government with the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance, it said on Wednesday, as parties race for a deal before the newly elected parliament sits on Friday. The ANC, which lost its majority in May’s election for the first time since it took power at the end of apartheid 30 years ago, has been talking to a broad spectrum of parties to try to set up a government of national unity. Business leaders and financial markets would welcome a deal between the ANC and the DA, but many ANC supporters strongly oppose this option because of the DA’s reputation as a defender of white privilege, which it denies. Analysts have speculated that including the IFP, a conservative party with an ethnic Zulu base, could help temper those concerns. The final composition of the government has not yet been announced, but the comments by IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa gave the most precise picture of how negotiations are shaping up. “We will participate in the government of national unity for the sake of our country and for the sake of our people, who want life to continue with a stable government that will address their challenges,” Hlabisa told reporters at a news conference. The ANC and the DA did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
All about Friday’s deadline for SAfrica to form a coalition
South Africa’s parliament is due to elect a president on Friday and major political parties are still ironing out the final details of a coalition deal that may or may not allow Cyril Ramaphosa to return for a second term as president. most industrialized economy in Africa. Mr Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress , said it would hold a meeting of its top officials in Cape Town on Thursday evening, just 12 hours before Parliament meets in the city and begins the process. The ANC’s priority is to re-elect Mr Ramaphosa, but it will need help from other lawmakers as it no longer has a parliamentary majority. Mr Ramaphosa, 71, could yet secure a smooth second term if he is the only candidate nominated by Parliament on Friday – he would then be automatically re-elected. But if one or more other candidates are nominated, a vote will follow and the ANC will need its coalition partners to guarantee Mr Ramaphosa’s re-election. Two other major parties, former President Jacob Zuma’s new MK party and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party , have said they will not join a unity government. The MK also tried to have the parliament session interrupted in court, but lost its case. MK says its 58 new lawmakers will boycott Friday’s first sitting of the new Parliament, but this is not expected to impact the president’s vote.
NORTH AFRICA
ALGERIA
Riots erupt in drought-stricken central Algeria over months of water shortages
Violent riots erupted in a drought-stricken Algerian desert city last weekend after months of water shortages left taps running dry and forced residents to queue to access water for their households. In Tiaret — a central Algerian city of less than 200,000 located 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Algiers — protestors wearing balaclavas set tires aflame and set up make-shift barricades blocking roads to protest their water being rationed, according to pictures and videos circulating on social media. The unrest followed demands from President Abdelmajid Tebboune to rectify the suffering. At a council of ministers meeting last week, he implored his cabinet to implement “emergency measures” in Tiaret. Several government ministers were later sent to “ask for an apology from the population” and to promise that access to drinking water would be restored. The rioting comes as Tebboune is expected to vie for a second term as president of the oil-rich nation — Africa’s largest by area. Northern Africa has been among the world’s worst-hit regions by climate change. A multi-year drought has drained critical reservoirs and reduced the amount of rainfall that has historically replenished them…But in the meantime, officials are trying to import water from nearby sources. Consider, the public company responsible for the region’s water infrastructure…is trucking large cisterns of water into the city…
LIBYA/TUNISIA
Libya and Tunisia agree reopening of major border crossing
Interior ministers from Libya and Tunisia said on Wednesday they had agreed to partially reopen the border crossing at Ras Jdir on Thursday morning, and to fully reopen it on June 20 after more than three months of closure. In mid-March, the Libyan interior ministry said it closed the border crossing due to armed clashes after the border was attacked by “outlaws”. Ras Ijdir is the major border crossing between the two countries in Libya’s western region, where Libyans often go to Tunisia for medical treatment and trucks with goods coming in the opposite direction. Libya has had little peace since a 2011 uprising and is split between eastern and western factions, with rival administrations governing each area. The GNU, which controls Tripoli and northwestern parts of Libya, is recognised internationally but not by the country’s eastern-based parliament.
