– NEWS –
Equatorial Guinea rocked by explosions: At least four powerful blasts hit a military camp in Equatorial Guinea’s largest city and main economic hub Bata on Sunday, causing casualties, state television reported. At least 20 people have died and at least 600 have been injured, according to the defense ministry. Many were feared dead or trapped under the rubble. The health ministry said on Twitter that the explosion occurred at a military barracks, where local media reported that thousands of people had been living. It is not yet known what caused the blasts, but early reports suggested they might have come from the camp’s armory, according to an AFP journalist. The president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, released a statement saying the accident had been caused by negligence and inattention which led to the explosion of military explosives and munitions. Overwhelmed hospitals have been pleading for blood donations and phone lines and internet were largely down in the city.
africanews.com, dw.com
Hundreds of kidnapped Nigerian students released: Hundreds of girls who were abducted from their boarding school in Nigeria by a group of armed men have been released, a local official said last week, the second time in less than a week that gunmen have returned kidnapped schoolchildren in the country. Authorities had initially reported that 317 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe on the previous Friday. But the governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, told DW that 279 students had been taken hostage, and that all of them had been rescued. The frequency of mass kidnappings of girls and boys at boarding schools in northwestern Nigeria is rising in part because abduction has become a growth industry amid the country’s economic crisis. The victims are increasingly schoolchildren.
dw.com, nytimes.com
Turkey hinders control of UN arms embargo against Libya: Once again, Turkey has prevented EU marines from controlling the UN arms embargo against Libya. The Turkish foreign ministry blocked the search of two merchant ships that could possibly be used for illegal arms transports to Libya. In the meantime, Turkey itself is increasingly suspected of being involved in arms deals with the civil war country. As early as November, the Turkish government forced German marines to abandon a search of a container ship and then accused the EU of illegal behavior. The EU, on the other hand, had already imposed sanctions in September on a Turkish company that was allegedly involved in the transport of war material.
dw.com
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Behind Moroccan-German diplomatic crisis, a list of grudges: A leaked letter suggests Morocco might suspend diplomatic relations with Germany. In the letter, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita suggested to his prime minister that all of Morocco’s government offices suspend their relationship with the German embassy in the capital, Rabat, as well as with other German cultural and political organizations in the country. Bourita said this was necessary because of deep misunderstandings on issues fundamental for Morocco. Although there has been no official German government statement on the matter, the word from Berlin is that the German government sees no reason to disrupt the two nations‘ good relationship like this. The Moroccan ambassador had been invited to come to the German Foreign Office urgently and explain the letter, insiders said. As one source, working at a German cultural organization based in Rabat, told DW, the foreign minister’s proposal seemed „to be a very deliberate leak.“ The source believes that the letter can be seen as „sabre rattling“ and „an accumulation of Moroccan grudges.“
dw.com
Mauritius deploys coastguard to rescue stranded Chinese ship: Fisheries Minister Sudheer Maudhoo announced Monday that the inspection of a trawler that ran aground near the Mauritian capital Port-Louis, with 130 tons of fuel oil on board, will start shortly to detect possible leaks. On Sunday, a trawler flying the Chinese flag ran aground on a reef facing Pointe-aux-Sables, near Port-Louis. It contained no cargo but 130 tons of fuel oil and 5 tons of lubricants. Maudhoo described the pumping of fuel oil as a priority and said that 300 meters of floating booms have been deployed around the ship. Seven months ago, Mauritius experienced one of the worst maritime pollution in its history with the grounding of the MV Wakashio, which spilled 1,000 tons of fuel oil in its turquoise waters and provoked the anger of the inhabitants.
africanews.com
Hundreds of reports of sexual violence in Ethiopia: The United Nations’ human rights chief asked Ethiopia on Thursday to allow monitors into Tigray to investigate reports of killings and sexual violence that may amount to war crimes in the northern region since late 2020. “Victims and survivors of these violations must not be denied their rights to the truth and to justice,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement, expressing her fear that violations could continue without outside scrutiny.
