Photo : AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : AFP
IN BRIEF
By Ayan Datta
Egypt: Cabinet reshuffled; new foreign, finance, and supplies ministers
On 2 July, Reuters reported that Egypt’s cabinet would be reshuffled. The foreign, finance, petroleum, electricity and supply ministers would be changed. Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Ambassador to the European Union, Badr Abdelatty, would replace Sameh Shoukry as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ahmed Kouchuk, deputy former Minister of Finance Mohammed Maait, would take the latter’s position. Sherif Farouk, former chairman of Egypt Post, would replace Ali Moselhy as Minister of Supplies. The Ministries of Electricity and Petroleum would also have new Ministers but did not announce their replacements. (“Egypt set to change finance, foreign and supply ministers,” Reuters, 2 July 2024)
Burkina Faso: Government accused of conscripting critics
On 2 June, Reuters reported that Amnesty Internationa and Human Rights Watch criticised Burkina Faso’s military government for abducting and conscripting its critics. So far, 19 such abductions have been confirmed. Victims described the conditions as “arbitrary and punitive.” The abductions increased after Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power in 2022 after a coup. (“Insight: How Burkina Faso's junta is conscripting critics to fight Islamist rebels,” Reuters, 2 July 2024)
Zambia: World Bank approves USD 208 million for drought assistance
On 2 June, Reuters reported that the World Bank approved a US 208 million grant for Zambia to address the social and economic effects of its ongoing drought. Zambia’s Ministry of Finance stated that the grant would help “over 1.6 million households across 84 drought-impacted districts with emergency cash assistance over a 12-month period” and strengthen social protection programmes. Previously, Zambia had declared a state of disaster because of the drought and sought international assistance. The El Nino effect and greenhouse gas emissions caused the drought. (“World Bank approves $208 million for Zambia's drought response,” Reuters, 2 July 2024)
Central African Republic: UNICEF says children worst deprived in the world
On 2 June, according to Reuters, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that children in the Central African Republic (CAR) were the worst deprived in the world because of malnourishment, inadequate healthcare access and political instability. UNICEF Representative in the CAR, Meritzell Relano Arana, stated that the country’s children “face the highest registered level of overlapping and interconnected crises and deprivation in the world.” She added that the conditions of CAR’s children were “painfully invisible” to the world because of the focus on the war in Gaza. (“Central African Republic's children are world's most deprived, UNICEF says,” Reuters, 2 July 2024)