No one is born hating someone else because of their skin color, social background or religion. People hate because they have learned to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can also learn to love, because love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
Nelson Mandela
Afronews October 22
ETHIOPIA
A surprise peace agreement in Ethiopia: Redwan Hussein, representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda, of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (Tplf), have agreed to stop the conflict that has caused thousands of deaths in two years. The peace agreement, signed in Pretoria with the mediation of the African Union, in addition to the "cessation of hostilities" provides for the "strengthening" of cooperation with humanitarian agencies and a program of "disarmament, demobilization and reintegration for the Tplf fighters'". But the problem lies in implementing this agreement.
in Ethiopia, Ayder hospital has become a symbol of the sinking of the health system in Tigrai. This large factory located in Makallé, the capital of Tigrai, is on the brink of rupture. Deprived of medicine and electricity, he faces a large influx of injured. The operators had had to send patients home in April, due to the inability to feed them. In early June, it was a drug shortage that led to the facility closing its doors - except for emergencies - for two weeks. Today, the scarce pharmaceutical reserves are almost exhausted. Some, such as insulin, are completely out of stock, putting diabetic patients in danger of death.
Among the patients, victims of drone attacks by the Ethiopian army, as well as air and artillery raids fired from Eritrea.
In Makallé, Ayder Referral Hospital was a modern hospital, with state-of-the-art technologies, a recognized university center and multiple international partnerships. With a capacity of 500 beds before the war, Ayder was the reference hospital for a basin of 9 million people from Tigrai and the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar.
ANGOLA
The outgoing president of Angola, João Lourenço, was
reconfirmed for a second term after his
party won the legislative elections with over 51%
of votes. Figures very far from the 71.84% of the votes obtained
from this historic party in 2012. MPLA still maintains
the majority in Parliament.
In power since 1975, the MPLA (Popular Movement for
liberation of Angola) wins the legislative elections, but is
been challenged by the first opposition party, Unita (National Union for Total Independence of Angola).
If the MPLA had won the 2017 election hands down with 61% of the vote, the victory proclaimed today seems controversial. Especially since several members of the National Election Committee did not sign the final results.
https://www.afrik.com/angola-le-president-joao-lourenco-reconduit-pour-un-second-mandat
MOZAMBIQUE
New field research in Cabo Delgado sheds light on one of Africa's least understood violent conflicts; as reported by Liesl Louw-Vaudran in a service of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) - Pretoria.
Conflict broke out in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province just a few years after some of Africa's largest gas reserves were discovered in the Rovuma Basin off the coast. Mozambicans don't see this as a coincidence.
A new study from the Institute for Security Studies and the Mozambique Judicial Training Institute conducted extensive field research in Cabo Delgado. It shows that citizens blame the discovery and mismanagement of resources, especially natural gas and rubies, for the escalation of terrorism in the province. Over 4,000 people were killed and 800,000 displaced due to the insurrection that broke out at the end of 2017.
The recruitment campaigns of the militant group Ahlu-Sunnah wal Jama'a (ASWJ), supported by the Islamic State in Mozambique, have been facilitated by the so-called curse of natural resources. Not only has inequality increased, but the stakes in the province have increased. What was initially a small radical group has grown into a major threat that has alienated large multinationals like TotalEnergies.
Before the uprising, Cabo Delgado was already known for illegal activities such as drug, timber and people trafficking, as well as ruby smuggling. However, the study did not show significant links between the ter-
roristic and organized crime
nized. So far, there is some
na indication that the goal
ASWJ's main one is that
to get your hands on the red-
illicit trading activity
ie drug.
The study confirms that eco-
illicit name, donations e
raids are the main
sources of funding for the insurgents.
Cabo Delgado residents believe that regional disparities between privileged elites based in the capital Maputo in Mozambique's far south and marginalized northerners play a more significant role in driving the conflict than ethnic considerations.
The role of an extremist ideology and the recruitment and radicalization of ASWJ should not be overlooked. Just over 60% of people said that religion plays a role in violence, even though many believed that Islam is being exploitedMilitary interventions alone will not end the insurgency. However, more effective strategies by Mozambican security forces and the country's international partners play a key role. Strengthening border security and improving information sharing is also vital. The ASWJ threat in Mozambique has proven to be one of Africa's least understood and nebulous uprisings. Little is known about the groups' identity, objectives and ideology and the militants do not have a clear communication strategy.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/the-many-roots-of-mozambiques-deadly-insurgency
UGANDA
Experts are confident about the control of Ebola in Uganda
Although there is no vaccine for the Sudanese strain of the Ebola virus, which has spread to the Mubende district, understanding of how best to prevent and manage Ebola virus infections has improved over the past decade.
The outbreak was officially declared on September 20, 2022, following the confirmation of a case in a 24-year-old man. Recent outbreaks of the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus in other African countries had benefited from vaccination; however, this vaccine does not protect against the Sudanese strain of the virus, which is responsible for the outbreak in Uganda.
As of 2 October, there have been 43 confirmed cases and nine deaths. Testing for Ebola is also limited to the PCR method, which is slower and less mobile than other methods, however, the substantial investment made to increase PCR testing capability across the continent in response to the COVID-19 pandemic it would be effective in ensuring the availability of such a test.
Healthcare workers are also confronted with widespread beliefs (Ebola is seen as a work of witchcraft), but through community engagement and awareness exercises, community leaders are involved to deal with this epidemic.
Vaccine development for this Sudanese strain of Ebola virus is also slowed by the fact that outbreaks tended to be small, so with a small number of cases, and limited data.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01924-9/fulltext