reuters.com
Suffering of civilians in northern Mozambique: Kidnapping and murder dw.com
Death in Nigeria: Security forces shoot in front of school n-tv.de
Africa CDC recommends AstraZeneca vaccine only for countries without B.1.351 certificates aerztezeitung.de
Celebrities criticize homophobia in Ghana bild.de
– BACKGROUND –
African media often depend on foreign countries for reporting on Africa: When African media want to report on news from the continent, they are often dependent on media companies from abroad. According to a survey of the most popular media companies in Africa in 2020, only seven of the top 25 were African, with the BBC taking first place. There are two main reasons for this: On the one hand, a lack of financial resources. 63 percent of the media examined in the study have no money for correspondents in other African countries and are therefore dependent on external sources for their reporting, says Moky Makura, director of the NGO „Africa No Filter“, which strives for balanced reporting on Africa. The second reason is that some countries do not take freedom of the press and expression so seriously, and independent reporting is hindered. In addition, many African media have a credibility problem, for example in Nigeria or Ghana, where media houses are often owned by influential personalities and this sometimes raises doubts about the independence of the media. Western media and agencies, on the other hand, are rated as more credible, according to media scientist Ufuoma Akpojivi.
dw.com
Vaccine deliveries: Africa has to take a back seat: Too few vaccine doses, wars and conflicts mean that vaccination campaigns are slow to start in many African countries. The World Health Organization’s Covax initiative is trying to fund vaccine deliveries, but there are simply too few doses to vaccinate the entire population. Last week, around 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Nigeria via Covax – a start, but it’s not enough. In the first quarter of 2021, around 90 million vaccine doses can be delivered to Africa via the Covax program. Nigeria alone is said to have 16 million vaccine doses. But compared to a population of around 200 million, that just seems like a drop in the ocean.
tagesschau.de
Niger’s Issoufou wins $5 million African leadership prize: Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufo has won this year’s $5m Ibrahim prize for Achievement in African Leadership for his work in promoting economic progress and joining regional efforts to quell the threat of Islamist militants. Issoufou was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016. He stepped down after serving two terms, unlike other African leaders such as Guinea’s Alpha Conde and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, who pushed through changes to the constitution to run for third terms. „In the face of the most severe political and economic issues, including violent extremism and increasing desertification, President Mahamadou Issoufou has led his people on a path of progress,“ said Festus Mogae, chair of the prize committee and a former president of Botswana. The number of Nigeriens living below the poverty line has fallen to 40% from 48% a decade ago, Mogae said, adding, that the country had also made progress in improving opportunities for women.
africanews.com
Amnesty International accuses rebels, army and mercenaries of war crimes in Mozambique: War crimes have been committed by all sides fighting in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, including jihadi rebels, government forces and a South African mercenary outfit that provides helicopter support to government troops, according to international rights group Amnesty International. Hundreds of Mozambican civilians have been unlawfully killed by the three groups in the conflict, Amnesty alleged in the report. The rights group urged the Mozambique government and international organizations to investigate potential war crimes and bring perpetrators to justice.
apnews.com
– NUMBER –
Burundi will free 5,255 prisoners as part of a presidential pardon aimed at emptying overcrowded jails, according to a decree seen by AFP on Monday. The Burundian branch of the international NGO Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) said it amounts to 40 percent of all prisoners.
africanews.com
– QUOTE –
„I am going through this difficult period like everyone else. I have lost those close to me and loved ones, but I am confident in the future. Thanks to the solidarity, from Africa, we will overcome this pandemic.“
The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi.
africanews.com
– AT LAST –
Europe’s car scrapyard is in Africa: Discarded used cars are increasingly finding their way to Africa. Around 14 million old cars were scrapped worldwide between 2015 and 2018, 80 percent of them in developing countries.
inforadio.de