Burkina Faso has joined the list of African countries to have recorded corona-virus related death. Authorities announced the first COVID-19 death on Wednesday.

The country’s confirmed cases as at today Wednesday (March 18) are 26 with over 230 contacts being monitored. Other African countries that have reported fatalities include Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Sudan.

The authorities say the patient was a diabetic woman aged 62 years. Some reports on social media say it is a top lawmaker, Ms Rose Marie Compaore, who was the first-vice president of the parliament.

This is a very contagious illness that is potentially fatal and that for now has no treatment aside from prevention.

“This tragic event calls us all to recognise the scale and seriousness of the problem which confronts us all,” said Martial Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso’s COVID-19 response coordinator.

“This is a very contagious illness that is potentially fatal and that for now has no treatment aside from prevention,” he stressed.

 The West African country says the cases are concentrated in the capital Ouagadougou with Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s second largest city, recording its first case recently.

Source: Africa News

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday he would not stand for re-election in October, ending speculation about his political future ahead of a highly-anticipated vote.

Ouattara had previously said he would run if his longtime political rivals were candidates, defying opponents who say the constitution does not give him the right to seek a third term. 

But he declared in a speech before lawmakers that he would hand over power to a new generation after 10 years in office.

Alassane Ouattara✔@AOuattara_PRCI

Je voudrais annoncer solennellement, que j’ai décidé de ne pas être candidat à l’élection présidentielle du 31 octobre 2020 et de transférer le pouvoir à une jeune génération.

“I have decided not to be candidate in the Oct. 31 presidential election and to transfer power to a new generation,” Ouattara said, prompting applause, cheers and gasps from audience members in the capital Yamoussoukro.

Ouattara was first elected president of Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producer, in a 2010 election that sparked a brief civil war when his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to concede defeat. Around 3,000 people died in the violence.

Political tensions have been on the rise in recent months after the government issued an arrest warrant for Guillaume Soro, a presidential candidate and former rebel leader whose forces swept Ouattara to power in 2011.

Ouattara’s two main rivals, Gbagbo and another former president, Henri Konan Bedie, have not yet said whether they will be candidates in October.

(REUTERS)

The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) updated its alert issued on Wednesday, warning civilian airliners and all operators of US-registered aircraft to “exercise caution” when flying over Kenyan airspace, citing possible attacks by extremists.

“Those persons are advised to exercise caution when flying into, out of, within, or over the territory and airspace of Kenya East of 40 degrees East longitude at altitudes below fl260 due to the possibility of extremist/militant activity,” the agency said.

The US, backed by an express Nairobi-New York air link, is Kenya’s top source of foreign tourists recording 245,437 arrivals last year.

The FAA asked American operators to report any security related incidents they may encounter within the airspace, in addition to sharing their travel plans at least 72 hours ahead of planned flights to Kenya.

FAA said it will review the advisory by February 26, 2021.

“Aircraft may encounter fire from small arms; indirect fire weapons, such as mortars and rockets; and anti-aircraft capable weapons, including man-portable air defense systems (manpads),” said the FAA on February 26 seen by Business Daily.

“Such weapons could target aircraft at low altitudes, including during the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or target airports and aircraft on the ground, especially at airfields located east of 40 degrees east longitude.”

The US and Kenya recently struck a new deal for direct cargo flights between the two nations.

Security beefed up

Kenya’s security agencies have beefed up deployment in cities, towns and the country’s borders, following the United States’ warning of a possible terror attack.*

“The NPS has increased border surveillance to ensure criminal elements are cut from entering the country,” Kenya’s Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said on Thursday night.

Mutyambai asked the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies, even as they go about their normal activities without fear.

US issues terror alert

The United States embassy in the country on Thursday issued an alert on the possibility of a terror attack at an unidentified, major hotel in Nairobi County.

In a short statement posted on its website, the embassy said the targeted hotel is popular with tourists and business travellers.

