Inflation Hits Five-year High of 8.5pc on Food, Fuel Price Spike

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

A customer picks fruits at a supermarket in Nyeri.

A customer picks fruits at a supermarket in Nyeri. Inflation hit 8.5 per cent in August driven by a sharp increase in the cost of food adding pressure to the high cost of living on households.

By Brian Ambani

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

It is the highest inflation rate in five years driven mainly by a sharp rise in the prices of food, fuel and cooking oil over the past 12 months. 

The price of a kilogram of maize flour went up 4.7 per cent in August from July despite a month-long maize flour subsidy programme.

Sugar prices have also risen by 4.6 per cent for a 1kg packet over the past month.

Inflation hit 8.5 per cent in August driven by a sharp increase in the cost of food adding pressure to the high cost of living on households in new statistics released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).  

It is the highest inflation rate in five years driven mainly by a sharp rise in the prices of food, fuel and cooking oil over the past 12 months. 

The year-on-year cost of food commodities has gone up 15.3 per cent between August last year and this year as the prices of staple food items such as maize flour went up due to low local production and lower imports amid global supply chain disruptions.

The price of a kilogram of maize flour went up 4.7 per cent in August from July despite a four-week long maize flour subsidy programme by the government that was meant to lower prices to Sh100 per 2kg packet.

Meanwhile, sugar prices have also risen by 4.6 per cent for a 1kg packet over the past month.

Those of non-aromatic rice went up 2.9 per cent for a 2kg packet over the one-month period and 16.5 per cent during the last 12 months.

“Overall year-on-year (annual) inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 8.5 per cent, in August 2022; an increase from an inflation rate of 8.3 per cent recorded in July 2022. The monthly inflation rate for August 2022 was 0.4 per cent,” said KNBS.

Government subsidies

While government subsidies have kept fuel prices stable for the three months, the cost of petrol and diesel has gone up by 25 per cent and 29.8 per cent respectively over the past year, while that of kerosene, which is used for cooking by low-income households, has increased by 30.5 per cent.

High inflation has forced the government to resort to subsidising the cost of basic commodities such as maize flour, fuel and electricity to ease the pressure of the cost of living on consumers.

The government spent Sh4 billion between July and August on a maize flour subsidy to cut the prices of the product by more than half.

The programme was inked in July between the government and millers to reduce maize flour prices to Sh100 per 2kg packet down from Sh205.

The government is also in a subsidy plan with Kenya Power which has allowed electricity prices to remain stable since January despite high fuel prices.

Kenya still generates about 7 per cent of its electricity from thermal sources, with higher fuel prices leading to a direct increase in electricity prices.

The inflationary pressures of the past year saw the State spend a total of Sh80.67 billion on subsidies for the financial year 2021/22, which is 28 times the Sh2.87 billion it had budgeted to spend on the same during the year.

bambani@ke.nationmedia.com ​

No Glaring Issues After Scrutiny of Nine Ballot Boxes in Kenya

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Presidential ballot boxes scrutiny verified counted by Supreme Court officials

Presidential ballot forms were verified and counted by Supreme Court officials in the presence of legal officers and party agents after they were delivered by officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to the Supreme Court of Kenya on August 31, 2022. 

By Joseph Wangui & Richard Munguti

What you need to know:

The nine boxes were from Majengo and Mvita primary schools in Mombasa County.

The numbers matched what was in Form 34A and declaration result forms held by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in the ballot boxes.

However, some issues emerged such as failure to fill Form 34A, failure to seal rejected ballot papers, lack of stamps and missing physical voters’ registers.

Scrutiny of the first batch of ballot boxes and recounting of votes ordered by the Supreme Court failed to yield any glaring discrepancies in presidential election results.

At the time of going to press, only nine out of 45 ballot boxes had been opened, scrutinised and votes recounted in an exercise that was supervised by the registrar of the Supreme Court, Ms Letizia Wachira, and her staff.

The nine boxes were from Majengo and Mvita primary schools in Mombasa County.

Judiciary and IEBC staff receive ballot boxes from Mombasa and Nandi counties after the Supreme Court ordered a fresh scrutiny of votes from 15 polling stations from various parts of the country. A report on the vote check will be tabled in court on Thursday.

The numbers matched what was in Form 34A and declaration result forms held by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in the ballot boxes.

During the inspection, undertaken in the presence of the agents of the electoral commission, Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga, Kenya Kwanza Alliance leader William Ruto and activists, the votes cast in favour of each presidential candidate were largely tallied.

Judiciary and IEBC staff receive ballot boxes from Mombasa and Nandi Counties at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. 

However, some issues emerged such as failure to fill Form 34A, failure to seal rejected ballot papers, lack of stamps and missing physical voters’ registers.

In addition, the scrutiny showed that the ballot box for Stream 1 of Majengo polling station in Mvita had no Form 34A while for Stream 2, Form 34A was blank and not stamped.

In Stream 5 of Mvita Primary School, the ballot box had two Forms 34A.

One was signed by the presiding officer, the deputy presiding officer and agents of political parties such as ODM, UDA, Kanu and PAA. The other Form 34A was unsigned.

Both Forms showed that Mr Odinga had 122 votes while Ruto had 99 votes. Prof George Wajackoyah had two votes and Waihiga Mwaure had none.

In Stream 4, the governor’s declaration result form was found in the presidential election materials.

IEBC provided them with certified copies of Forms 32A and 34C Book 2 used in the impugned election, subject to the applicants providing to the IEBC specific contested polling stations for compliance.

The scrutiny and recount happened under a heavy presence of the police drawn from the General Service Unit, Administration Police and Kenya Police services.

The registrar directed the parties to provide more agents to form two other groups so as to speed up the scrutiny. In seven hours, the team had only scrutinised nine ballot boxes.

Still awaiting scrutiny are ballot boxes from Nandi Hills and Sinendeti primary schools in Nandi County; Belgut, Kapsuser and Chepkutum primary schools in Kericho County; as well as those of Jomvu, Mikindani and Ministry of Water Tanks polling stations in Mombasa County.

Others are Mvita, Majengo and Mvita primary schools in Mombasa County; Tinderet Conmo, in Nandi County together with Jarok, Gathanji and Kiheo primary schools in Nyandarua County.

The scrutiny followed an application by Mr Odinga, his running mate Martha Karua, Youth Advocacy for Africa (YAA), Peter Kirika, Khelef Khalifa, George Osewe, Ruth Mumbi and Grace Kamau.

Kenya's Supreme Court Starts Hearing Challenges to Presidential Vote

Africa News

Kenya's Supreme Court began hearing arguments Wednesday in challenges to the presidential election.

The court on Tuesday had a pre-trial where all parties confirmed their affidavits submissions.

Earlier on, the court had ordered a vote recount in 15 polling stations which are ongoing.

The court had also thrown out two other petitions on basis of lacking a mandate.

On Wednesday, lawyers representing the 1st petition, Raila Odinga took the floor to dislodge the election of William Ruto and the 5th President.

Odinga is among those challenging the results and alleging a range of problems with the election process.

Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner earlier this month with just over 50% of the votes.

The court must rule on all challenges by the end of Monday.

The Supreme Court is the highest in the land, created under Kenya's 2010 constitution "as the final arbiter and interpreter of the constitution".

Its rulings are final and binding. If judges order an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.

But if the court upholds the results, Ruto will become Kenya's fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963, taking the reins of a country battling inflation, high unemployment and a crippling drought.

