Photo : UNHCR, Simon Lubuku
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : UNHCR, Simon Lubuku
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar and Anu Maria Joseph
Democratic Republic of Congo: Thousands displaced amid inter-communal violence, says UN
On 11 October, the UN refugee agency said it is alarmed by a deadly inter-communal violence which displaced thousands of people in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since July, at least 140 people have been killed in Kwamouth town in Mai Ndombe province.The clashes erupted over a long-running land dispute which escalated when chiefs from the Teke community demanded the Yaka people to pay them more taxes.(“Thousands fleeing violence seek refuge in Congo-Brazzaville - UN,” BBC, 11 October 2022)
Tanzania: Government urges international community to back Burundi repatriations
On 11 October, in a UN refugee agency meeting in Switzerland, Tanzania’s internal affairs minister said that Burundi needed support to encourage and facilitate voluntary repatriation of nearly 120,000 refugees. He said: “In order for this plan to be successful, all has to be restored in Burundi. The most important thing is to support Burundi and make it a favourite for those who seek refuge in Tanzania.” The refugees currently live in two camps in Tanzania’s western Kigoma region near the Burundi border. Humanitarians say Burundian refugees have suffered abuses including arbitrary arrests by Tanzanian officers in cooperation with Burundian authorities. ("Tanzania urges UN nations to back Burundi repatriations," BBC, 11 October 2022)
Ethiopia: Tigrayan political parties says AU unprepared for mediation
On 11 October, three political parties in the Tigray region described the African Union unprepared, unable and ill-equipped to help end the conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government. They said the “African solution to African problems” stance by the international community has led to the loss of many lives in Tigray. They also urged the United Nations, the US and the European Union to engage with AU in the peace talks. (“Tigrayan parties criticise AU over Ethiopia mediation,” BBC, 11 October 2022)
Africa: Decades of efforts to reduce hunger being undone, says FAO official
On 10 October, the FAO assistant director general, also the regional representative for Africa, said impacts of climate change, conflict and the global economic slowdown were reversing decades-long efforts to reduce hunger in Africa. The official opined that Africa lacked resilience and mechanisms to address the shocks of climate change, COVID-19 pandemic or the surge of fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine. The African Union Commissioner for Agriculture suggested that Africa should build a sustainable and resilient food system to protect itself against external shocks. (“‘Overlapping shocks’ are undoing efforts to end hunger in Africa, UN warns”,” The Guardian, 11 October 2022)