“If staying at a hotel, be aware of the hotel’s evacuation plan. Plan ahead of time how you would exit the hotel in case of an emergency,” it said.

Local newspaper Daily Nation said the office of the embassy spokesperson in Nairobi highlighted the bilateral cooperation when it comes to monitoring and sharing information about security.

“We have no greater responsibility than the safety and security of US citizens overseas. Security alerts to US citizens provide timely information so they can make informed travel decisions,” it said in explaining the decision to issue an alert.

Kenya has been the victim of multiple terror attacks by the Somali terrorist organisation, Al-Shabaab.

Source: Africa News

The Director General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Princewill Anyim, has said the agency has what it takes to handle the latest influx of Cameroonian refugees.

Anyim spoke in reaction to the recent influx of no fewer than 8,000 Cameroonian refugees into Cross River and Taraba states in the past two weeks, as reported by the UNHCR,

He said, “It is not that there has been influx that much. We do have a particular number every month. The influx is more in Taraba, not in Cross River. Everything has been put in place to handle the influx.

“We don’t classify it as an emergency. The emergency stage has already passed. The level we are now is developmental stage where we see how we can put structures that can take pressure off the host communities. We don’t classify it as an emergency.

“Because of these elections, they are afraid that the attacks could be on the Anglophone side of Cameroon. They are being cautious. That is why you see them moving through the borders to escape persecution. Everything is in place. We have where they go. We have a hub where they sit. Then we do registration, to know them, take their bio-data and give them their progress number.”

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees had reported that, “almost 8,000 Cameroonian refugees have fled to Nigeria’s eastern and southern states of Taraba and Cross River over the past fortnight, bringing the total Cameroonian refugee population in the country to nearly 60,000 people.”

Culled from PUNCH

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the United States favoured a “collective” approach with its allies when deciding on troop numbers deployed in Africa against jihadist insurgents.

“We’ll get it right, we’ll get it right collectively, I’m convinced of that,” Pompeo told reporters in Dakar.

Pompeo said he had no specific announcement to make about any cuts in US troops deployed against jihadist groups in the Sahel region of Africa.

But he said the US would work closely with Senegalese and other forces in the region as well asits European partners, especially France.

“We have an obligation to get security right here, in the region, it’s what will permit economic growth and we’re determined to do that,” he said.

“When our review is done we’ll have a conversation with not just Senegal but all the countries in the region, we’ll talk through why we’re doing what we’re doing and we’ll deliver an outcome that works for all of us.”

Senegal Foreign Minister Amadou Ba said that the United States had informed his government of its “wish to withdraw combat troops”.

This, he said, would still leave an American military presence, notably in the areas of training and intelligence.

But he also insisted that Washington remained a crucial ally in the fight against jihadist violence that has plagued the Sahel.

“More than ever, Africa is faced with major challenges linked to insecurity and terrorism,” Ba said.

“It needs the United States of America as a strategic ally for a definitive return to peace and stability.”

Source: AFP

A United Nations (UN) official has warned that the situation in Libya is “deeply troubling,” a fragile ceasefire in the crisis-hit country has seen dozens of violations, and a UN arms embargo imposed on the country has become a “joke.”

UN Deputy Special Representative to Libya Stephanie Williams made the comments at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Sunday and after a meeting of foreign ministers to follow up on a Berlin summit on Libya last month.

“The situation on the ground remains deeply troubling. The truce is holding only by a thread. It is the Libyan people that continue to suffer the most. The economic situation continues to deteriorate, exacerbated by the oil blockade,” the US official said, referring to the blockade of oil facilities by rebel forces in Libya.

He said more than 150 violations had been reported since the ceasefire was agreed last month.

Since 2014, two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya: the internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and another group based in the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by rebel forces under the command of renegade general Khalifa Haftar.

The rebel leader, who is primarily supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan, launched a deadly offensive to capture the capital, Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, in April last year. Despite intense fighting, Haftar has so far failed to achieve his objective of ousting the GNA, and the offensive has stalled outside the capital.