AFRICA – GENERAL NEWS
Meloni wants to present Italy as the new European face in Africa’
Africa is set to be high on Italy’s agenda this year at the Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ meeting, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aims to position the country as a key energy hub between Europe and the continent. But whether there is a clear vision and economic resources to do so remains to be seen, experts have warned. A dozen heads of state are expected to attend the three-day forum, which started Thursday in the southern region of Puglia, to discuss global politics. Africa, climate change and development are up as the first themes of the initial G7 session. Signalling Meloni’s outreach ambitions, a relatively high number of guests from the Global South have been invited to this year’s forum. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s war on Gaza, and rising competition with China are expected to dominate talks, but Meloni wants the crown jewel of her foreign policy to feature prominently: the so-called Mattei Plan. The project embodies her vision to project power in Africa and turn Italy into a bridge for gas to be distributed from Africa and the Mediterranean to the rest of Europe, as well as supporting economic growth to stem mass migration from the African continent. But Meloni’s objectives seem to be centred on investment rather than development. She has selected financial institutions, banks and private and state-owned companies for her push. The involvement of NGOs and humanitarian organisations is less prominent.
New Ukraine peace push seeks Middle East and African partners
Countries from the Middle East and Africa are expected to take part in a Ukraine peace summit this weekend in an attempt to end the two-year war. The talks in Switzerland will address the implications of Russia’s invasion on the world food market, as organisers try to bring countries outside Europe into the fold. … About 90 countries and organisations are involved, of which half are from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America, Swiss President Viola Amherd said on Monday. … The fighting between two of the world’s top agricultural producers has damaged grain exports and Black Sea shipping lanes, sending food prices spiralling in parts of the Middle East and Africa. The Kremlin has raised global alarm with what Ukraine’s allies say is dangerous nuclear rhetoric and risky military manoeuvres near the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant. … “What we can achieve by way of agreement is a recognition of international law, that there can be no peace dictated by Russia,” one German official said. “If the signal goes out from the conference to Ukraine, to Russia but to the rest of the world too that a large part of the international community can agree on these principles, then progress has been made.”
Migrants dying in unprecedented numbers on Canary Islands route, NGO says
An unprecedented nearly 5,000 migrants have died at sea in the first five months of 2024 trying to reach the Spanish Canary Islands, according to a report released by migration rights group Walking Borders on Wednesday. Between Jan. 1 and May 31, 4,808 people died on the Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after departing from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, making it the deadliest route between Africa and Spain, with 95% of migrant deaths, according to the group. Arrivals to the archipelago in that period soared five times to over 16,500 from a year ago, Interior Ministry data showed. The Mediterranean route was the second deadliest, with 175 deaths on the crossing from Algeria to Spain’s southeastern shores. Another 71 people died on the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea that separate Spain from Morocco, bringing the total of victims on routes to Spain to 5,054 – an average of 33 per day. The victims came from 17 different countries, mostly from the African mainland but also the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean, as well as Pakistan. They included 154 women and 50 children, the report said. The head of the Red Cross in the Canary Islands, Jose Antonio Rodriguez Verona, said the Atlantic route was the most dangerous as the ocean’s rough weather conditions could easily cause the precarious vessels used by most migrants to capsize.
Opioids stronger than heroin are showing up in drug users for the first time -Report
For the first time in Africa, traces of highly potent synthetic opioids known as nitazenes have been detected in some drugs used on the continent. A report focusing on Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau was released Wednesday (Jun. 12) by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. It is based on chemical testing of kush, a derivative of cannabis mixed with synthetic drugs like fentanyl and tramadol and chemicals like formaldehyde.mResearchers found that in Sierra Leone, 83% of the samples were found to contain nitazenes, while in Guinea-Bissau it was identified in 55%. Nitazenes, powerful synthetic opioids, have long been in use in Europe and North America as well as in Asia where they have been associated with overdose deaths. Some of them can be up to 100 times more potent than heroin and up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, meaning that users can get an effect from a much smaller amount, putting them at increased risk of overdose and death. “The GI-TOC ( Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime) believes that these results are the first indication that nitazenes have penetrated retail drug markets in Africa,” the report said.
