– NEWS –
Trump wants to withdraw US troops from Somalia: US President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of most American soldiers from Somalia by early 2021, the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday. Nearly 700 US soldiers are currently deployed in Somalia. They conduct training with local forces — including the elite Danab special forces — and assist them in their fight against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group in counterterrorism missions. There have been concerns that a withdrawal could weaken anti-Shabab forces and severely impact the security situation in the Horn of Africa nation. Somali Senator Ayub Ismail Yusuf described the decision as extremely regrettable. US troops, he said, have made a huge contribution to the training and operational effectiveness of Somali troops.
dw.com, bbc.com
Presidential elections in Ghana: More than 17 million people are eligible to vote in presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana with the race for the top job expected to be a close-run fight between incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo and longtime opponent John Mahama. Ghana, long a beacon of democracy and stability in west Africa, has ensured peaceful transfers of power on seven occasions since it returned to democracy nearly 30 years ago. The two major parties have always accepted electoral outcomes and pursued any grievances through the courts. To ensure its continued tradition of peaceful polls, Akufo-Addo and Mahama signed a symbolic peace pact. They are among 12 candidates, including three women, who are running.
france24.com
Ethiopia grants UN access to deliver aid to Tigray: Ethiopia has granted the United Nations access to deliver humanitarian aid to the northern region of Tigray, following weeks of lobbying amid military operations there, according to an agreement seen by AFP on Wednesday. The agreement, signed by Ethiopia’s peace minister, comes four weeks after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent in troops and warplanes in a campaign targeting leaders of the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Thousands have died in subsequent fighting, while tens of thousands have fled into neighboring Sudan. The UN has been warning of a possible humanitarian catastrophe within Tigray, though a communications blackout has made it difficult to assess conditions on the ground.
france24.com
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Blockchain – Ticker – With our weekly newsletter we provide you with the most important developments in blockchain technology and scene. blockchain-ticker.net
Referendum in Libya: Liberia’s leader President George Weah is being put to the test this Tuesday when a referendum will open asking whether to shorten presidential terms and whether to lift a ban on dual nationality. Weah, a former footballing icon, wants to cut the length of terms for presidents and lower-house lawmakers from six to five years and from nine to seven for senators. But some members of the opposition say Weah, who was elected in 2018, will aim to extend his stay in office because the first six years would then be under a different constitutional arrangement. Reducing term limits is a relative novelty for the region, where ageing presidents have followed a pattern of clinging to office using constitutional changes.
africanews.com
Comparatively low number of Covid deaths in Africa puzzles researchers: The Covid-19 pandemic has of course left its mark on Africa. But upon taking a closer look at the number of Covid deaths and new infections, Africa has been relatively successful in making it through the pandemic. According to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 52,000 people have died of the coronavirus on the African continent, and 2.2 million people have been infected so far. The whole of Africa together has about as many Covid deaths and infections as France, for example. A whole continent with 54 countries compared to just one country in Europe. Some have even argued that the continent is suffering more from the current Covid restrictions than from the pandemic itself. The CDC refers to the possibly high number of unreported cases due to low test numbers and would now like to press ahead with the tests. Among other things, experts see the comparatively lower average age of the population in Africa as a reason for lower infection rates. Fortunately, Bill Gates‘ prophecy from March 2020 that up to ten million people could die from the virus in Africa did not come true. This may be due to the fact that the continent is comparatively weakly networked transnationally and that large parts of the population are forced to live outdoors. But it is also because many African countries decided on lockdowns at an early stage. However, many regions are also struggling with famine, malaria and tuberculosis.
faz.net
A transitional parliament for Mali dw.com
War in Tigray – excluded from the public sueddeutsche.de
First ever regional elections in Cameroon africanews.com
A man, a suitcase, a million dollars and a riddle: why doesn’t the small Swiss bank in Kinshasa ask any questions? nzz.ch
– BACKGROUND –
The Ugandan monk who brought Buddhism to Africa: As the first Ugandan Buddhist monk, the most venerable Bhante Bhikkhu Buddharakkhita has ambitions to train 54 novices, one for every African nation. Founder and abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Centre and temple, and author of Planting Dhamma Seeds: The Emergence of Buddhism in Africa, Buddharakkhita was born Steven Jemba Kabogozza, and raised a Catholic. He converted to Buddhism in 1990 while studying in India, and has been teaching mindfulness meditation in Africa since 2005.
theguardian.com
Ethiopian Jews flown to Israel: Hundreds of Ethiopian Jews have been airlifted to Israel – the first of several thousand waiting to emigrate there in a long-running saga. Most of their community has lived in transit camps in Ethiopia for years as questions over their eligibility has dogged the process. The immigrants are related to Ethiopian Jews brought to Israel decades ago in a series of secret operations. Israel had been accused of delaying bringing the remaining group in. The issue gained greater urgency in recent weeks as fighting between the Ethiopian government and local forces in the Tigray region threatened to spread south to Gondar city, where most of the Jews are now housed.
bbc.com
36 years after the Unango attack: Mozambique was considered a “socialist brother country” in former East Germany and was accordingly the main recipient of East German development aid. One of the largest agricultural projects in Africa had started there in the early 1980s, but an attack on December 6, 1984 stopped East German development aid in Mozambique. A total of 14 people died in the attack. Even 36 years later, the background is still unclear. „Deutsche Welle“ has talked to Manfred Grunewald about the background of the attack. Grunewald had been sent to Mozambique by East Germany as an agricultural expert. At the time of the attack, he was not in Unango.
dw.com
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Facebook Live: IJP-AfricaTalk #7 – Agriculture and Food Security: Has COVID-19 an impact on access to food? COVID-19 pandemic movement restrictions has implications on food security. The measures are likely to exacerbate food security challenges. Meanwhile, certain agricultural regions were already in trouble, facing floods, conflicts and decreasing prices. What needs to be done for achieving adequate food supply in periods of crisis? Facebook Live-Discussion with Renate Künast (MdB, Die Grünen) facebook.com
– NUMBER –
According to a survey by the South African-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation, 71% of African youth surveyed are concerned about terrorism with the highest concerns found in East Africa at 78%, followed by West Africa at 76%.
allafrica.com
– QUOTE –
„Unlike in Europe and America, feminism in Africa is not directed against problematic male behavior, but is committed to the recognition of the diversity of female lifestyles. For me, feminism is a matter of course, which I basically no longer want to discuss, but live out freely, as I observed and admired with women in my childhood.“
Curator and 2020 Meret Oppenheim Prize Winner Koyo Kouoh.
annabelle.ch
– AT LAST –
The name of a newly elected District Administrator in Namibia irritates the world: Adolf Hitler Uunona was elected District Administrator of Ompundja in Namibia last week. Uunona told interested journalists that his father did not know who he named his son after.
welt.de