Last month, officials from Turkey, Russia, Egypt, France, Italy, Britain, and the United States gathered in the German capital of Berlin to help establish a permanent ceasefire in Libya. Sarraj and Haftar were also present in the summit.

The final communiqué of the summit called on all the parties concerned in the conflict “to redouble their efforts for a sustained suspension of hostilities, de-escalation and a permanent ceasefire.” Participants also pledged not to interfere in Libya’s internal affairs and its conflict and agreed to “fully respect” the arms embargo imposed on the North African country by the UN in 2011.

However, Haftar refused to sign the joint communiqué.

Elsewhere in her remarks on Sunday, Williams condemned the ongoing breaches of the UN weapons embargo on Libya, saying it “has become a joke, we all really need to step up here.” She added that the embargo had been violated “by land, sea, and air, but it needs to be monitored and there needs to be accountability,” warning that the North African country was now awash with illegally-imported advanced weapons.

The situation in Libya was been compounded as a result of a move by Turkey, a Libyan government ally, to transfer allied militants from Syria to the North African country.

Maas said he had asked European Union (EU) foreign ministers to make a decision on Monday on their role in monitoring the UN embargo.

“Everyone needs to know that, if they violate the embargo in future, then they violate a UN resolution and that this can’t remain without consequences,” he said, without giving further details.

The top German diplomat also said that the next so-called 5+5 meeting on Libya would take place in Geneva on Tuesday.

Serraj and Haftar are also scheduled to hold their first “political dialog” on February 26.

The Italian capital of Rome is set to host the next UN-brokered international talks on Libya.

Source: Presstv

The Angolan government’s request to freeze overseas accounts of Isabel dos Santos has been granted by the Portuguese authorities, a number of media outlets including the Expresso newspaper have reported.

This is the latest leg in a resolve by Luanda to bring the billionaire daughter of ex president Jose Eduardo dos Santos to book for alleged corruption and pillaging of public funds.

Isabel was head of the country’s oil firm, SONANGOL, a post she was controversially handed by her father. President Lourenco fired her months after taking office in 2017. Her brother Jose Filomeno is also facing corruption charges over his time at the head of the national sovereign fund.

Local accounts of Ms Dos Santos were frozen by a court late last year before an exposé into corruption files linked to her wealth were released last month. She has repeatedly rubbished the reports and stressed that she had earned all her wealth legally.

Luanda has slapped charges of embezzlement and financial misappropriation against the 46-year-old who has been living outside the country for the better part of the time that her father left office. She is on record to have said that she would consider running for the presidency when next polls are held.

Lourenco vows to recover stolen funds hidden abroad

President Joao Lourenco last Friday told visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel that his reformist government was working to recover funds stolen from public coffers and stashed abroad.

“With the support of everyone, civil society and specialised international institutions, we are implementing initiatives to combat money laundering, as well as to recover assets that have been set up with public resources… (or) been illegally transferred… outside the country,” he said.

He said his government was determined to fight corruption in the graft-tainted oil-rich country.

“We are deepening the foundations of the rule of law, where there is no impunity for acts of corruption and for practices of nepotism and influence peddling,” he said in an address during Merkel’s one-day visit to the country.

Dos Santos built up a vast business empire over the past two decades, with stakes in several Angolan and Portuguese companies. Her fortune is valued at $2.1 billion by Forbes Magazine, which named her Africa’s richest woman in 2013.

Source: Africa News

Human Rights Watch on Monday called on Mali to bring to justice jihadist and ethnic militants who killed more than 450 people in the centre of the war-torn country last year.

Massacres committed in the centre of the West African country amounted to “the deadliest year for civilians” since 2012, the NGO said in a report.

Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north in 2012, and which has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives.

Despite the presence of foreign troops, the conflict has since spread to the centre of the country as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Human Rights Watch pointed to the ethnic mosaic of central Mali as the “epicentre” of violence in the country.

