Across Africa in five minutes or less

GHANA

The youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented a petition to the Presidency after their ‘March for Justice’ demonstration on Tuesday, 6th July 2021.

“Though our country was riddled with some age-long challenges before you took over; issues of corruption, unemployment, nepotism, cronyism, and insecurity, among other things, have increased unimaginably. You will agree with us that our country needs fixing and there cannot be any good time to fix it than now,” the petition said.

BURKINA FASO

The attack in Burkina Faso last month that killed 160 civilians was in retaliation for activity by pro-government civilian militias in the area, according to Human Rights Watch.

THE GAMBIA

Malang N. Fofana, a programme manager at the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) has disclosed that The Gambia is going to experience a double burden of malnutrition, whereby obesity and overweight co-exist alongside under-nutrition.

SENEGAL

Senegal’s new counterterrorism laws could punish political speech and peaceful protest as “terrorist acts,” target union leaders, and dangerously expand police surveillance powers, Human Rights Watch said today. The government and parliament should amend the laws before they are enacted and ensure that they meet international human rights standards.

CAMEROON

Cameroon officials are accusing rebels from the Central African Republic of crossing the border and stealing cattle and abducting villagers for ransom. The officials say C.A.R. rebels are fleeing the country to escape post-election violence.

NIGERIA

Sheep and goats in southwest Nigeria are carrying bacteria that are resistant to a range of drugs, such as antibiotics. This is a problem because the bacterium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, poses a potential health risk to the owners as well as to the general population.

People can be infected with the bacterium if they come into direct contact with animals carrying it, or materials contaminated with it. This can lead to severe infections like food poisoning.

LIBERIA

Thousands die daily in India and over 650 deaths recorded just today alone in Russia from the Coronavirus. Liberia ranks number one in West Africa and the numbers could rise further. In just less than 45 days, over 150 Liberians have reportedly died from the Delta or Indian variant of the Coronavirus in Liberia.

GUINEA

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide the Republic of Guinea with a grant to improve the resilience of more than 2,123 poor farming households trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, by ensuring rapid access to inputs, information, markets and cash.

MALI

An investigation by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) into Malian journalist Birama Touré’s disappearance in 2016 points to the involvement of Karim Keïta, the son of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who was ousted in a coup a year ago. Interpol wants to talk to him.

ALGERIA

The visit to Moscow of Algeria’s Chief of Staff, General Said Chengriha, is being followed-up closely by European countries and Morocco to find out more about the arms deal that Algeria is expected to sign with Russia. They are keen to know if it will include Sukhoi 57 and Sukhoi 34 aircraft, and if Algeria will be Russia’s gateway to the Sahel region.

EGYPT

Egypt’s main stock index fell by almost 2% on Tuesday, a dip that analysts linked to Ethiopia’s announcement that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam for a second year. Egypt’s main index was down 10,155 points, or 1.80%, at the close of trading.

KENYA

A paradox of climate change is happening in Baringo.

When other lakes in the Rift Valley are rising exponentially, the oxbow Kamnarok on the floor of the Kerio Valley is receding at an alarming rate, thanks to human activities and degradation that have led to massive siltation, threatening its existence.

LIBYA

The family of a loyalist paramilitary shot dead by the IRA is to sue Libya. The basis of the case centres on a weapon linked to the killing of William Kingsberry Snr in south Belfast in 1991.

Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi armed the IRA with weapons such as guns and the powerful Semtex plastic explosive used in multiple Troubles bombings such as those targeting Harrods in 1983, the Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen in 1987, Warrington in 1993 and London’s Docklands in 1996.

MOROCCO

Moroccan Ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, Omar Zniber, has deplored Algeria’s duplicity and maneuvers seeking to undermine Morocco’s territorial integrity.

He mentioned that the reality in Algeria “is widely known, including the millions of Algerians regularly protesting in cities throughout the country in protest of the needless waste of resources..”

TANZANIA

Community has been advised to report sexual violence incidents as a step towards eradication of the barbaric acts at the family level.

Explaining roles of KIWOHEDE in fighting against sexual violence, the regional coordinator said the organization deals with rights promotion as well as developing social economical and development approaches gerared to emanicipate marginalized women, children, youth and the community at large.

TUNISIA

Independent MP Sahbi Samara slapped and kicked Moussi, the leader of the Free Destourian Party, as she was broadcasting a live feed on her phone of the session concerned with a law covering an agreement between the Tunisian government and the Qatar Fund for Development which will allow the latter to open an office in Tunis. Later the same day, Moussi was physically assaulted by Seifeddine Makhlouf MP of Al-Karama Coalition.

UGANDA

So the country’s health system has been stretched thin and is unable to cope with the surge in cases. It doesn’t have enough supplies, especially oxygen and beds for critically ill patients. The COVID-19 response is also not as decentralised as it should be.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa registered 15,501 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 2,090,909. A further 457 Covid-19-related deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 62,628. A total of 3,631,102 people have been vaccinated.

BOTSWANA

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s division in Botswana filed a lawsuit against the government for banning alcohol sales to combat the spread of Covid-19, saying there’s no scientific basis for the move and 200,000 jobs are under threat.

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