The IEBC was under heavy pressure to deliver a clean vote after facing sharp criticism over its handling of the August 2017 election.

The court annulled that election in a first for Africa and ordered a re-run which was boycotted by Odinga. Dozens of people died during a police crackdown on protests.

Kenya's worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.

The court's announcement of the issues that it will examine is a common procedure in Kenya, known as a "pre-trial conference."

Madagascar: Defense Minister Visits the Injured After Monday's Deadly Clashes with Police

Police clash with protestors during a opposition demonstration against a draft electoral law adopted by Madagascar's National Assembly on April 21, 2018 in Antananarivo.

Africa News

Madagascar's Defence Minister Richard Rakotonirina has paid a visit to the injured at a hospital after 19 people died and 21 were injured during clashes at a police station in the country's southeast.

Hundreds of protesters armed with blades and machetes attempted to force their way into the building in Ikongo southeast of the country where four suspects were being held over the kidnapping of an albino child. 

Richard Rakotonirina, who visited Ikongo on Tuesday, said the incident needed a more thorough investigation. "Was it a blunder? Was it misconduct? We need to see who was responsible for what. In any case, we will take the necessary sanctions," he told AFP by phone.

The police confirmed Tuesday that officers killed 19 people and injured 21 others after opening fire on what was described as a lynch mob angered over the kidnapping of an albino child.

"Nineteen people lost their lives and 21 are injured and are still being treated" at Ikongo hospital in the country's southeast, the national police said in a statement.

The hospital's chief physician, Tango Oscar Toky, confirmed the death toll speaking to AFP by phone on Tuesday.

A previous report from police on Monday said 11 people had died. Around 500 protesters armed with blades and machetes attempted to force their way into a police station, a police officer involved in the shooting told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Police said calm returned to Ikongo, a town about 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of the capital Antananarivo, on Tuesday, with additional officers deployed "to keep the peace".

An investigation into the incident was ongoing, police said, offering condolences to the families of the dead.

The kidnapping took place last week, according to Jean-Brunelle Razafintsiandraofa, a member of parliament for Ikongo district.

No further details have been released about the child. Officials said the child's mother was killed by "bandits".

Four suspects were arrested and taken into custody, but some members of the community allegedly decided to take matters into their own hands.

National police chief Andry Rakotondrazaka defended officers at a press conference Monday, saying they had done everything they could to avoid confrontation and were left with no choice but to resort to self-defence.

He said police moved from firing tear gas to live rounds when the crowd breached a security perimeter.

- Prison break -

A source at the defence ministry said some inmates at the nearby prison took advantage of the commotion to escape. Revenge attacks are common in Madagascar.

Ikongo saw 800 people barge into a prison in February 2017, in search of a murder suspect they intended to kill. They overpowered guards, allowing 120 prisoners to break out of jail.

In 2013, a Frenchman, a Franco-Italian and a local man accused of killing a child on the tourist island of Nosy Be were burnt alive by a crowd.

Some sub-Saharan African countries have suffered a wave of assaults against people with albinism, whose body parts are sought for witchcraft practices in the mistaken belief that they bring luck and wealth.

Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes. The genetic condition affects hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, particularly in Africa.

Madagascar, a large Indian Ocean island country, is ranked among the poorest in the world.

Parents of Victims of Kenya's 2017 Post-electoral Violence Hope for Peace

Africa News

As Kenya's Supreme Court prepares to rule on the country's contested presidential election, two families in Kisumu, whose children were victims of the 2017 post-election violence, said they're still waiting for justice.

They call on residents and politicians to maintain peace after opposition leader Raila Odinga rejected the election outcome and filed a petition at the top court alleging fraud in the vote tallying process. 

Joseph Abanja, whose baby daughter was killed by tear gas in their home, says: "As Pendo's father, I would not wish to see any Kenyan bleed again."

He added, "five years have passed since I lost my child Pendo after an election, it was such a bad thing in our life and I know today, on the 30th of August, you, Supreme Court judges are beginning the hearing of the election petition, I want to tell you to put God first and have a lot of wisdom. Don't love money, don't accept bribes, and instead shame the briber so that you choose peace for Kenyans. As Pendo's father, I would not wish to see any Kenyan bleed again or lose their loved ones."

Kenya's worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.

"My message to you, the supreme court judges, elections in Kisumu have always been written by blood and tears since twenty seventeen baby Pendo has never found her justice, baby Shantel has never found her justice, Michael Okoth has never found his justice. We ask you to ensure that you stick to justice," said Boniface Ogutu Akatch, an activist and human right defendant.

On Wednesday, lawyers representing the 1st petition, Raila Odinga took the floor to dislodge the election of William Ruto and the 5th President.

Odinga is among those challenging the results and alleging a range of problems with the election process.

Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner earlier this month with just over 50% of the votes.

Japan Pledges $30 Billion in African Aid

Africa News

 29/08 - 12:17

The summit between Japan and Africa finished on Sunday with a promise of $30 billion in investment in African aid.

Speaking via video link, Japanese Prime-Minister, Fumio Kishida, also promised to pressure for an African seat at the UN Security Council.

The summit held in Tunis also served as a platform for business between Japan and the Continent.

"TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development, ed.) 8 is an opportunity to show Tunisia's true image and skills in the field of technology and science. The geographical location of Tunisia is an important location in Africa and Europe also helps in the tripartite partnership between Tunisia, Japan and the rest of Africa", said Mohamed Frikha, owner of Telnet.

The Japanese prime-minister also announced that Japan would appoint a special envoy to the Horn of Africa, where a long drought has prompted the UN’s weather agency to warn this week of an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”.

Kishida said Japan would also pump $8.3 million into the troubled but gold-rich Liptako-Gourma tri-borders area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso that has been ravaged by extremist attacks in recent years.

The UN Security Council is made up of 15 members, five of whom are permanent and have veto-wielding power: the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain.

The other ten positions are filled by other countries for two-year stints, five of which are announced each year.

US Has a History of Racism and National Oppression: Abayomi Azikiwe, Journalist

Wednesday, 31 August 2022 2:19 AM 

The United Nations has urged the United States to start the process of offering reparations to descendants of enslaved people as part of a larger need to provide “redress for legacies of the past.”

The United States has a history of racism and national oppression, according to an African American journalist and political analyst.

The United Nations has urged the United States to start the process of offering reparations to descendants of enslaved people as part of a larger need to provide “redress for legacies of the past.” 

“The Committee is concerned that the lingering legacies of colonialism and slavery continue to fuel racism and racial discrimination in the [US] undermining the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all individuals and communities,” the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination wrote in a report, released on Tuesday. The committee is part of the UN’s human rights office.

The UN body monitors the progress made by member states in enforcing the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which the US joined in 1994 with various reservations and caveats, The Independent reported.

“This is an important development for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to issue such a scathing report citing the legacy of African enslavement,” Abayomi Azikiwe said during an interview with Press TV on Wednesday.

“The CERD report stemmed from work done by several environmental groupings in the state of Louisiana where toxic pollution in certain parishes has been labeled ‘cancer alley.’ These conditions cannot be separated from the history of racism and national oppression inside the United States,” added Azikiwe, the editor at the Pan-African News Wire.

“The CERD report was in response to an investigation by the UN committee which widespread travel through impacted communities. Three of the Louisiana groups issued their own ‘shadow’ report.  A delegation from Louisiana traveled to Geneva to present first-hand testimony to the UN. This area in question lies along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where historically, the African people were enslaved for the social benefits and profits of the white ruling class,” he said.

