ACLED Regional Overview Africa: November 2023 - Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Scaled-up military operations threaten civiliansViolence escalated in Burkina Faso in November, with the number of reported fatalities reaching the highest levels since June 2023. This attack by suspected military forces took place amid widespread violence targeting civilians suspected of collaborating with JNIM fighters. The resulting clashes and drone strikes by military forces against JNIM claimed dozens of casualties among soldiers and militants, with some sources claiming that hundreds may have died. The battle for Kidal saw confrontations between FAMa and the Wagner Group against the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP) rebel coalition. Following intense drone strikes, the CSP withdrew, and Kidal town fell under the control of FAMa and Wagner.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 14:55 UTC
Tunisia: In villages hit by water scarcity, residents feel abandonned
The north African nation is in its fourth year of drought and inhabitants of rural communities are grappling with the nation's worst water scarcity in years. "Elderly people left due to water scarcity. Today, our only request is to have paved roads and water for this village." The World Bank predicts that by 2030 the Middle East and North Africa region will fall below the "absolute water scarcity" threshold of 500 cubic meters yearly per person. Tunisia, already the 33rd most water-stressed country according to the World Resources Institute, has dropped to 450 cubic meters per inhabitant.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 14:52 UTC
Climate Change Makes East Africa’s Deadly Floods Worse, Study Finds
Heavy rain and floods in East Africa that started in October have killed at least 300 people and displaced millions more. East Africa has an annual rainy season in fall, but this year’s disastrous rainfall is about double what it would have been without human-caused climate change, according to research made public on Thursday. A natural climate cycle called the Indian Ocean Dipole has also contributed to heavier rain than usual, but this phenomenon alone does not account for the extreme amount. Multiple individual rainstorms over the past two months have caused widespread flash flooding and overflowing rivers. “The influence of climate change on rainfall can be quite big,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and a founder of World Weather Attribution, the group behind these findings, in an interview.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 13:37 UTC
London’s Middle Eastern art sales have defied tensions
The Dalloul collection sale made more than £2.4m (£3.1m with fees), topping its presale high estimate of £2.3m. Buyers were active nearly to the borders of the conflict, with at least one bidder phoning in from Jerusalem and a number of Lebanese collectors turning out for the Dalloul works. Other sales figures also put Sotheby’s auction in a more favourable light than the sell-through rate. In fact, the premium-inclusive total is the highest for a Sotheby’s MENA art sale in London since 2016. But Mai Eldib, Sotheby’s senior vice president and head of sales and advisory, Middle East, cautions against reading too much into recent lot lists.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 11:56 UTC
KlugKlug eyes expansion to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, plans to Achieve 10 to 12X Growth by 2025
Presently, with a flourishing business approaching the $1 million mark, KlugKlug is aiming for a remarkable 10 to 12 times expansion by 2025. It’s not just about stretching our presence into Southeast Asia and the Middle East; it’s about refining the way we operate. The company’s unique approach to influencer marketing has resonated with a diverse range of brands, from established FMCG giants to emerging D2C players. About KlugKlugKlugKlug is a global tech platform for influencer marketing that employs AI-ML-led data to provide insightful and accurate information about global influencers on popular social platforms. With a comprehensive database of millions of influencers, KlugKlug empowers brands, agencies, and marketers with the tools they need to optimize their influencer marketing campaigns.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 11:24 UTC
Sahara: U.S. sends envoy to Algeria and Morocco to advance regional peace – The North Africa Post
Deputy Assistant Secretary Joshua Harris arrived Wednesday in Algiers “to begin a round of consultations with Algeria and Morocco to advance regional peace and UN political process in the Sahara to achieve an enduring solution without further delay.”The announcement was made by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in its Twitter account. In September, Mr. Harris traveled to the region for the same agenda, insisting on “the spirit of pragmatism and compromise.”In an analysis published lately on U.S. policy in North Africa, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy has called on the Biden Administration to be cautious in engaging Algeria as such approach does not guarantee it will shift away from Moscow and Beijing or defuse tension with Rabat. The Institute’s experts also urged the U.S. to continue supporting the UN-led process to resolve the Sahara dispute, while upholding the American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and protecting Morocco’s crucial relations with Washington and Israel which are paramount importance to U.S. regional interests
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 10:57 UTC
Expanding hydropower projects in Africa for baseline power
Hydropower projects provide the flexible capacity essential to the integration of variable renewable energy sources such as wind or solar PV power. On this basis, the AfDB’s Africa Hydropower Modernisation Programme was created as a programmatic approach in September 2021. The AfDB collaborated with the International Hydropower Association to produce a report under the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) Hydropower Modernisation Programme earlier this year – Modernisation Programme: Continent-wide Mapping of Hydropower Rehabilitation Candidates. Africa Hydropower Modernisation ProgrammeThe inception phase of the Africa Hydropower Modernisation Programme (AHMP) consists of:Market assessment: screening of 87 pre-selected stations across the continent in terms of their modernisation needs; andProject preparation: technical studies of two modernisation projects to make them bankable. Modernising Africa hydropower assets for energy securityMarket consultation indicated strong interest in the programme from key hydropower stakeholders.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 06:47 UTC