Almost – No African records on Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums List
Apple Music has just rolled out a list of the best 100 albums ever made and there’s almost no African representation, which isn’t entirely shocking. But it should be. According to Apple Music, almost all of the 100 best albums in the history of popular music have been created by American and, to a lesser extent, British artists. There are almost no albums made by African artists on the list. Almost, because the 61st-ranked album is Love Deluxe by Sade, the seminal soul band led by its eponymous Nigerian-born, U.K.-raised vocalist. The lack of African representation is not surprising, especially if you’ve come across any ranked list of the best-ever albums. Whether you agree with all of the albums chronicled in this ranked or not depends on your enthusiasm for music debates in 2024, where streaming has radically changed listeners’ relationship with music and stanning on social media has generally warped critical discussion. In the hours since Apple Music unveiled the top ten of its 100 best albums, which it had been rolling out for days, social media has been — as expected — dissecting the merits of the list…For those cynical about the comparative critical value of African music, the next question might concern which albums by African artists deserve spots on a list cataloging the best albums ever. To be equally cynical, that’s a revelation of a bias that music from the African continent is innately inferior to music from America and the U.K.
GOOD NEWS AFRICA
Kenyan company becomes country’s first to 3D print prosthetic limbs
Prothea is the first Kenyan company to successfully 3D printing prosthetic and was founded by Dr Nick Were so that people can have a better quality of life. “Comparing between traditional way of making prosthesis and 3D printing, with 3D printing we have significant customisation based on the scanning of the patient’s limb,” he says. “This increases comfort for the patient. The second is the time it takes. With 3D printing we can have the prosthetic made within 24hrs,” says Dr Were. The cost benefits are also significant. Traditionally an above knee prosthesis would cost around $3,500, while a below knee one would go for around $1,600. However, 3D printing has reduced the cost to $1,400 for the above knee prosthesis and $800 for the below knee one. While 3D prosthesis save both money and time, Dr John Ondiege, the chief orthopedist at Kenyatta National Hospital, says they still have to learn to use it properly. Over the past year, Prothea has produced more than 100 pieces for amputees all over Kenya. The World Health Organization estimates that around five million Africans live with some sort of limb amputation.
Templeton Prize for South Africa’s Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
The 2024 Templeton Prize, one of the world’s largest annual individual grants, has been awarded to Professor Puma Gobodo-Madikizela, a clinical psychologist, author and academic based at Stellenbosch University (SU). She holds the South African Research Chair for Violent Histories and Historical Trauma, is the founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest , and serves on the board of the country’s National Research Foundation. The prize is awarded to “a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension”. It honours individuals whose work draws from scholarly disciplines to explore the deepest questions about humanity and the universe, making it “the world’s most interesting prize”. Its monetary value – currently £1.1 million (about US$1.4 million) – is always adjusted to exceed that of the Nobel Prizes, which was “Templeton’s way of underscoring his belief that advances in the spiritual domain are no less important than those in other areas of human endeavour”.
Anticancer plants’ highlight the need to step up R&D
High financial costs, side effects and drug resistance associated with cancer treatment have encouraged scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past 10 years to increase research output in identifying ‘anticancer plants’ for drug development, according to researchers in Burkina Faso and their counterparts in France. In the study the researchers extracted 85 articles that were related to 204 anticancer medicinal plants from Sub-Saharan Africa…researchers were quick to warn that developing cancer drugs using medicinal plants in Sub-Saharan Africa is not as easy as it appears. To purify the active anticancer chemical properties is a long scientific process beginning with the collection of plant material and ending with clinical trials. Besides, limited expertise in turning the plants’ bioactive chemical compounds into readily usable anticancer products and the scarcity of drug-making facilities are serious challenges to cancer drug development in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, cancer drug development in the region has barely moved beyond the primary identification of the plants and solvent extraction stages…many people in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural areas and informal settlements, still depend on herbal treatment from available outlets such as markets, street vendors and kiosk clinics.