“In 2022, over 200 petrochemical plants have taken the place of rice and corn plantations. The air has been poisoned along with the soil and water. Nonetheless, even with the UN report, it will take a mass movement in the US to force the government to pay reparations for the historical and contemporary problems facing African Americans,” the journalist said.

UN committee calls on US to offer ‘reparations’ to descendants of enslaved people

The United Nations has urged the United States to start the process of offering reparations to descendants of enslaved people as part of a larger need to provide “redress for legacies of the past.”

The US continues to perpetuate racial inequality through police violence, gun violence, and environmental racism, according to the report. It recommended a reparations commission as a key strategy to begin the justice process.

The UN body praised Maryland’s Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first such body of its kind in the US, as well as California’s ongoing study of reparations for descendants of enslaved people.

The report urged Congress to adopt HR 40, a bill from US representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, which would establish a commission to study and develop reparations proposals.

Embassy Blasts NYT’s Report on Northern Ethiopia Conflict

August 30, 2022

BY YESUF ENDRIS

ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopian Embassy in United States-Washington DC has written a protest letter to The New York Times (NYT) disapproving the 24 August article titled: “Fighting Erupts in Northern Ethiopia, Shattering Ceasefire.”

In the letter to the NYT Magazine Editor, the embassy stated that the aforesaid article missed mark — both in the body of the article and its “Understand the War in Ethiopia” section.

The letter went on stating that the Ethiopian Government continues to pursue a peaceful solution to the conflict through the peace talks envisaged under the auspices of the African Union.

“The embassy recognizes the New York Times as a leader in ensuring the international community is objectively informed about the facts of the present conflict. But, the article fails to acknowledge that TPLF forces rebelliously instigated the conflict in November 2020 by attacking various Ethiopian National Defense Force bases in Tigray.”

The letter reminded that the U.S. Government acknowledged this fact when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then Assistant Secretary of State for African  Affairs Tibor Nagy condemned the TPLF’s attacks on Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The TPLF leadership had at the time also admitted this fact. Yet again, while the Ethiopian Government calls for and is ready for unconditional peace talks anywhere, any time and on any subject, the TPLF refused to sit for negotiations and reignited the war by attacking the National Defense Force positions in Amhara and Afar states in multiple fronts, according to the letter.

“Worse, the article suggests that Prime Minister Abiy “began [the] military campaign” out of political malice. Personification of the conflict is inappropriate,” as to the embassy’s letter.

The Prime Minister has a sacred obligation to preserve the national unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Ethiopia by responding to a blatant attack on its National Defense Force, the letter indicated.

Adding, a sharper contrast could not be drawn between a duly-elected federal Government and a rebellious political party than the TPLF’s stealing of fuel from the World Food Programme this week, the embassy said.

“We implore the New York Times to more carefully present the facts of the conflict in Tigray moving forward. Inaccuracies like those presented on August 24 risk emboldening further aggression in Ethiopia and other parts of the world where democracy is under threat. Your readers deserve to know the truth about the causes of this conflict and an accurate reflection of current developments.”

The Ethiopian Herald 30 August 2022

Ethiopian Prime Minister in Algeria on Official Working Visit

August 28, 2022

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed after arrival at Houari Boumediene Airport. He is flanked by Algerian PM Aymen Benabderrahmane (Photo: ENA)

Borkena

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday arrived in Algeria on an official working visit.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia did not mention the details of the working visit. 

It is imaginable that it is an important trip if the Prime Minister is not avoiding it at a time when war is resumed in Northern Ethiopia after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) broke five months of humanitarian ceasefire.

Abiy Ahmed and his entourage were greeted by Aymen Benabderrahmane, Algerian Prime Minister, upon arrival at Houari Boumediene Airport.

Ethiopian state media said that he will be meeting with the country’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries have been strengthening in the past few years. In 2021, the two countries agreed to establish a business council.

Algeria is said to be the largest Defense Market in Africa.  In 2020, it spent $9.45 billion on the defence industry, according to information from the U.S. Department of Trade

Algeria fought the bloodiest anti-colonial battle against the French Colonial government.

Drought, Hunger and Fighting Leave Ethiopia in ‘Very Difficult Humanitarian Situation’

Mothers bring their children to be treated for malnutrition at a displaced persons camp in Tigray, Ethiopia. © UNICEF/Nahom Tesfaye

24 August 2022

Humanitarian Aid

Amidst deteriorating levels of malnutrition and Ethiopia’s worst drought in 40 years, 17 million people are being targeted for humanitarian assistance, the UN spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

“Ethiopia is facing a very difficult humanitarian situation to say the least,” Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York at a regular press briefing. 

Over 24 million people have received humanitarian assistance this year, including food aid for more than 20 million, agriculture assistance as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene services for more than three million each. 

At the same time, he said, “parts of the country face a risk of flooding in the coming weeks and more than 1.7 million people are likely to be impacted, including more than 400,000 men, women and children at risk of displacement.” 

Fighting in Tigray regon 

At the same time, Secretary-General António Guterres said that he is “deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the resumption of hostilities in Ethiopia”.  

The UN chief made a strong appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between the Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). 

“Ethiopians, Tigrayans, Amharas, Oromos, Afars, have already suffered too much”, Mr. Guterres lamented.

The Secretary-General also asked for the full guarantee of humanitarian access to people in need and the reestablishment of public services.  

War erupted in Tigray in November 2020 and spilled into neighbouring Afar and Amhara a year ago. 

Frontline protection needed 

In a positive development, the Spokesperson pointed out that the second batch of 840 tons of fertilizer to support farmers in the planting season had arrived in Tigray.

However, he continued, the UN is “very concerned for the civilians in frontline areas and call on all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure their protection”. 

The UN official cited an example of the impact triggered by the renewed fighting, pointing to an incident that morning, when Tigray Forces forcibly entered the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Mekelle, taking 12 full fuel tankers with 570,000 litres of fuel. 

The fuel stocks were to be used solely for humanitarian purposes to distribute food, fertilizer and other emergency relief items. 

“This loss of fuel will impact humanitarian operations supporting communities in Northern Ethiopia”, Mr. Dujarric said. 

“We condemn any looting or confiscation of humanitarian goods or humanitarian premises, and we call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to respect humanitarian personnel, activities, assets and goods”.   

1st Ukraine Grain Ship for Horn of Africa Reaches Djibouti

By CARA ANNA

A man on the dock is seen in front of the Brave Commander bulk carrier ship as it arrives in the port of Djibouti city, Djibouti Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. The first ship carrying grain from Ukraine for people in the hungriest parts of the world has docked at the Horn of Africa port of Djibouti as areas of East Africa are badly affected by deadly drought and conflict. (Claire Nevill/WFP via AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The first ship carrying grain from Ukraine for people in the hungriest parts of the world has docked at the Horn of Africa port of Djibouti as areas of East Africa are badly affected by deadly drought and conflict.

Food security experts call it a drop in the bucket for the vast needs in the worst-hit Horn countries of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, the nation where this first shipment is going. But the flow of grain from Ukraine for other hungry parts of the world is expected to continue, with another ship departing Tuesday for Yemen. The U.N. World Food Program has said it is working on multiple ships.

WFP says this first shipment of grain will be shipped overland to northern Ethiopia, where millions of people have been affected by the country’s Tigray conflict, which has now flared up again.

