Photo : Brian WJ Mahy/Reuters/Al Jazeera
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Brian WJ Mahy/Reuters/Al Jazeera
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Monkeypox outbreak during COVID-19 were contained in Africa, says CDC
On 18 May, the acting director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Ahmed Ogwell Ouma said Africa had contained numerous outbreaks of monkeypox during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ouma’s remarks come as European countries and the US are reporting cases of the same and he termed the development concerning. Monkeypox cases are mostly recorded in western Africa and rarely spread to rest of the world; Ouma suggested that sharing knowledge would be useful to trace the source of the current outbreak. (“Africa contained monkeypox outbreaks during Covid-19 - Africa CDC,” Al Jazeera, 19 May 2022)
Kenya: 70 elephants killed in one year in drought
On 19 May, the tourism minister told BBC that the ongoing drought in East Africa had claimed 70 elephants’ lives in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. The minister said giraffes have also died in the drought and said the government is planning to create water pans using an old dam to prevent animal deaths. (Joice Etutu, “Drought killed 70 Kenyan elephants in one year,” BBC, 19 May 2022)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 1.5 tonnes of ivory seized in Lubumbashi
On 19 May, police said five people had been arrested after 1.5 tonnes of elephant ivory was seized in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Lubumbashi city. The smuggled ivory was discovered on 14 May; a lawyer for an environmental groups coalition said the contraband could amount to the slaughter of 80 to 100 elephants. However, the origin and destination of the smuggled good are unclear. The latest seizure marks one of the largest hauls in Africa; in 2013 and 2014, Kenya and Togo respectively seized four tonnes of ivory each. (“DR Congo authorities seize 1.5 tonnes of elephant ivory,” Al Jazeera, 19 May 2022)