Photo : UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
DRC: Government to reevaluate UN withdrawal
On 1 August, the government said it would reevaluate the UN peacekeeping mission’s (MONUSCO) withdrawal schedule. The development comes following a week of protests against the MONUSCO wherein at least 36 people, including four peacekeepers, died. Currently, the MONUSCO mandate says the mission has to withdraw in 2024. (“Congo to reassess U.N. withdrawal plan after deadly protests,” Reuters, 2 August 2022)
Somalia: Former al Shabaab official to be religion minister
On 2 August, the prime minister announced that Muktar Robow, a former al Shabaab spokesperson and deputy leader, had been appointed as minister of religion in the new cabinet. Robow split from the terrorist group in 2013; he was under house arrest since 2019. (“Somalia names former al-Shabab spokesperson as religion minister,” Al Jazeera, 2 august 2022)
Ghana: Marburg death toll rises to three
On 2 August, the WHO said a child infected with the Marburg virus had died, bringing the total number of fatalities to three in Ghana. The virus is transferred from fruit bats to people and the 2022 outbreak is the second such outbreak in West Africa, the first one being in 2021. The virus can be spread through the transfer of bodily fluids and the symptoms include diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. (“Child infected with Marburg virus dies in Ghana,” Al Jazeera, 2 August 2022)
Ethiopia: US, EU envoys call for restoration of amenities
On 2 August, the US and EU envoys to Ethiopia traveled to Tigray for the first time since the conflict in Tigray broke out in November 2020. An joint statement by the Embassy of the US in Ethiopia and the Delegation of the EU to Ethiopia said political dialogue between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was necessary to achieve long-lasting peace. The envoys called for the “swift restoration of electricity, telecom, banking, other basic services and “unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray and the Afar and Amhara neighboring regions affected by the conflict.” (“EU, US envoys urge Ethiopia to restore services in Tigray,” Al Jazeera, 2 August 2022)