“Armed groups are killing, maiming, and terrorizing communities throughout central Mali with no apparent fear of being held to account,” said report author Corinne Dufka in a statement.

Ethnic killings increased in central Mali following the emergence of the Katiba Macina group in 2015.

Led by jihadist preacher Amadou Koufa, Katiba Macina has recruited mainly from among the Fulani people and has been accused of ethnically-motivated attacks.

Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon have formed self-defence groups, which have in turn been accused of reprisal massacres.

Fourteen Fulani people were killed in central Mali in January, for example, in an apparent spate of ethnic violence.

Interviewing 147 victims or witnesses to attacks, Human Rights Watch said that at least 456 people were killed in central Mali last year, and hundreds more were wounded.

It said while Malian authorities convicted about 45 people for “smaller incidents of communal violence,” they had yet to question or prosecute the leaders of armed groups.

“The Malian government’s failure to punish armed groups on all sides is emboldening them to commit further atrocities,” Dufka said in a statement.

(AFP)

Thousands of African students in Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus epidemic, face dwindling food supplies, limited information and lockdowns restricting them to their campuses or hostels.

Two weeks after restrictions on movement were imposed, residents are running short of basic necessities, say students in the central Chinese city.Quick guide

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Several people described profound anxiety, insufficient food and a lack of information. Many complained about the lack of assistance received from their own embassies but refrained from criticising Chinese authorities.

There are more than 80,000 African students in China, often attracted by generous government scholarships. About 5,000 are thought to be in Wuhan, where there are scores of further education establishments offering qualifications that are prized in Africa.

A 21-year-old student from Cameroon living in Jingzhou city was reported on Tuesday to be among new cases. He is thought to have contracted the illness on a trip to Wuhan two weeks ago before the lockdown was imposed on the city but is not in any danger, university officials said.

More than 56 students from Malawi, mostly on scholarships, are among those trapped in Wuhan.

Bright Chipao, the president of the Association of Malawians in the city, said the students were desperate. “There is panic among us as we don’t know how long we are going to survive. We are also increasingly running out of foodstuffs,” he said.

Chipao said the students lacked masks, food and water. Prices had tripled in the city, he said.

The students have asked the Malawian government to airlift them out of the city and return them home, citing the example of other countries in Africa. However Chinese authorities have asked local embassies to tell their citizens not to seek to return home to avoid further spread of the disease.

Many educational establishments have imposed rigorous curbs on students, restricting them to their campuses or hostels. A statement from one colleges read: “Considering your safety, please stay inside your dormitory during this period … Most of the materials are in short supply. Please save resources, cherish your life.”

Kondwani Chembezi, a Malawian student at Wuhan University of Technology, said he and his roommate had only 2 gallons (9 litres) of water and some food.

He said: “Wuhan is becoming a death zone each passing day as the numbers of infected persons, as well as death toll, keep rising. There’s a great atmosphere of panic and despair as others have been repatriated to their nations, yet others remain here trying to survive this unpredictable period.

“Going [to buy things] is a grave personal risk as no one knows who has been exposed to the virus – anyone can be a carrier. Prices of commodities have really gone high – three or more times the usual price. It’s a hustle to actually buy what you need as the demand is also high.”

A Kenyan postgraduate student who has been in Wuhan for five years said the biggest problems were a shortage of reliable information and of food.

He said: “The worst part about it all is not knowing what is going on because all the information we are getting is from online sources or from friends from other universities … We have been forced to have one meal a day.

“Our institute gave us some rice, milk, oil and some vegetables but advises we also use them sparingly because when they are over we might not [be able] to get more.”

Many students contacted by the Guardian were reluctant to talk or be named, as they feared expulsion or other sanctions.

A Ugandan doctor in Shanghai said she and her colleagues felt better on Monday after a “worrying weekend”.

“We’re wearing our masks, washing our hands and avoiding crowded places,” she said. “But most importantly we’re trying to be positive and not live in constant fear and panic.”

Source: The Guardian.com