CNN —Sudanese paramilitary forces stormed the main hospital in North Darfur, opening fire and looting vital medical supplies, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have reported. Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plundered the facility on Saturday stealing an ambulance among other supplies, the aid agency said. “On Saturday, MSF and the Ministry of Health suspended all activities in South Hospital, El Fasher, North Darfur, after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire, and looted it, including stealing an MSF ambulance,” MSF Sudan said on social media Saturday. The hospital was the only one in the region “equipped to deal with mass casualties” and “was the main referral hospital for treating war-wounded.”It was also one of the two hospitals in El Fasher with surgical capacity, according to MSF. The NGO added on X, formerly known as Twitter, there were only ten patients and a reduced medical team at the hospital at the time.

A historic market in Cape Town has gone green, investing in its energy security with the installation of more than 3,000 solar panels and a battery energy storage system. The Cape Town Market in Epping last week announced its commissioning of a battery energy storage system and demand management system. With over 5,500 producers delivering produce to market agents, who in turn sell to more than 8,000 registered buyers, Cape Town Market is a central player in the city’s food security,” explained Vos. Celebrating energy security at the Cape Town Market in Epping. The Cape Town Market donates about half of its discarded produce to Food on the Table.

Mehdi Lebouachera has been appointed as AFP’s next Global Editor-In-Chief, replacing Sophie Huet, who is taking on a new role developing the agency’s Artificial Intelligence strategy. Mehdi Lebouachera, 45, has worked in Nicosia, Jerusalem, Gaza, Baghdad, then in Central America and Mexico as a video journalist, before becoming Chief Video Editor for Latin America. He was then appointed Global Chief Video Editor in Paris before being appointed, in September 2021, Chief Editor for the Asia-Pacific region, overseeing 250 journalists in 26 countries. Mehdi’s deputy will be Jennie Matthew, 45, who has been appointed Deputy Global News Editor to replace Chris Otton, who will become Chief Editor for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Jennie, currently Chief Editor for Africa, was previously head of the English Desk in Paris and a member of the Global Editor-in-Chief’s team.

African countries participating in the Africa Economic Summit 2024 held last week in Abuja pledged to boost intra-continental trade from 14% to at least 50% by 2030 under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The summit’s president, Sam Ohuabunwa, told journalists that the venue was an opportunity for Africa to leverage strength and become truly competitive. “We call on all African leaders to preach the concept of One Africa! Ohuabunwa also decried that Africa currently has the world’s lowest intercontinental trade and called on African governments to increase infrastructural development, provide an attractive investment climate, and promote private-public sector collaboration to facilitate productivity, wealth creation and poverty minimization. The Africa Economic Summit 2024 sought to bring together key stakeholders to put forward new perspectives and stimulate strategic discussions around Africa’s economic challenges and policy priorities.

New leaders in Niger told the United States to withdraw all its estimated 900 troops. The flags of the United States and the Republic of Niger in West Africa fly together in a Pentagon provided 2022 video at a U.S. base in that country. New leaders of that country told the United States to withdraw all its estimated 900 troops. We are told among those troops are members of the Air National Guard's 107th attack wing from Niagara Falls. But because of the concerns of the family members of these troops, I'm going to inquire further, so I'm gonna really figure out, do we need to evacuate service members?

South African earned wage access startup Paymenow has partnered Uganda’s Thiqa Digital Finance, a leading Islamic finance platform, to allow Ugandan government employees with early and responsible access to their earned wages, completely secure and interest-free, via a mobile app. Our mission perfectly aligns with Paymenow’s commitment to fair finance, and financial well-being across Africa. We are dedicated to empowering salaried workers across Uganda, and are excited to expand our offering with convenient access to affordable finance and financial educational tools,” said Danielle Lavan, CEO of Thiqa Digital Finance. By partnering with Paymenow, we are bringing their direct payroll integration solution to Ugandan government employees, helping them bridge the gap between paydays and managing unexpected expenses. With our EWA technology, users in South Africa, Zambia and Namibia gain early access to their earned wages, enabling them to address pressing financial needs.

An agreement which establishes the collaboration between Fortescue and Jan De Nul to provide the shipping and sub-sea cable laying capability of green electrons was signed in Rabat, Morocco by Fortescue Chairman, Dr Andrew Forrest, and Jan De Nul Executive Chairman, ir. Jan Pieter De Nul. Jan De Nul Group Executive Chairman, ir. Jan Pieter De Nul, said: “It is clear that the electrification transition is happening worldwide. To access more information on subsea cables for offshore wind and interconnector projects, as well as transmission intelligence,click here.

