Photo : Anadolu Agency
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Anadolu Agency
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Mali: UN peacekeeper killed in attack; military rejects report report on army killings
On 1 June, the UN’s Mali mission said one of its peacekeepers had been killed and three injured in an attack on its convoy in Kidal region in the north. As many as 170 UN peacekeepers have been killed in Mali since it began its operation in 2013. The latest attack comes after the UN released a report which said over 500 civilians were killed in violence between Mali’s armed forces and rebel groups or Islamist militants. However, Mali’s military government rejected the report claiming that the allegations are “tedious, uncross-referenced, reported in non-contradictory ways, and not supported by any tangible evidence.” (“UN peacekeeper killed in Mali attack,” BBC, 1 June 2022; “Mali refutes UN report on alleged army killings,” BBC, 1 June 2022)
WHO official says Africa should not be sidelined in monkeypox fight
On 1 June, the WHO regional director for Africa said the world should avoid two different responses to the ongoing fight against monkeypox, one to the western world which was experiencing higher monkeypox transmission for the first time and another to Africa.The regional director outlined that the spread of monkeypox has changed and exemplified Nigeria wherein monkeypox was mostly in the south until 2019; by 2020, it had been reported in central, northern and eastern Nigeria. Therefore, the regional director highlighted the need to ensure availability and accessibility of vaccines against monkeypox to every community which requires it. (“'We must work together' - WHO says Africa must not be left behind in monkeypox fight,” News24, 1 June 2022)
World’s top 10 neglected displacement crises in Africa, says report
On 1 June, the Norwegian Refugee Council released its annual report “The world’s most neglected displacement crisis in 2021.” For the first time, all top 10 countries facing the crises are African, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo being ranked first, for the second consecutive time. The other countries are in the following order: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, South Sudan, Chad, Mali, Sudan, Nigeria, Burundi, Ethiopia. The report results are based on three parameters: lack of international political will, lack of media attention, and lack of international aid. The report outlines the stark difference in which the international community responded to the Ukraine war and said: “The war in Ukraine has highlighted the immense gap between what is possible when the international community rallies behind a crisis, and the daily reality for the millions of people suffering far from the spotlight.” (“The world’s most neglected displacement crisis in 2021,” Norwegian Refugee Council, 1 June 2022)