Photo : AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : AFP
IN BRIEF
by Anu Maria Joseph and Apoorva Sudhakar
Burkina Faso: 35 killed in IED blast
On 5 September, 35 civilians were killed and 37 injured in northern Burkina Faso in an IED explosion. The victims were traveling to the capital city Ouagadougou in a convoy escorted by the army when one of the vehicles ran over an IED between Djibo and Bourzanga area. The development comes after 15 soldiers were killed in a double IED blast in early August in the same area. (“Dozens killed, injured in attack in northern Burkina Faso,” France24, 6 September 2022)
Angola: Court rejects opposition party’s bid challenging the election results
On 6 September, Angola’s constitutional court rejected the UNITA party’s petition to annul the election results. The court ruled that the part0079’s complaint did not meet the requirements to nullify the election results. The UNITA leader, Adalberto Costa Junior said that his party “did not recognize the final results” by the election commission. On Facebook, he said: “The MPLA did not win the election … we have been in peace for 20 years, and we now need to embrace a true democratic rule of law.” The MPLA, which has been in power for 50 years, secured a narrow majority with 51 per cent votes, handing President Joao Lourenco a second term. ("Angola court rejects opposition bid to annul election," BBC, 6 September 2022, "Angolan opposition files legal challenge, seeks annulment of vote," Al Jazeera, 2 September 2022)
Somalia: UN says, around 730 children died of malnutrition
On 6 September, Africanews reported, the United Nations said that around 730 children have died in nutrition centers across Somalia since January. It warned that the true figure could be much higher as the country reached a severe famine. Wafaa Saeed, the Somalia representative for the UN children's agency UNICEF said: "Malnutrition has reached an unprecedented level. Around 730 children are reported to have died in nutrition centers across the country." She added that nearly 1.5 million children, nearly half aged under five are at risk of acute malnutrition. Among which, 385,000 needed treatment for severe acute malnutrition. In June, the World Bank estimated that nearly 66.4 million people in the Horn of Africa are experiencing food crises and food emergencies. Affected by the worst drought in 40 years and failed consecutive rainy seasons added with global food crisis after the Ukraine war has exacerbated the condition in the region. ("UN: Around 730 children dead In Somalia nutrition centres," Africanews, 6 September 2022)
Chad: Heavy rainfall leaves capital city and other areas flooded
On 6 September, Reuters reported Chad was experiencing the heaviest rainfall in 30 years, leaving parts of the capital city N’Djamena flooded and accessible by boats only and displacing thousands from their homes since August. The news report suggested that though rains are common from May to October, the current rainfall was early and abundant, thereby overwhelming the drainage systems and ponds. With this, Chad joined the countries in West and Central Africa which experienced above-normal rainfall in the same time period. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that by the end of August, 442,000 people had been affected by floods. (Mahamat Ramadane, “Thousands battle 'catastrophic' floods after Chad's heaviest rains in 30 years,” Reuters, 6 September 2022)