Kim Yo Jong had warned of a ‘crisis of confrontation’ if South Korea did not halt propaganda broadcasts. North Korea has floated hundreds more refuse-carrying balloons into South Korea after Kim Jong Un’s influential sister warned Seoul to halt propaganda broadcasts across their tense border. The latest balloons carried only scrap paper and plastic, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, unlike previous batches that carried unsanitary material such as manure, toilet paper and cigarette butts. South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts hours earlier in response to the North sending more than 1,000 rubbish-carrying balloons in recent weeks. Pyongyang has said it began the balloon campaign in retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-North Korean leaflets and USB sticks filled with South Korean music and dramas across the border.

The City of Tshwane is developing an Energy Action Plan to ensure residents’ energy security and attract investments to South Africa’s administrative capital city. Mayor Cilliers Brink and the Tshwane Economic Development Agency gathered industry leaders, policymakers, and business stakeholders for a briefing ahead of the inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit, which will take place on 19-20 June. The city also has an energy task team that is part of the Tshwane Economic Development Agency. The city is looking to host its inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit on the 19th and 20th of June 2024. ESI Africa is a proud media partner to Tshwane Energy Summit 2024

For many migrants who’ve long dreamed of Europe, one of the last stops is an expanse of olive trees on North Africa's Mediterranean coastline. Less than 10,000 migrants successfully crossed from Tunisia to Italy this year, down from 23,000 in the same time period last year. European Leaders' ResponseDespite the plight of those trapped in Tunisia, European leaders like Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni have lauded the 2023 accord as a model agreement for managing migration. “Tunisia makes Europe believe it’s doing its job as it must,” Karbai said. “It's good for Saied in terms of his supporters and for his speeches when he says Tunisia won't be a country that resettles migrants."

Australian Andrew Forrest, also known by his nickname 'Twiggy', built his fortune in the mining industry but is now is the country's largest investor in renewable energy. Photo: Squadron Energy

Conflicts in Sudan and across the Sahel region have compromised protection for migrants who continue to face “unimaginable horrors” on major migration routes to Europe, according to new report from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). The absence of critical services placed refugees and migrants “at great risk of harm and death” and also triggered dangerous secondary journeys, says Vincent Cochetel, a senior UNHCR official. To remedy the situation and save lives, Cochetel called on donors and stakeholders to support the UNHCR’s humanitarian work and that of local partners in targeted locations. “This includes better access to legal pathways to safety and improving protection services for victims, as well as those at risk of becoming victims along the routes,” he explained. One such place is northern Niger’s major migration hub of Agadez through which thousands of migrants head towards Libya each year and where the security situation remains extremely dangerous.

Thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and markets in the Mount Kenya region are being connected to the national grid through a rural electrification project. On Monday, Rerec said it is commissioning and launching a rural electrification project in Mukurweini Constituency. Rugongo-Ruraya tea buying centre, which is within the Constituency, has been operating for minimum hours due to lack of electricity. A pilot project in Kenya will brighten 100 schools with efficient lightingThe director revealed that 785 households are set to be connected in this region under the rural electrification project. In Murang’a, more than 6,000 households in rural areas are set to be connected to electricity in the drive.

Gotion plans to increase capacity to 100 GWh at a later date, with the final investment will be USD 6.5 billion. Gotion High-Tech and the Moroccan government had already signed a letter of intent for the battery factory a year ago. Even then, there was talk of up to 100 GWh, but the information available was still thin on the ground. With this in mind, various Chinese battery companies have already set up operations in Morocco. CNGR Advanced Material is planning its cathode material factory in Jorf Lasfar, about 100 kilometres south of Casablanca.

Seven African countries collected $2.4 billion of additional revenue through tax transparency, exchange of information and related measures in 2023 than over the 13 preceding years combined, a new progress report for the so-called Africa Initiative has found. Launched at a recent 15th Meeting of the Africa Initiative in Lomé, Togo, the Tax Transparency in Africa 2024: Africa Initiative Progress Report makes a strong case for an ever-sharpening political attention on the matters of transparency and international tax co-operation. International cooperation based on transparency and effective exchange of information standards for tax purposes has become a crucial tool in addressing global challenges of tax avoidance and evasion. According to the Tax Transparency in Africa 2023: Africa Initiative Progress Report, the countries on the continent lose up to $60 billion annually in illicit financial flows. The report also highlighted that African countries identified over $340 million through exchange of information on request between 2019 and 2022.