How any of the grain will reach Tigray is now in question as humanitarian deliveries by road and air have been suspended amid the fighting that sparked again last week between Tigray forces and Ethiopian ones. But Ethiopia’s neighboring Amhara and Afar regions also are expected to benefit.

WFP has said the 23,000 metric tons of grain on the first ship are enough to feed 1.5 million people on full rations for a month. But the U.N. has said 2.4 million in Tigray alone are severely food insecure and that 20 million people across Ethiopia face hunger.

Millions of other people in the Horn of Africa region are going hungry because of drought, and thousands have died. Somalia has been especially hard hit because it sourced at least 90% of its grain from Ukraine and Russia before the Russian special military operations in Ukraine in February.

Millions of tons of food are needed for the Horn of Africa, WFP said. “In Ethiopia alone, three-quarters of everything that we used to distribute originated from Ukraine and Russia,” regional director Michael Dunford said.

Food security experts have said it will take weeks for people in African countries to see grain from Ukraine arrive and even longer to see it bring down high food prices that have been a source of despair and protests in multiple nations.

Far more ships carrying grain from Ukraine’s reopened ports have been going to richer places like Europe as existing business contracts are fulfilled. As of Sunday, 114 ships carrying more than 1.2 million metric tons of food commodities had left Ukraine, WFP said, but “export volumes remain far below pre-conflict averages.”

Madagascar Police Fire on Mob Attacking Station; 11 Killed

By LAETITIA BEZAIN

August 29, 2022

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — At least 11 people were killed in Madagascar when police opened fire on a mob demanding that officials turn over to them four suspects held for allegedly kidnapping a child with albinism and killing the mother.

A crowd of about 300 to 400 angry residents gathered at the police station demanding the release of the four suspects so the crowd could deal with them. Police refused and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. When the mob kept advancing on the station, police opened fire.

“The gendarmes tried everything to avoid a confrontation or violence. They set up a security perimeter around the gendarmerie barracks and they told the crowd that we could talk to prevent bloodshed,” Gen. Andry Rakotondrazaka, commander of the national gendarmerie, said later Monday.

He said many of those in the crowd carried large machetes, other weapons with blades and sticks. When they threw stones at the police, the police opened fire, Rakotondrazaka said.

He said the killings are being investigated.

But the deputy of Ikongo district, Jean Brunelle Razafintsiandraofa, when reached by telephone said that he thought the protesters were not armed.

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina in a post on Facebook said he was sad to hear the news of that people were killed. He appealed for calm and confirmed the incident would be investigated.

More than a dozen kidnappings, assaults and murders of people with albinism have been reported in the past two years in various parts of Madagascar, according to figures published by UNICEF in March 2022.

About 40% of people in Madagascar approve of mob justice, according to a survey in 2019 by the Afrobarometer organization.

ANGOLA'S FORMER STATESMAN DOS SANTOS LAID TO REST IN LUANDA

The funeral was held at the historic palm tree-lined Praca da Republica in the seaside capital on what would have been dos Santos's 80th birthday.

This file photo taken on 17 August 2011 shows former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Picture: AFP.

AFP | 29 August 2022 08:34

LUANDA - Angola's former strongman president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose nearly four-decade rule was marred by graft and nepotism allegations, was buried in Luanda on Sunday despite a family row over his final resting place.

The funeral was held at the historic palm tree-lined Praca da Republica in the seaside capital on what would have been dos Santos's 80th birthday.

It comes days after his party, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) -- which has ruled the oil-rich country for nearly half a century -- saw its worst electoral results in the most hotly contested polls since independence.

Dos Santos -- who died last month following a cardiac arrest -- will be remembered as a "statesman and devoted pan-Africanist", Namibia's ex-president Sam Nujoma, 93, told the hundreds of mourners in attendance.

A choir sang dirges while flags flew at half-mast around the square, which houses an imposing concrete mausoleum where the country's founding president Agostinho Neto is interred.

Dignitaries including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Democratic Republic of Congo's leader Felix Tshisekedi and Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa filled rows of white and gold seats.

Josiane dos Santos, the late leader's daughter, sobbed while recalling her father's love for music.

During Angola's war for independence, the young "Zedu", as he was called, began his career as a revolutionary by recording LPs that encouraged the fight against coloniser Portugal while he took refuge in neighbouring DRC, she said.

A 21-gun salute rang as a portrait of dos Santos was carried ahead of the coffin, supported by military-clad pallbearers, in a slow procession to a specially built tomb behind the Neto mausoleum where he was buried.

'Architect of peace' -

Dos Santos was referred to by many, particularly MPLA members, as the "architect of peace" who brought democracy and multiparty politics to the country.

On the streets of Luanda, some people were more critical of his legacy.

Dos Santos led the country from 1979 to 2017 under the MPLA banner - which saw its worst performance in this week's election.

After 97 percent of the results were tallied, an initial count showed the MPLA had won 51.07 percent of the vote, with 44.05 percent for the party's main rival, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

UNITA - which fought a bitter 27-year civil war against the MPLA government - has rejected the results.

Five members of the election commission have threatened not to sign off the results.

The commission, which is meeting to finalise the results, said on Sunday evening that the process was "following its course".

Despite political differences, UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Junior attended Sunday's funeral.

"We have already lodged complaints with the electoral commission on where we believe the results do not match our count," he told reporters on the sidelines of the service.

Dos Santos died at a Barcelona clinic, and some of his children were at loggerheads with the government and his estranged wife over where and when he was to be buried.

But a Spanish court ruled that the body be returned to Angola.

His eldest daughter Isabel dos Santos, who has faced a slew of investigations into her multinational businesses, did not attend the funeral.

Instead, as the ceremony was under way, Isabel posted an old picture of herself and her father on Instagram, captioned in Portuguese "Happy birthday papa".

His other daughter Tchize also wished him a happy birthday on Instagram in a post showing herself on a yacht, while criticising the choice of a Sunday and his birthday to hold the funeral.

Under dos Santos, Angola became one of Africa's top oil producers.

He stepped down in 2017, appointing Joao Lourenco his successor, who now stands to win a second term in office. Lourenco did not speak at the funeral.

Dos Santos passed a series of laws before his departure from government, granting himself broad judicial immunity.

ANGOLA BIDS SOLEMN FAREWELL TO EX-STRONGMAN DOS SANTOS

Dos Santos -- who died last month following a cardiac arrest -- will be remembered as a "statesman and devoted pan-Africanist," former Namibian president Sam Nujoma, 93, told the hundreds of mourners in attendance.

FILE: Angola's former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Picture: Angola government/Facebook

AFP | 28 August 2022 13:29

LUANDA - Angolans and world leaders gathered on Sunday for the state funeral of former strongman president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose nearly four-decade rule of the oil-rich nation was marred by allegations of plunder and nepotism.

The memorial service was held at the historic palm tree lined Praca da Republica in the seaside capital Luanda on what would have been dos Santos's 80th birthday.

It comes days after his party, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) -- which has ruled the country for nearly half a century -- saw its worst results at the polls in the most hotly contested elections since independence.

Dos Santos -- who died last month following a cardiac arrest -- will be remembered as a "statesman and devoted pan-Africanist," former Namibian president Sam Nujoma, 93, told the hundreds of mourners in attendance.

A choir sang dirges while flags flew at half-mast around the square, which houses an imposing concrete mausoleum where the country's founding president Agostinho Neto is interred.

