6.3 million people in need of humanitarian support and protection in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is facing an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis" and lacks means to solve it, the UN has warned.
The spokesperson for the UN chief Stéphane Dujarric on Friday (Jun. 28) appealed for member states to provide funding.
“In Burkina Faso, our humanitarian colleagues say the country is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with 6.3 million people in need of humanitarian support and protection," he said.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/29/63-million-people-in-need-of-humanitarian-support-and-protection-in-burkina-faso/
South Africa’s Parliament to open on July 18 – President
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday that Parliament will open for its next term on July 18 as he remains locked in negotiations with other parties to form a Cabinet well before then amid rifts in the new governing coalition.
The talks to seal the final details of a multi-party government and appoint a Cabinet have been going on for two weeks and have been marked by disagreements between Ramaphosa's African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance, the second biggest party, over how to divide up ministerial positions and portfolios.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/28/south-africas-parliament-to-open-on-july-18-president/
Experts warn that 755,000 people at risk of famine in war-torn Sudan
An open-backed truck packed with people fleeing war in Sudan pulls into a transit center in Renk, South Sudan. The temperature is 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) and not everyone has access to tents to protect them from the heat.
Malnutrition is increasing among children. Alfatih Awad Alkheder, a trader with six children, says his children have stopped growing.
According to a World Food Programme statement, the only border crossing for trucks to bring in food to the North Darfur area is from Tine in Chad, but intensified fighting is making that more difficult.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/28/experts-warn-that-755000-people-at-risk-of-famine-in-war-torn-sudan/
South African researchers test use of nuclear technology to curb rhino poaching
Researchers in South Africa have injected radioactive material into the horns of 20 rhinos as part of a research project aimed at reducing poaching.
The idea is that radiation detectors already in place at national borders would detect the horns and help authorities arrest poachers and traffickers.
The research, which has included the participation of veterinarians and nuclear experts, begins with the animal being tranquillized before a hole is drilled into its horn and the nuclear material carefully inserted.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/28/south-african-researchers-test-use-of-nuclear-technology-to-curb-rhino-poaching/
Protests in Kenya: 2 more deaths amid clashes
Despite President William Ruto's decision to abandon his tax increase plan, nationwide protests calling for his resignation were held in Nairobi on Thursday.
Protesters briefly stormed and set fire to part of the Parliament building. At least two people lost their lives during clashes with the national police.
"We currently have a president who is not a president. This president, William Samoei Ruto, follows the orders of the constitution. The constitution is fine, but the government should be of the people, by the people, for the people. Now, we will change Kenya to be governed by the youth, for the youth, and by the youth," said protester Norbert Mwalo.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/28/protests-in-kenya-2-more-deaths-amid-clashes/
Experts warn: 755,000 facing famine in war-torn Sudan
International experts portrayed a grim picture of war-torn Sudan in a report Thursday warning that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, amid relentless clashes between rival generals.
The conflict has created a hunger catastrophe at a scale not seen since the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s, senior United Nations officials said.
The latest findings come from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, an initiative set up in 2004 during the famine in Somalia that now includes more than a dozen U.N. agencies, aid groups, governments and other bodies.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/27/experts-warn-755000-facing-famine-in-war-torn-sudan/
West African defense chiefs propose a $2.6 billion security plan
Defense chiefs of West Africa on Thursday, June 27 proposed a plan to deploy a 5,000-strong “standby force” to fight the region’s worsening security crises, a measure that analysts say might not work due to challenges of funding and division within the regional bloc.
The plan, which will cost $2.6 billion annually, was proposed to heads of state at a meeting of defense officials in Nigeria's capital of Abuja. The plan was also aimed at preventing further coups following a string of military takeovers that have destabilized the region, Nigeria’s Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru said.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/27/west-african-defense-chiefs-propose-a-26-billion-security-plan/
Police clash with protesters in Kenya as military patrols the streets
Kenyan police on Thursday clashed with protesters in Nairobi before planned protests against a contentious finance bill, despite the president's decision not to sign it after the plans sparked deadly chaos in the capital and saw protesters storming and burning part of the parliament building.
Protesters who said last week that they would march to the State House on Thursday say they still don't trust President William Ruto, who has said the tax hikes would be withdrawn and budget cuts would be made.
Police have hurled tear gas canisters at groups of protesters attempting to congregate within the central business district.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/27/police-clash-with-protesters-in-kenya-as-military-patrols-the-streets/
UN experts accuse Sudan’s warring parties of weaponizing starvation
Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Wednesday accused Sudan’s warring parties of using starvation as a war weapon, amid mounting warnings about imminent famine in the African nation.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.
Fourteen months of fighting have killed more than 14,000 people and wounded 33,000 others, according to the United Nations, but rights activists say the toll could be much higher.
Read ahead at: https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/27/un-experts-accuse-sudans-warring-parties-of-weaponizing-starvation/
Kenyan lawmakers approve army deployment amid ongoing protests
Kenya’s National Assembly has formally approved the deployment of soldiers in support of police as the country faces nationwide protests against controversial tax hikes.
The vote on Wednesday took place as protesters vowed to continue demonstrations, with plans to take to the street again on Thursday.
However, at least one local newspaper is reporting that the Law Society of Kenya plans to go to court over the decision.
It is reportedly arguing that no emergency, unrest, or instability has been officially declared to warrant the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces.
Read ahead at : https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/26/kenyan-lawmakers-approve-army-deployment-amid-ongoing-protests/