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US says members of Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces committed war crimes
A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said he has determined members of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed war crimes in Sudan. Bloodshed, violence and displacement escalated after fighting between the Sudanese army and RSF erupted in April, driving the country to the brink of civil war. "Based on the State Department's careful analysis of the law and available facts, I have determined that members of the SAF and the RSF have committed war crimes in Sudan," Blinken said in a statement. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 06:25 UTC
Kenyan e-bus startup BasiGo secures $5m debt facility to scale local production
Kenyan electric bus solutions startup BasiGo has secured a US$5 million debt facility from British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance organisation, for delivery of 100 locally-produced electric buses. The buses will be delivered through BasiGo’s pay-as-you-drive financing model, which enables bus operators to acquire electric buses without incurring the high upfront cost. Consequently, BII’s financing support will be crucial in transitioning Kenya’s public transport from diesel-powered vehicles to modern electric buses. Each BasiGo electric bus deployed in Nairobi in place of a diesel bus mitigates over 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. “Because electric buses in Kenya are powered by the country’s abundance of renewable energy, electrification of public transport in Kenya holds transformative potential.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 06:18 UTC
WEEK OF PRAYER: Partnership enters new era
Above: A housing settlement in North Africa is one place church leaders want to begin a new church. Courtesy PhotoEDITOR’S NOTE: This year’s Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 3-10. Each year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists international missionaries’ initiatives in sharing the Gospel. Developing national missionaries. As the decades-old partnership naturally morphs into a new era, the Clays sit back and watch the excitement grow among the Americans and North Africans.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 05:07 UTC
The World’s Safest and Deadliest Sources of Energy
Wind, solar, and nuclear energy emerge as the safest options, with fewer than 0.1 annual deaths per terawatt-hour, challenging common perceptions about the safety of nuclear energy. Recent conversations about climate change, emissions, and health have put a spotlight on the world’s energy sources. These three sources contribute to over 60% of the world’s energy production. The safest energy sources by far are wind, solar, and nuclear energy at fewer than 0.1 annual deaths per terawatt-hour. ADVERTISEMENTNuclear energy, because of the sheer volume of electricity generated and the low amount of associated deaths, is one of the world’s safest energy sources, despite common perceptions.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 04:31 UTC
A third of women suffer long-term medical consequences after giving birth. These 9 ‘underreported’ health problems are impacting millions
Nearly 290,000 women around the world die in childbirth each year, and a third of those who survive develop a long-term health issue after pregnancy. That’s according to the series “Maternal health in the perinatal period and beyond,” published Wednesday in The Lancet Global Health. Among sub-goals: Reduce maternal deaths to 70 per 100,000 live births. When aiming to reduce maternal deaths, public health officials usually turn to medical interventions. Less often do they examine the role of social forces—and this may be why 121 of 185 countries have held the same maternal mortality rates for two decades, the authors contend.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 04:07 UTC
Women in science: two Cameroonians win prize
In Cameroon's rural north, a career in science is a rarity for most women. Two young women have bucked the trend, winning a prestigious science award**on November 8. **Sabine Adeline Fanta Yadang, 32, a doctor of neuroscience, and Hadidjatou Daïrou, 33, a doctor of cellular physiology, have overcome societal prejudice to win the L'Oréal-Unesco Young Talent Award for Women in Science for their work on the power of medicinal plants. The two young scientists were chosen from among 30 scientists in sub-Saharan Africa to win the award on November 8 at a ceremony held in Botswana. The two young scientists work together in the laboratory of the Institute for Medical Research and the Study of Medicinal Plants (IMPM) in Yaoundé, the capital.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 07, 2023 01:11 UTC
Emerging trend of chaotic polls in Southern Africa
The capital city has for months now been the site of clashes between opposition parties and state security personnel. He mentioned state security would maintain heightened security in main urban centres along key thoroughfares and near government buildings, especially in Antananarivo. SADC was scathing of the August elections in Zimbabwe, sparking a diplomatic fallout between that country and Zambia, which leads the SADC election observer team. The SADC mission noted concerns in relation to the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission(CENI, locally). Lazarous Kapambwe, serving as Alternate Head of the SEOM, SADC shall, therefore, remain actively engaged with the unfolding processes and ensure that it renders all the necessary support to address any outstanding issues.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 06, 2023 22:03 UTC
Zimbabwe cholera death toll hits 230
from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, ZimbabweZimbabwe BureauHARARE, (CAJ News) – THE death toll in Zimbabwe’s latest cholera outbreak has risen to 230. There have been a total of 10 263 suspected and 1 409 confirmed cases of the water borne disease. The European Union (EU) has announced new funding of €1 million to Zimbabwe, to support the response to the ongoing epidemic. Zimbabwe suffered its worst cholera outbreak in 2008-2010 when 4 293 people died. This week, Zimbabwe is meanwhile hosting the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA).
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 06, 2023 22:01 UTC