Dignitaries including South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa filled rows of white and gold seats.

Josiane dos Santos, the late leader's daughter, sobbed while recalling her father's love for music.

During Angola's war for independence, the young "Zedu", as he was called, began his career as a revolutionary by recording LPs that encouraged the fight against coloniser Portugal while he took refuge in the neighbouring DRC, she said.

ARCHITECT OF PEACE

Dos Santos was referred to by many, particularly MPLA members, as the "architect of peace" who brought democracy and multiparty politics to the country.

On the streets of Luanda, some people were more critical of his legacy.

"He left a high rate of youth unemployment... extreme poverty and one of the most unequal societies," said Mariana Quissanga, 42, a businesswoman selling furniture and clothes.

Dos Santos led the country from 1979 to 2017 under the MPLA banner. His party notched up its worst electoral performance in this week's polls.

After 97 percent of the results were tallied, an initial count showed the MPLA had won 51.07 percent of the vote, with 44.05 percent for the party's main rival, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

UNITA -- which fought a bitter 27-year civil war against the MPLA government -- has rejected the results.

Five members of the 16-strong election commission have threatened not to sign off the results.

"Let's hope that... a solution can be found to what is happening in the country", commissioner Francisco Vieira told a press conference on Saturday.

Dos Santos died at a clinic in Barcelona, and some of his children were at loggerheads with the government and his estranged wife over where and when he was to be buried.

But a Spanish court last week ruled that the body be returned to his wife in Angola.

His eldest daughter Isabel dos Santos, who has faced a slew of investigations into her multinational business dealings, last week wrote on social media that she would not be able to attend the funeral.

But as the ceremony was under way, Isabel posted a picture of herself and her father on Instagram, captioned in Portuguese "Happy birthday papa".

Under dos Santos's tenure, Angola became one of Africa's top oil producers. While dos Santos and his family reaped vast wealth from Angola's resources, most of the country's 33 million people remain among the poorest in the world.

As one of the longest-ruling African leaders, he established himself as a political heavyweight beyond the country's borders.

Weakened by age and illness, he stepped down in 2017, appointing Joao Lourenco as his successor, who now stands to gain a second term in office.

Dos Santos passed a series of laws before his departure from government, granting himself broad judicial immunity.

Manuel Kalunga, a 57-year-old public servant, will miss dos Santos.

"His death leaves a great vacuum in the political, social and cultural landscape," Kalunga said.

DLAMINI-ZUMA: RATEPAYERS OWE MUNICIPALITIES R120BN

Addressing the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday, she said the culture of nonpayment has contributed to fiscal leakages from cash-strapped municipalities.

Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma briefs the nation on regulations under lockdown level 1, which comes into effect at midnight, on Sunday 20 September 2020., Picture: GCIS

Lindsay  Dentlinger | 30 August 2022 16:26

CAPE TOWN - Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said ratepayers owe municipalities R120 billion for services.

Addressing the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday, she said the culture of nonpayment has contributed to fiscal leakages from cash-strapped municipalities.

The house had been discussing how to minimise fiscal leakage, and its impact on the economy.

Dlamini-Zuma said the number of stable municipalities has increased marginally over the last year, from 16 to 30, with most improvements in KwaZulu-Natal.

But two years of a pandemic, and natural disasters, have contributed to fiscal leakage within already struggling municipalities. “Instead of it addressing what it was planned for, it now has to address the results of the disasters,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

The minister said the most affected municipalities were those in rural areas, because they lacked the right technical capacity to collect revenue.

“A big part of these leakages is the culture of non-payment, which has seen ratepayers owing municipalities over R120 billion, of which the billing inaccuracies are also a major contributor,” she added.

While the Free State has seen some improvement in municipalities from dysfunctional to medium risk category, there has been little to no change in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

RAMAPHOSA: SANDF COULD BE CALLED TO ASSIST IN FIGHTING ILLEGAL MINING

In July, eight women were gang raped - allegedly by a group of illegal miners - in Krugersdorp on the West Rand.

President Cyril Ramaphosa virtually replying to oral questions of the hybrid sitting of the National Assembly. Picture: PresidencyZA/Twitter.

Babalo Ndenze | 30 August 2022 20:18

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) should remain alert, in case it's needed in the fight against illegal mining. He was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, during a question and answer session.

In July, eight women were gang raped - allegedly by a group of illegal miners - in Krugersdorp on the West Rand.

Police began conducting multiple raids in the area where at least 120 people were arrested on charges relating to being in the country illegally.

Police Minister Bheki Cele had announced earlier this month that a specialised unit to combat the rampant crime and illegal mining of abandoned mines, west of Johannesburg, had been deployed.

He said efforts were in place to improve the criminal justice system, adding that law enforcement agencies should collaborate.

“The national security council agreed on further action to tackle illegal mining, and that the SANDF could be called upon to support the South African Police Service should it be required,” said Cele.

He also added that progress was also being witnessed in the fight against gender-based violence.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's Leadership on Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health Recognized

25 Aug 2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa met with the Right Honorable Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Board Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), to discuss the need for leaders to urgently address the reversals being witnessed in the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.

These reversals have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other compounding crises, such as increasing incidences of conflict and the climate emergency.  

President Ramaphosa and Rt Hon Helen Clark met on Thursday, 25 August 2022.

Half-way toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is at a point where instead of working towards closing the gender equity gap, decades of progress are being rolled back, with women’s and girls’ fundamental rights and health under threat. 

PMNCH is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents' health and well-being, partnering with sovereign states and over 1,300 partner organizations, hosted by the World Health Organization. The mission of PMNCH is to “mobilise, align and amplify the voices of partners to advocate for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being, particularly the most vulnerable.”

The President and Rt. Hon. Clark explored opportunities to undertake high-level political advocacy and strategic interventions to amass political, financial, and programmatic commitments from all sectors of society, including the private sector, critical to delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes the SDG 3 targets for women’s, children’s and adolescents' health, especially in the face of the toxic combination of COVID-19, escalating gender-based violence, economic instability, the climate crisis and conflicts. 

South Africa’s leadership is anchored in a set of commitments by the government to implement various programs at the country level that address service delivery, financial resourcing, nutrition, HIV prevention and youth empowerment. 

Says President Ramaphosa: “I was impressed with the way the PMNCH sought to elicit our commitments for our people first because indeed charity begins at home. I hope that as Head of State, I can build confidence in our ability to positively impact these vulnerable population groups by sharing the models being implemented across the Republic of South Africa, exchanging best practices, and mobilizing other champions to galvanise greater action, thereby elicit lasting commitments for real change in the lived experience of our women, adolescents and children.” 

The Right Honorable Helen Clark met with President Ramaphosa to invite President Ramaphosa to engage closely with PMNCH to shape the agenda for the Partnership at the highest political levels. “We are deeply honored that President Ramaphosa has agreed to support this critical agenda as we need urgent and transformative action to reverse these worrying trends. This will help drive the much-needed political will behind issues that impact on outcomes for women, children and adolescents. At PMNCH, we are committed to working alongside the President to position this agenda so that action is taken to get back on track towards achievement of SDG3. “At this time when compounding crises are rolling back previous progress made on women’s empowerment and the health of communities,” she said.

President Ramaphosa Congratulates President Joao Lourenco on His Election as the President of Angola

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his warmest and most sincere congratulations to President João Lourenço and the people of the Republic of Angola on his re-election as the President of the Republic of Angola. 

President Ramaphosa said the election results reflect the trust and confidence the Angolan people has in him.

