Africa: What Must Happen After the Summit of the Future?

[ad_1] What would the manifesto for a more inclusive world look like if it were drafted by people with disabilities? It was, a few weeks ago at a UN Summit. But is it enough? Not long ago, I sat in a classroom in Freetown, Sierra Leone, taking it all in as a young visually impaired student ran her fingers across a braille version of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Five years ago, these global promises for a better future […]

October 25, 2024

Africa

Africa: Humanitarian Aid Workers Face ‘Increasingly Difficult’ Conditions

[ad_1] The president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has announced the establishment of the Red Family Fund to honor humanitarian aid workers who have died in the line of duty. Kate Forbes told the organization's general assembly in Geneva that aid workers find themselves working under "increasingly difficult" conditions that include not only an escalation in conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere but also a decrease in observance of international law. "Global […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: ‘Trauma That Echoes Across Generations’ – UN Highlights Weaponisation of Sexual Violence

[ad_1] The United Nations marked 15 years of its mandate on sexual violence and conflict with a commemoration ceremony held in New York on Wednesday. The mandate was established through Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) which called for appointing a Special Representative to lead UN efforts to address rape during conflict, among other actions. "It recognized that like bullets, bombs and blades, the widespread systematic use of sexual violence decimates communities, drives displacement and inflicts trauma that echoes across generations," […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: The Deepfake Is a Powerful Weapon in the War in Sudan

[ad_1] While still rudimentary - voice-cloning models can't yet relay convincing Sudanese dialects - the use of Deepfakes is now routinely used on Sudan's violent, if bloodless, alternative battlefield: social media. In April 2024, an image of a building engulfed in flames went viral on Facebook in Sudan. The image was widely shared with captions that claimed the building was part of Al-Jazeera University in Wad Madani city, and the Sudanese army had bombed it. Many political leaders and public […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Three Somali Migrants Tortured to Death By Human Traffickers in Libya, Activist Reveals

[ad_1] At least three Somali migrants tragically lost their lives in September and October while being held in warehouses and homes operated by human traffickers in Libya, according to human rights activist Tariq Lamloum. Lamloum shared the grim news in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, exposing the brutal conditions migrants face while in captivity. The activist revealed that the families of the victims were contacted by kidnapping gangs based in the city of Bani Walid. The families were sent disturbing […]

October 23, 2024

Africa

Africa: Governance Progress in Africa Grinds to a Halt as Security and Democracy on the Continent Deteriorate Further, Threatening Substantial Advances in Human and Economic Development, According to the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

[ad_1] London — Covering the 2014-2023 decade, the 2024 IIAG shows that Africa’s overall governance progress came to a halt in 2022, following four years of almost complete stagnation, as substantial advances in both humanand economic development are undermined by the ongoing deterioration of the security and democratic landscape. However, this concerning continental average picture masks very diverse performances and trajectories across the 54 African countries and between the 16 IIAG sub-categories. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation today released the 2024 […]

October 23, 2024

Africa

Africa: War and the Supernatural – Former Congolese Soldiers Recall the Ritual Practices Used to Prepare for Battle

[ad_1] War takes a toll on soldiers' bodies and minds. To prepare for battle, soldiers are taken through various forms of training. Part of this training aims to strip candidates of their civilian values and inculcate military culture. While armies have access to an array of contemporary strategies and weaponry during training, one element isn't often discussed: the rituals incorporated in training and those performed before engaging in warfare. Rituals include the magico-religious practices performed for various purposes, such as […]

October 23, 2024

Africa

Africa: Civilian Support for Military Coups Isn’t a Bug – It’s a Feature

[ad_1] In September 2024, authorities in Benin detained the country's former sports minister and a prominent businessman for allegedly plotting a coup against the West African nation's president, Patrice Talon. Had a putsch materialized, Benin would have joined a growing list of African countries to have experienced a military coup over the past four years. Dubbed an "epidemic of coup d'états" by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the resurgence of military takeovers has left many observers perplexed. For one, the […]

October 23, 2024

Africa

Africa: Sanctions – Zim Enlists African Commission’s Support

[ad_1] Zimbabwe has implored the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) to continuously raise concern about the negative impact of sanctions that were slapped on the country by the West. The country urged the ACHPR, which is holding its 81st Ordinary Session chaired by Mr Remy Ngoy Lumbu of DRC in Banjul, Gambia, to continuously call for the lifting of sanctions to improve the lives of the people. The session started on October 17 and ends on November […]

October 22, 2024

Conflict