– NEWS –
Growing humanitarian catastrophe in DR Congo: Humanitarian needs caused by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo have doubled over the last year and a cash shortage is the largest single impediment for a proper response, the humanitarian chief at the United Nations has said. About 2.2 million people became internally displaced in the DRC last year alone, nearly doubling the total number of internally displaced people to 4.5 million. A long-delayed election to replace President Joseph Kabila is at the root of violence that has ravaged the Central African country. Earlier on Monday, the UN condemned an unlawful and unjustified crackdown by Congolese security forces on anti-government protests that killed at least 47 people in the year to January 2018. A high-level humanitarian conference on the DRC is to be held in Geneva on April 13.
reuters.com
„Eternal leader“ in Burundi: Burundi’s president Pierre Nkurunziza has signed a decree setting May 17 for a referendum on changes to the constitution that could keep him in power until 2034, days after some ruling party members bestowed on him the title of “eternal supreme guide.” The decree, shared online by Burundi’s UN ambassador and other officials, could lead to more unrest in the East African country that saw deadly political violence after the president’s disputed decision in 2015 to seek a third term. Opposition and human rights groups have called the referendum a plot by Nkurunziza to stay in power for life. The proposed changes to the constitution include extending a presidential term from five years to seven. Nkurunziza’s current term expires in 2020. At least 1,200 people were killed and more than 400,000 fled the country in the chaos after Nkurunziza’s decision in 2015 to run for a third term.
washingtonpost.com
Trial against Zuma resumes: Former South African president Jacob Zuma will face corruption charges over a $2.5 billion arms deal, prosecutors said, as a years-old scandal returned to haunt him within weeks of his fall from power. Zuma, who was forced to resign by his ruling African National Congress (ANC) last month, was at the center of a 1990s deal to buy European military equipment that has cast a shadow over politics in South Africa for years. Chief state prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said that Zuma’s attempts to head off the charges hanging over him for more than a decade had failed. The charges include 12 counts of fraud, one of racketeering, two of corruption and one of money laundering.
washingtonpost.com
South Africa: Former Porsche managers involved in hit-and-run: Former Porsche CEO Wolfgang Hatz reportedly committed a hit-and-run traffic accident in South Africa in February 2013. Seven people were injured in the accident. And on top of that, the current VW boss Matthias Müller, who is also a former Porsche manager, is said to have been in the passenger seat when the crash happened. According to media reports, police is investigating Hatz for reckless driving and hit-and-run. Hatz is currently in custody as part of the exhaust emissions scandal in Germany.
handelsblatt.com
Deadly side effects of big game hunting: Rare vulture species dies of lead poisoning spiegel.de
Fifa World Cup: Trophy Tour completes African journey fifa.com
Max Planck scientists analyze oldest human genome from Africa mpg.de
– BACKGROUND –
Glencore signs massive cobalt sale deal with China’s GEM: Glencore Plc, the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, has agreed to sell around a third of its cobalt production over the next three years to Chinese battery recycler GEM Co Ltd, according to a filing by GEM. Glencore, whose cobalt is mined as a byproduct from its copper and nickel mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Canada and Australia, expects to produce around 39,000 tonnes of cobalt in 2018 – equal to about 35 percent of estimated global production. Glencore will sell 52,800 tonnes of cobalt hydroxide to GEM between 2018 and 2020 as demand for cobalt, a critical metal in lithium-ion batteries, soars on a forecasted boom in electric vehicle sales.
reuters.com
China belt-road plan may create debt problems: China’s Belt and Road Initiative creates the potential for debt-sustainability problems in some of the world’s weakest economies, according to the Center for Global Development. The infrastructure project – aimed at forging new economic links with Europe, Asia and Africa – puts Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan, and Tajikistan at particular risk of debt distress, researchers at the Washington-based research institute said in a report on Sunday. The report recommends that China make the Belt and Road Initiative more multilateral and that development bodies like the World Bank work toward a more detailed agreement with Beijing on lending standards for the initiative’s projects, no matter the lender.
bloomberg.com
Bringing green solutions to Ugandan schools: In Uganda, 80 percent of the population has no access to electricity. For those who do, it is expensive and unreliable. Cooking in many Ugandan schools is done using firewood. Reliance on wood for cooking has contributed to rapid deforestation. Fifteen years ago, 36 percent of the country was covered in forest — but today, that figure is just 9 percent, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. Some schools are trying to find environmentally friendly ways to improve energy supply so kids can get a better education. New Africa, a primary school in Uganda’s Luweero District, bought nine solar panels with the assistance of bank loans, and now has electric light. To fight deforestation, the Kiryandongo Technical School in northern Uganda has kitted out its kitchen with energy-efficient stoves, and now relies far less on wood.
dw.com
– NUMBER –
4,000 people protested against the government in the city of Jerada in eastern Morocco, despite a demonstration ban. People in the region feel abandoned and have called for more jobs and development projects.
derstandard.at
– QUOTE –
„If you start to arrest people and ban meetings in a democracy, that’s a loss of freedom. We are on our way to a dictatorship – if we are not already there.“
Saleh Kebzabo, opposition politician in Chad, sees his country in a serious crisis and has called for help from the international community.
taz.de
– AT LAST –
When it gets dark: Across 36 African countries, just 2 in 5 people have access to a reliable supply of energy throughout the day, according to a study by research network Afrobarometer. Marred by insufficient capacity, poor reliability and high costs, the energy infrastructure in Africa is still problematic, with 25 nations in sub-Saharan Africa facing a crisis, according to The World Bank. There are still some 600 million Africans without power. 48 states in the region combined generate as much electricity as Spain. 80 percent of households cook with wood, charcoal or manure – one of the reasons for massive deforestation. Only South Africa has a reasonably stable network.
stern.de, cnn.com