“I am looking forward to working with President João Lourenço to strengthen the strong and cordial bilateral relations between our two countries as well as in matters of mutual interest in the African continent and our region, the Southern African Development Community (SADC).” President Ramaphosa added.

President Ramaphosa said, it further gives him great pleasure that the elections were conducted in a calm environment, wherein the people of Angola exercised their democratic right of electing a government of their own choosing. 

Russia’s Cooperation with Asia-Pacific Region Becoming Stronger — Putin

It is reported that the 7th Eastern Economic Forum will be held in Vladivostok on September 5-8

Mikhail Klimentyev/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed satisfaction with development of bilateral ties between Russia and countries of the Asia-Pacific Region and cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Agreement, BRICS, APEC and ASEAN.

"We are glad to note that direct bilateral cooperation with Asia-Pacific nations as well as their cooperation within the framework of such influential associations as the Eurasian Economic Community, the SCO, BRICS, APEC, and ASEAN is growing stronger and gaining momentum. Russia is ready to continue, along with all interested partners, to make efforts to improve regional cooperation in various formats," the head of state said in the message of greetings to participants, organizers, and guests of the 7th Eastern Economic Forum.

"Russian and foreign politicians and businessmen, experts and public figures will discuss a wide range of issues related to the prospects for intensifying trade, investment, scientific, and humanitarian cooperation. It is important that commercial contracts and long-term agreements are expected to be signed during the Forum with the participation of business circles and the regional authorities," the President noted.

The 7th Eastern Economic Forum will be held in Vladivostok on September 5-8.

IAEA Mission to Arrive in Zaporozhye NPP Within Days — Diplomat

It is reported that the mission has already left Vienna

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. The IAEA mission will arrive in the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant within days, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.

According to Zapkarova, the mission has already left Vienna. "[The mission] is expected to arrive in the site within days," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said earlier that the agency’s mission had been formed and would reach the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant this week. The IAEA inspectors will assess physical damage to the nuclear plant and check its security and safety systems. The Grossi-led mission will also inspect working conditions at the nuclear plant and will yake urgent measures to ensure the plant’s security guarantees.

Located in the city of Energodar, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is controlled by Russian troops. In recent days, Ukrainian forces delivered several strikes at its territory using unmanned aerial vehicles, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launch systems. It most cases, such attacks are repelled by air defense systems but several shells hit infrastructure facilities and the vicinity of the nuclear waste storage.

IAEA mission heading to Zaporozhye nuclear plant, says Russian envoy

The mission to assess the physical damage to the plant and check the facility's security and safety systems

Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov AP Photo/Florian Schroetter

VIENNA, August 29. /TASS/. A mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency is currently on its way to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), Mikhail Ulyanov, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, said on Monday.

"The long-awaited IAEA mission led by Director General Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi is now on its way to the Zaporozhye NPP," he wrote on Twitter.

Grossi said earlier that the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye plant had been formed and would arrive there this week. The inspectors would assess the physical damage to the plant and check the facility's security and safety systems. The experts led by Grossi will also have to evaluate staff conditions at the plant and take urgent measures to ensure safety there.

The Zaporozhye NPP, located in Energodar, is under the control of Russian troops. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian forces have recently carried out several strikes on the territory of the plant, using, among others, drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers. In most cases, the attacks were repelled by air defense systems, but shells have been recorded hitting infrastructure and the area within the vicinity of the nuclear waste storage facility, thereby posing a threat of radiation leakage.

The IAEA earlier stated the necessity to send an urgent mission to the ZNPP due to the safety risks at the nuclear facility. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the August 28 program of the Rossiya 1 TV channel ‘Sunday Evening with Vladimir Soloviev’ that it was Moscow who had been insisting on such a visit and "had been doing everything possible for it to take place."

What is Known So Far About Ethiopia’s Renewed War?

August 28, 2022

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) started war this week after “stealing” 570,000 liters of fuel from the World Food Programme, as the latter claimed

Borkena 

It is official that the Ethiopian government has started the war again this week after about five months of Humanitarian cease-fire.  It was started as the government of Ethiopia was demanding the TPLF to return fuel “stolen” from the World Health Organization. So what is known so far? 

It has been over four days since the TPLF started fighting the Ethiopian government.  On August 24, the Ethiopian government announced that the TPLF ended the humanitarian ceasefire that was introduced in March this year 

The government and rebels were meant to meet for a peace talk in Kenya this month (as announced by U.S. officials). Just two days before the Tigray-based rebels resumed fighting against the Ethiopian government, Debretsion Gerbemichael, who is the chairman of TPLF, published an article on the “African Report” tarnishing the image of the African Union as a neutral mediator.  The organization made its intentions clear when it said that the peace talk will fail. 

About three weeks before the war, a US special envoy and the European Union special envoy led a delegation of Ambassadors from Canada and many European countries to Mekelle where they met and discussed with TPLF leaders for about five hours. 

The TPLF forces have advanced further in the southern direction and taken control of Kobo town which is in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government on Saturday said that the TPLF opened fighting on Kobo from different directions using a “human wave” strategy, and has also infiltrated forces into town with the aim to start an urban battle. It also said that it ordered the withdrawal of forces to avoid heavy civilian casualties in the town. 

Video footage circulating on social media showed residents of Kobo crossing the river leaving their homes behind and heading to Woldia town. 

The TPLF has confirmed that it took control of Kobo. Information that emerged on Sunday indicated that the Ethiopian Defense Forces is engaging the TPLF forces in Kobo again. 

On Saturday this week it looked as if the TPLF was capable of advancing to Woldia town to the extent that students at Woldia University had to vacate the campus ( as reported by DW Amharic). There were also reports that the TPLF had control over Robit – a small town between Kobo and Woldia. The distance between Woldia and Kobo is about 50 kilometers. 

The TPLF started the war with the aim to break what it called “siege of Tigray.” 

Apart from the Amhara region, the TPLF forces have also invaded the Afar region of Ethiopia. 

Several regional states (including Afar, Amhara and Oromia) have issued statements condemning military attacks from TPLF – which they call a terrorist organization – as designated by the Ethiopian Parliament

Earlier this week the Ethiopian government announced that it downed an Antonov plane which was said to have come from the Sudanese air space) while delivering weapons to the TPLF forces. 

The Ethiopian government has also announced that it has carried out an airstrike on selected military targets Mekelle and other parts of Tigray. The TPLF accused the government of attacking “kindergarten.” 

The TPLF dominated federal government and Ethiopian politics for nearly thirty years before they lost power in 2018 following a pervasive and defiant opposition. 

Libya: 2 Egyptian Migrants Dead, 19 Missing After Capsizing

CAIRO— A boat carrying Egyptian migrants capsized off Libya’s coast, leaving two people dead and 19 more missing and presumed dead, the Libyan agency that combats illegal migration said Monday, in the latest migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea.

The boat was carrying 27 migrants and was found over the weekend off the northeastern town of Tolmeitha, around 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Benghazi, the Department for Combating Illegal Migration said.

The agency said in a statement that at least six migrants survived the shipwreck. Two bodies were retrieved while 19 others remained missing and presumed dead, it said.

A video posted on the agency’s Facebook page showed rescuers providing drinking water to an exhausted survivor.

The agency said the boat embarked from Egypt and capsized off Libya. It did not provide further details including what caused the boat to overturn.