African Academy of Sciences celebrates ARISE achievements
The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) held a three-day high-level scientific conference in Hammamet, Tunisia, this week to celebrate the achievements of its African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE) programme. The event, presented in partnership with the Institute Pasteur de Tunis, concluded on 6 June. The Tunisia conference this week brought together about 100 researchers, policy-makers and thought leaders from across Africa and beyond – all involved or interested in ARISE, which is active in 38 countries on the continent. Sessions were also live-streamed over the internet to participants all over the world. Formed in 1985, the AAS is a continental learned society dedicated to the advancement and promotion of science. It consists of distinguished researchers elected by their peers based on their publication record, innovation, leadership roles and contribution to policy.
Rebuilding a higher education system after a genocide
Starting the process to rebuild Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi was a tumultuous and almost impossible endeavour. In a society left in ruins, higher education was one of the worst-hit sectors. In 2024, as the country, during its 100 days of commemoration, continues to reflect on what has happened in the 30 years since the genocide against the Tutsi, experts recall the unprecedented efforts and determination it took to reopen the Université Nationale du Rwanda, or the National University of Rwanda (NUR). In 1994, Rwanda’s only higher learning institution betrayed the country and participated in the genocide. “The elite class, who included many of the then university leaders, lecturers, researchers and students, played a role in the preparation and execution of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi,” admits Dr Raymond Ndikumana, the deputy vice-chancellor for strategic planning and administration at the University of Rwanda, who is in charge of institutional advancement at the university. The events of 1994 left the academic sector, in particular universities, paralysed. Dr Charles Murigande, a seasoned academic and politician, became the second rector of the National University of Rwanda. His story, and the story of Rwanda’s higher education system, is one of resilience and hope.
African elephants call each other unique names, new study shows
African elephants call each other and respond to unique names, a phenomenon that is rare among wild animals, new research shows. The names can be heard in low rumbles that carry long distances across the savanna. Scientists say that naming behavior is more common in animals with social structures and families that separate and reunite. “Elephants are incredibly social, always talking and touching each other — this naming is probably one of the things that underpins their ability to communicate to individuals,” said co-author and Colorado State University ecologist George Wittemyer, who is also a scientific adviser for the nonprofit Save the Elephants. Humans have naming procedures, and so do dogs, baby dolphins and parrots. Naming species can also learn to pronounce unique new sounds during their lives. “Just like humans, elephants use names, but probably don’t use names in the majority of utterances, so we wouldn’t expect 100%,” said study author and Cornell University biologist Mickey Pardo.
15 ethical and sustainable African fashion brands you need to know
The fashion retail industry significantly impacts the environment, from materials sourcing to production and disposal. This is especially true for fast fashion, which contributes to pollution, waste, and resource depletion. Choosing sustainable materials, supporting ethical brands, and prioritizing quality over quantity can help preserve our environment and promote sustainability. Sustainable fashion isn’t just about saving the planet; it’s also about fostering community and promoting humanity. In recent decades, numerous African brands have embraced ethical and sustainable practices, emphasizing handmade craftsmanship, minimal waste, and locally sourced materials. From Cairo to Cape Town, and Nairobi to Abidjan, below are 15 African fashion brands leading the way in ethical and sustainable fashion.
