Photo : Finbarr O'Reilly, Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Finbarr O'Reilly, Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prerana P
Burkina Faso: The NGO warns about the disastrous hunger issue
On 20 July, BBC reported on the warning that the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC) raised, which stated that more than a million people would face hunger in Burkina Faso. The issue is the lack of security in various parts of the country. The IRC estimated that the count would reach up to 3.3 million by September. The militant Islamist insurgency has resulted in an entire shutdown of food and healthcare supplies. Over two lakh people from the northern town of Djibo have left their homes. Currently, the country functions under the President of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore, who promised to reclaim the territory from the militants. (“Africa Live: A million more could soon face hunger in Burkina Faso- NGO,” BBC, 20 July 2023)
Sudan: The capital experiences massive artillery air strikes.
On 20 July, Sudan’s capital Khartoum and the city of El-Obeid, witnessed artillery fire and street battles. A resident of El-Obeid stated that the fire targeted the paramilitary bases of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Earlier, the regular army accused the RSF of its drone strike, which killed 14 civilians and injured 15. On 17 July, the Former Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appeared in a rare video where he was seen greeting the top army brass. Apparently, the RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, had released various short videos and audio clips expressing his willingness to choose peace whilst declaring his readiness for war. The RSF paramilitaries have labelled the tribal conflict as the reason for the Darfur bloodshed. In addition, the rights campaigners have blamed the RSF and the allied Arab militias for their reported atrocities, which include rape, looting, and mass killings. Further, the Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan claimed that the International Criminal Court had opened a probe against the war crimes in Darfur. (“Sudan: Fighting in Khartoum intensifies after generals briefly appear,” Africanews, 20 July 2023)
Wagner Group to continue its activities in Africa
On 20 July, the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stated that the group’s activities would continue in Africa. Prigozhin stated: “There was no, and there will be no, reduction in our programs in Africa.” The announcement was made following the attempted Russian coup and the UK's sanctions against 13 Wagner mercenaries, including the operational chiefs of Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), Ivan Aleksandrovitch Maslov and Konstantin Aleksandrovitch Pikalov. Prigozhin assured: “If the assistance of the Wagner Group is needed anywhere to combat gangs and terrorists and to protect the interests of the people of these countries, we are ready to begin immediately to fulfil this task after agreeing on the conditions.” (“Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner boss says activities to continue in Africa,” BBC News, 20 July 2023)