The migrants were apparently sailing to Europe, a destination for thousands fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Tens of thousands attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea every year in efforts to reach European shores.

Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed counter-revolution that toppled and killed longtime Revolutionary Pan-Africanist and stateman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country’s lengthy borders with six nations. The migrants are then packed into ill-equipped rubber boats and other vessels and set off on risky sea voyages. Officials didn’t say what kind of vessel was found over the weekend.

Somalia, UN Agencies to Scale Up COVID-19 Vaccination

By Xinhua

Aug 29, 2022 07:19 PM

Somalia and two agencies of the United Nations on Sunday vowed to intensify efforts to scale up COVID-­19 vaccination across the country amid a severe drought that is ravaging several parts of the country.

The Somali ministry of health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF said that some of the challenges slowing down COVID-19 vaccination in Somalia include limited access to specific areas due to insecurity or logistical challenges.

UNICEF Representative in Somalia Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef said the government has made tangible progress in procuring safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

"The humanitarian situation calls for urgent measures to scale up ­COVID-19 vaccination and other lifesaving humanitarian assistance, especially for internally displaced persons, rural communities, and nomads," Saeed said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu.

She said UNICEF will continue to work closely with the government and partners to ensure communities are aware of the benefits of being vaccinated.

The joint statement came after ­Somalia on Saturday received 1.64 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines from Sweden and the Czech Republic, donated through the COVAX Facility.

So far, around 2.3 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and more than 1.9 million people are partially vaccinated, according to the ministry of health.

The ongoing drought has brought the country to the brink of famine and left 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and around 1 million people internally displaced.

Tunisia and Morocco Recall Envoys in Western Sahara Row

By AFP

Aug 28, 2022 09:08 PM

Tunisia announced on Saturday the recall of its ambassador to Morocco for consultations, a day after the kingdom did the same in response to Tunisia's president hosting the Polisario movement's leader.

The Polisario wants an independent state in the Western Sahara, which ­Morocco sees as a sovereign part of its own territory.

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday hosted Polisario chief Brahim Ghali who arrived to attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

In response to what it called a "hostile" and "unnecessarily provocative" act, Morocco immediately withdrew its Tunis ambassador for consultations and cancelled its own participation in the high-profile conference.

"Tunisia has maintained its total neutrality on the Western Sahara issue in line with international law," the ­Tunisian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This position will not change until the concerned parties find a peaceful solution acceptable to all."

Saied spent much of Friday welcoming African leaders arriving for the ­TICAD conference, including Ghali who is also president of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

Morocco accused Tunisia of "unilaterally" inviting the Polisario chief "against the advice of Japan and in violation of the process of preparation and established rules." But Tunisia said the African Union had issued a direct invitation to the SADR, a member state, to join the conference, noting that it had attended previous such gatherings - alongside Morocco.

It is not the first time that Ghali's travels have sparked Moroccan anger.

In April 2021, he headed to Spain to be treated for COVID-19, sparking a yearlong diplomatic row between Spain and the North African kingdom.

That only ended after Madrid dropped its decades-long stance of neutrality over the Western Sahara - a former Spanish colony - and backed a Moroccan plan for limited self-rule there.

Western Leaders Shun African Counterparts on Climate Meeting, Dodge Moral Obligation and Hamper Global Cooperation

By GT staff reporters

Aug 29, 2022 08:32 PM

A dried sunflower field is seen as a severe drought hits France, in Puiseux-Pontoise, about 30 km northwest of Paris, France, Aug. 18, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

Western countries that claim themselves to be the vanguard in tackling climate change are not only going back to coal in the face of an energy crisis, but are also trying to wriggle out of their promise of giving financial aid to African countries, as European leaders try to avoid African leaders planning to come to Europe to seek delivery of promised cash to help them cope with climate change.

Climate experts slammed the Western countries' move as being not only morally irresponsible - as African countries are paying the price for rich countries' lion's share of emissions - and added that such selfishness will also hamper global cooperation on climate change, and possibly overshadow the upcoming COP27. 

The UN's Africa Climate Week, which runs from Monday to Friday in Libreville, Gabon and has attracted more than 1,000 participants, is expected to tackle the climate emergency as it intensifies throughout the continent.

After that, seven presidents from Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia will travel to the Netherlands next month to attend the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA). 

"As some African heads of state travel to Rotterdam for the Africa Adaptation Summit, we hope their presence will be met with financial commitments to the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program by their European counterparts," US media quoted Patrick Verkooijen, the CEO of the GCA, as saying. "What really counts is for the developed world to deliver on the Glasgow Commitment [to] double adaptation finance."

But to those African leaders' dismay, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country is hosting the GCA, is the only European leader planning to attend in person. Leaders of other European countries, such as Finland, Norway, Denmark and France, all declined to attend citing schedule conflicts. 

The European countries and the US shoulder a great moral obligation to fulfill their financial commitment to developing countries, especially those in Africa, which bear the greatest brunt of the rapidly deteriorating climate problem, Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Monday. He said that Africa, faced with deadly drought, historic floods and extreme weather events, is actually paying the price for Western countries making up the lion's share of emissions ever since the Industrial Revolution. 

Africa accounts for the smallest share of global greenhouse gas emissions at just 3.8 percent, according to a report from Brookings Institute, a US-based think tank, yet the 10 nations most vulnerable to climate change are in Africa, according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's 2022 Forum Report.

Developed countries projected that they won't meet to mobilize US$100 billion a year to help poorer countries deal with climate change until 2023 - three years late and still woefully short of the real need, according to a report from the Conversation, a non-profit organization. 

A boy carries buckets of water in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. The Horn of Africa drought has thrust at least 18.4 million people, including more than 7.1 million acutely malnourished children, into severe food insecurity, UN humanitarians said on Monday. Most drought victims are in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, also told the Global Times that European leaders' absence from the meeting reflected their embarrassment in helping developing countries tackle climate change, especially when their own hands are tied with domestic energy crises. 

"European countries can barely keep their own blustery promises on climate change, not to mention give money to Africa. Many of those countries are having a headache about how to get through this winter because of energy shortages. People are worrying about rising inflation… giving money to African countries now will see European politicians grilled by their people's anger," said Lin. 

Several European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands have already returned or are planning to return to coal to generate electricity, after feeling the pinch from the energy crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine crisis, on top of Europe seeing its worst drought in 500 years. 

Lin believed that Western countries' return to coal, in addition to rich countries' reluctance to take real actions to help poorer countries, will cast a large shadow on the upcoming 2022 COP27 UN climate summit held in Egypt, November this year. "Western countries' selfishness will deepen the fissure between countries' willingness on climate cooperation, which will make it harder for COP27 to reach a global consensus," said Lin. 

Climate underachiever 

Experts said that with Europe wrong-footed in pursuit of its carbon neutral goals and struggling to get a handle on the current energy crisis, the US, one of the world's biggest emitters, is now using this as an advantage to shore up its leadership in climate change.

In the latest move, Senate Democrats delivered a victory for US President Joe Biden's plan on tackling climate change in early August, passing a bill that will devote hundreds of billions of dollars to clean energy sources and speed up the US transition away from fossil fuels.

"Europe used to challenge the US on the climate change issue. Now, countries on this continent are going backwards, which makes the US look less bad," Li Zhiqing, a professor of environmental economics and Chinese economy at Fudan University, told the Global Times, noting that no matter what the US does with regard to climate change, the real purpose is to enhance its competitiveness.

