Photo : AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : AFP
IN BRIEF
Ayan Datta
Malawi: Aircraft carrying Vice-President goes missing
On 10 June, according to BBC, the Office of Malawi’s President stated that the Malawi Defense Force aircraft carrying the country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others had gone missing. The President’s Office stated that the aircraft “went off the radar” after leaving Malawi’s capital Lilongwe. (“Aircraft carrying Malawi vice-president goes missing,” BBC, 10 June)
Rwanda: UNHCR warns of new evidence against Rwanda’s asylum policy
On 10 June, according to the BBC, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees warned the UK’s High Court of Justice that it may have new evidence from 2024 that Rwanda endangered asylum seekers. Senior Legal Officer at UNHCR in London, Lawrence Bottnick, told the court: “UNHCR is aware of repeated incidents of refoulement from Rwanda and denial of access to the asylum procedure to asylum seekers in Rwanda.” The new evidence endangers Rishi Sunak’s “Rwanda plan” for deporting illegal immigrants. (“UN agency warns of new Rwanda abuses evidence,” BBC, 10 June)
Africa: PRIO says conflict-related violence at an all-time high since World War II
On 10 June, according to Al Jazeera, The Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO) reported that 59 armed conflicts broke out in 2023, highest since World War II. Of these, 28 were in Africa. Ethiopia’s Tigray region saw the highest number of conflict-related deaths, followed by Ukraine and Gaza. Senior Researcher and the report’s author Siri Aas Rustad said: “Violence in the world is at an all-time high since the end of the Cold War.” (“Armed conflicts hit post-WWII record in 2023,” Al Jazeera, 10 June 2024)
Sudan: Number of internally displaced persons crosses ten million
On 10 June, according to Africanews, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said that Sudan’s multiple conflicts displaced more than ten million people internally. Over two million were forced to neighbouring countries, mainly to Chad, South Sudan and Egypt. The IOM’s s Director General Amy Pope said: “Imagine a city the size of London being displaced. That's what it looks like, but it's happening with the constant threat of crossfire, with famine, disease and brutal ethnic and gender-based violence.” (“Sudan's Internal Displacement surpasses 10 Million,” Africanews, 10 June 2024)