Ethiopia gears up for economic leap with first-ever stock exchange
Ethiopia’s financial landscape is currently on the cusp of a historic transformation as it gears up for the grand unveiling of its very first stock market, the culmination of over three years of strategic groundwork. This journey began in 2021 with the appointment of Meles Minale, a macroeconomic advisor at the National Bank of Ethiopia, to spearhead a team of 14 experts in laying the foundation for Ethiopia’s first full-fledged capital market. The efforts of this team resulted in the establishment of the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA), under the astute leadership of Brook Taye (PhD), a young economist with extensive experience from the Ministry of Finance and the private sector. The Authority is entrusted with critical responsibilities, including the development of a regulatory framework, the creation of a long-term capital market development roadmap, and the review of institutional investor regulations, macro-financial policies, and tax policies. These preparations are essential for the establishment of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX). With most of the preparatory work now completed, the inauguration of the ESX is scheduled for November 2024, marking a significant milestone in Ethiopia’s economic evolution. Officials emphasize that the ESX is already attracting significant investor attention and pulling in funds. The Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) is set to be one of the largest investors on the ESX…Authorities also highlighted strong investment intentions from companies based in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
5 cities of the future in Africa
Since colonialism, “new cities” have been built in Africa. But in addition to the familiar demographic issues, the new wave is driven by business, technology, and talent – assets that are rapidly developing on the world’s youngest continent. British actor Idris Elba recently announced an agreement with the government of Sierra Leone to develop Sherbro Island in the Gulf of Guinea. The plan is to build an environmentally friendly, energy self-sufficient smart city. Elba’s project is just the latest in a series of “new city” initiatives announced or started in Africa since the early 2000s. This term is a passe-partout formula that actually corresponds to different definitions over time. Some, like the grand plan for the futuristic Akon City in Senegal unveiled by American-Senegalese rapper Akon in 2020, have stalled. Others, like Diamniadio in Senegal, are at an advanced stage but have faced challenges in attracting new residents. Some other projects, like Konza Technopolis in Kenya, are progressing slowly or have been periodically suspended due to political and economic issues but seem likely to meet their initial promises. Meanwhile, newer projects like Ebrah in Ivory Coast, still in their infancy, suggest a possible shift in how institutions and urban planners address rapid urbanization.
Ghana: Africa’s largest floating solar system
Ghana has installed a huge solar energy array on the Bui reservoir, cutting land use and boosting renewable energy output. The project can also protect aquatic life from overheating.
Berlin football club gives opportunities to African players
The Motherland Berlin SC is a new football club in Berlin that wants to give players from Africa a chance. Founded by a Nigerian, Daniel Olasanmiju, it has long-term ambitions of playing in the Bundesliga.
How did Kenyan girls impress skateboard pro Tony Hawk?
GirlSkate Nairobi is a community that advocates for the inclusion of women in skateboarding to raise awareness about gender equality and the lack of representation in the sport.
Building a creative community for regions with underrepresented storytellers
When Basma Khalifa and Alva Mooro announced the launch of their new creative studio and production house Zola Studios, their Instagram followers might not have known what that meant exactly, but we were here for it. Across the region and its diaspora, hundreds signed up to Zola’s Google group, a safe space to learn, contribute and share all things from the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) region and beyond. Khalifa, born to Sudanese parents in Saudi Arabia and raised in Ireland and Scotland…Mooro is an Egyptian-born, London-raised writer, producer and author. The synergy the two friends and business partners found with each other clearly resonates throughout. Since their first trip to Cairo, they have worked on multiple projects and built a far-reaching, long-term vision for Zola Studios. “When you’re aligned, it opens doors,” says Mooro. Together, they have built a ten year plan that has many arms. Starting with the release of the documentary they filmed in Cairo and a short documentary by Khalifa about the henna ritual, they are also teasing an exciting opportunity to elevate writers and get more short films made. Zola Studios’ focus on SWANA stories stems from the desire to combat stereotypes that have too long been reproduced to the detriment of those living in/coming from the region.
‘London Recruits’ tells the true story of international anti-apartheid solidarity
At the height of apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) devised a way to sustain the fight for freedom. They went about finding young, white men and women sympathetic to the fight against the apartheid regime, trained them, and sent them to carry out a propaganda campaign during a time when struggle movements were banned in South Africa. London Recruits tells that story. The film is based on a book by the same name, edited by Ken Keable, who got in contact with some of the volunteers — young communists, Trotskyists and independent socialists who originated from the U.K, Netherlands, U.S. and other countries. The film hops seamlessly between dramatized and real-life events. Former South African intelligence minister, Ronnie Kasrils, who appears in the film, spoke about how the Sharpeville massacre made him decide to take a stand and fight against oppression, and again about how the underground movement in South Africa had been undermined by the fascist state. Kasrils got sent off to London at the end of 1965 after receiving military training in the USSR. There, he worked with Joe Slovo, Dr. Yusuf Dadoo and Jack Hodgson. “I was the fourth member of this secret command unit,” revealed Kasrils.