The expert explained that one of the bill's benefits is the creation of millions of jobs in the clean energy sector. "Such measures to stimulate the economy won't be rejected by any politician… yet traditional energy is still the main pillar for fuelling US development, thus the country won't have the incentive to phase out that energy… Moreover, the US government only pays attention to climate change when it suits it. When it doesn't, the US would rather trample on the welfare of the globe. That's why Washington's climate policies are always flip-flopping," said Li. 

Experts said one way for the US to demonstrate sincerity on climate change is to fulfill its pledge and give developing countries the financial support they need to deal with the issue. 

The US Congress has approved a mere $1 billion in international climate finance for 2022 - falling far short of Joe Biden's pledge to provide $11.4 billion a year by 2024. Tontie Binado, technical lead on climate justice for ActionAid in Ghana, told Climate Home that the $1 billion approved by Congress was "a betrayal" of Biden's promise to scale up financing for the world's poorest and most climate vulnerable.

In contrast, China is steadily promoting green development under the Belt and Road Initiative. The National Development and Reform Commission issued guidance in March this year, vowing to steadily advance cooperation on green infrastructure, energy, transportation and finance by 2025. By 2030, environmental risk prevention and control systems for overseas projects should be improved, according to the guidance. 

Artemis I Launch Canceled Amid NASA Chief Hyping ‘Space Race’

By Wang Qi

Aug 29, 2022 08:55 PM

A NASA helicopter flies past the agency's Space Launch System rocket on August 29, 2022. NASA called off the test flight on Monday of its largest-ever Moon rocket, citing engine problem. Photo: AFP

Due to the failure to troubleshoot an engine problem, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion capsule remained on the ground at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, disappointing people who gathered at the center and those who tuned in live to watch US' rekindling of lunar surface landing project since the Apollo program some half a century ago. 

"The launch of Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed. Teams will continue to gather data, and we will keep you posted on the timing of the next launch attempt," NASA posted on Twitter. According to the New York Times, NASA has another window in early September, but it also depends on whether bugs are fixed.

Before the postponement was decided, NASA repeatedly stopped and restarted the fueling of SLS with nearly 1 million gallons of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen due to the leak in Kennedy Space Center, US media said. 

The postponed launch came after China's state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced about a week earlier that China's new-generation manned rocket, which is currently under development, will possess the capability to send taikonauts to the moon by around 2030. 

Qian Hang, a senior Chinese expert on aerospace science, told the Global Times that the success of the Apollo Program (1961-1972) helped the US to outcompete Soviet Union, but it also cost the US countless economic and technological resources. Therefore, after the lunar landing, the US shifted its focus from the moon to the space shuttle, space station project, Mars exploration and other projects.

In recent years, many countries, including China and India, have developed rapidly in the space industry, putting pressure on the US. Especially after China made a breakthrough with its Chang'e-5 unmanned lunar mission, which brought back lunar soil samples. 

Hours before the scheduled launch, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian stressed on Monday that the outer space is not an arena for countries to wrestle, but an important field for win-win cooperation. And the exploration and peaceful use of outer space is the common cause of mankind and should be pursued for the benefit of all mankind.

Zhao's remarks were viewed as a response to NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson who has recently expressed "concerns" about the "space race" that China would arrive first and claim the moon's territory. If NASA's following missions are carried out as scheduled, US astronauts could land on the moon again as soon as 2025, five years earlier than China's plan. 

China has always been committed to the peaceful use of outer space and has conducted extensive cooperation with other countries to safeguard outer space security, Zhao said, noting that China hopes all countries will continue to work together to promote the peaceful use of outer space and make greater contribution to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Arduous task

According to NASA, the Orion will reach a retrograde orbit around the moon, traveling 2.1 million kilometers in 42 days. The mission will test the heat shield function of Orion capsule, and carry some small satellites to be placed in moon's orbit.

If everything about the Artemis I mission goes on well, the second scheduled flight, the Artemis II is expected to launch SLS megarocket around the moon as early as 2024, testing key systems of the Orion spacecraft with humans on board.

The Artemis III launch date is set for 2025 if the previous programs go as plan. Besides, space experts said optimistic progress on new spacesuit development and human landing systems are also necessary. 

However, according to evaluation from NASA's inspector general office, due to anticipated delay of the spacesuit development, NASA's hopeful timeline is "not only unlikely, but even impossible." 

Besides, the Lunar Gateway, a human-tended space station orbiting the moon that provides necessary support for long-term human return to lunar surface and a staging point for deep space exploration, has dragged the two Artemis missions to an "unsustainable crawl," due to its building cost, according to the Hill. 

Citing NASA's Inspector General, CNBC reported that the space agency is projected to spend $93 billion on the Artemis up to the fiscal year 2025. And the cost of a single SLS launch is about $4.1 billion, which NASA inspector general Paul Martin expressed his concern and described it as "unsustainable."

Wang Yanan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Monday that "return to the moon" will not be an easy task for the US despite its advancement in science and technology. 

With so much money invested in Mars exploration and the International Space Station missions, it is doubtful that there will be sufficient and timely resources to achieve America's challenging goals of returning to moon in 2025, Wang said. 

To cope with difficulties, the US has involved commercial space efforts. US media said that Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has participated in Artemis III mission's landing site selection, plans to build a vehicle that will land US astronauts on the lunar surface. Besides, NASA also had its astronauts visiting SpaceX facilities for hardware tests.

Involving commercial efforts showed NASA's forward-looking vision, but whether NASA has a set of efficient management mechanism of regulating these enterprises is uncertain. For NASA, it may be about engineering and technical maturity and reliability, but companies may be more concerned about share price and financing, Wang said. 

'Space race'

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson said that China's space ambitions have provided motivation for Artemis, according to the New York Times. Nelson said he doesn't want Chinese astronauts to arrive first and claim the territory and resources, describing that there's a "space race" between the two countries.

In an interview with a German newspaper in July, Nelson smeared China for "trying to take over the moon" and saying China's mentality is like "it's ours now and you stay out."

Experts said Nelson's inflammatory remarks are full of smears against China, which is actually not as fast as the US in scheduled time for landing on the moon. CASC disclosed on August 21 that China's new-generation manned rocket, which is currently under development, will possess the capability to send taikonauts to the moon by around 2030. 

The SLS-level megarocket is still under development in China, but in the US, one is now standing on the launchpad, a senior Chinese expert on aerospace science and technology based in Beijing, told the Global Times on condition of anonymity. 

The malicious speculation and smearing of China from Nelson are totally ill-intentioned, the expert said, "Since the dawn of the age of human exploration of space, no country has ever claimed some of the resources of outer space, especially when there's regulation from UN framework convention on cooperation in outer space."

By using such colonialist rhetoric to smear China, the US wants to pressure countries interested in cooperating with China in space and force some countries to take sides on the issue of space exploration, the expert told the Global Times on Monday. 

China has its own pace and has no interest in competing with the US to land on the moon faster, the Beijing-based expert said. "China hopes to make lunar exploration a long-term and internationally cooperative project. China's larger goal is to benefit more people rather than to compete for resources like the US."

In January, China and Russia revealed a plan to jointly build a moon base by 2027, media reported. Dubbed the International Lunar Research Station, it will be a complex of research facilities for moon exploration, observation and experiment. 

Some other developing countries do not have the technical capacity and economic resources to build an outer space exploration program from scratch, but the cooperation between China and Russia will give more developing countries the opportunity to participate, he said.