Bringing back nobility in African storytelling
“There’s an African phrase that says women hold up half the sky,” says Peres Owino, the Kenyan American writer, whose docudrama ‘African Queens: Njinga,’ received twelve nominations in the Daytime Emmys this year. Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, also known as Njinga — was a real-life historical figure who exemplified this sentiment. She grappled with the complexities of power and leadership in 17th-century Angola, rose above gender norms, and fought against European colonialism. Her story resonates greatly with Owino’s belief in the importance of women’s voices and contributions in shaping the world. “I think the reason the world is at the precipice of collapse,” Owino says, “is because we’re not allowing women to hold up half the sky.” The first East African woman to receive a Daytime Emmy nomination, Owino has made significant contributions to television, film, and theater including Queen Cleopatra (writer), Seasons of Love (writer), and Bound: Africans versus African Americans (writer and director). Her work has garnered attention, including a recent nomination for an NAACP Image Award for writing. Additionally, African Queens: Njinga has earned critical acclaim as a groundbreaking factual limited series, potentially poised to make history this month at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
The Recording Academy “Grammys” extends reach to Africa
The Recording Academy, behind GRAMMY Awards, is expanding its support for music creators globally. The academy has partnered with Ministries of Culture and key stakeholders in the Middle East and Africa to enhance its presence and services in these growing music markets. “This is exciting because music is one of humanity’s greatest natural resources,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. For the past two years, Academy leaders have traveled to these regions, engaging in listening sessions, briefings, tours, and direct discussions with both governmental bodies and music creators. The Academy is collaborating with the Ministries of Culture in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, the Rwanda Development Board, and South Africa’s Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture. MOUs have been signed with Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
How a legend is taking Ethio-Jazz to the world
Ethiopian percussionist Mulatu Astatke — widely recognized as the father of Ethio-Jazz — wants the sub-genre he helped kickstart nearly 60 years ago to have a more prominent role on the world stage. And he is determined to make it happen. Astatke, 80, says that the time has come for the world to understand the science behind a sound that is synonymous with Ethiopia’s unique recent history. Ethio-Jazz got started in the 1950s after the newly appointed director of Ethiopia’s National Opera was commissioned by Emperor Haile Selassie to compose music for the Ethiopian National Theatre. He ended up blending traditional Ethiopian music with Western classical instruments which created the foundation for Ethio-jazz. The appeal of Ethio-Jazz lies in the way it manages to bring together different worlds, says Astatke, known for playing percussion instruments including the conga and vibraphone. Now he has a new project that aims to tell the stories of the ‘scientists’ behind the creation of Ethiopia’s traditional musical instruments. It will, “bring the traditional Ethiopian musicians, the azmaris, to the 21st Century,” he says.
Nigerian female artists are taking over 2024 — and beyond
From Ayra Starr and Tems to Bloody Civilian, Tiwa Savage, SGawD, Qing Madi and Kold AF, Nigerian female artists are prioritizing individual visions to create some of the most exciting music of the year. For a significant part of the last weekend, Ayra Starr’s new album, The Year I Turned 21, was a prevailing topic on the Nigerian side of X (formerly Twitter). In Nigerian music, it’s not a frequent occurrence that women are primarily judged on the merits of the music they make… Nigerian music in 2024 is shaping up to be a year largely defined by women. Compared to the mid-2010s, where it felt like the situation was one-woman-at-a-time, multiple female artists are in the mainstream’s spotlight, while more are carving out their own spaces and expanding their reach. In the fairly recent past, there was only space for one “queen” amongst the many male superstars. That allocation, for lack of a better word, meant that female artists were constantly placed in deleterious competition with each other. For male artists, competition is the sort of spectacle that can even boost popularity; for female artists, it was about supremacy for who could hang with the men.
The 10 best West African songs right now
This list for the month of May features rap, Afropop, amapiano and drill from Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and much more.
The 10 best Southern African songs right now
Unearthing gems from South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia and Malawi. Zamrock, hip-hop, Afro-tech, gqom, R&B, and everything else in between.
The Africa Edition ©️ 
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