Chad moves to increase army size to deal with security challenges
Chad’s transitional government announced on Friday that it intends to dramatically boost the strength of its army to deal with security threats such as Islamist extremists and armed rebels.
General Daoud Yaya Brahim, the defense minister, told parliament that the army has begun the process of boosting the overall number of troops from 35,000 to 60,000 by the end of 2022, informing the parliament that the army would be seeking more funding in the next budget for defense spending.
Rights groups demand release of detained DRC journalist Sosthene Kambidi
Human rights organizations have urged military authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to release a journalist who was detained on “terrorism” charges for possessing a video showing the murder of two UN sanctions monitors in 2017.
Sosthene Kambidi, a reporter for the Congolese news site Actualite.cd who has also worked with international news organizations, was arrested at a hotel in Kinshasa by the army prosecutor. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have all asked for the release of Kambidi.
COVID third wave easing in Africa, says WHO
The current wave of COVID-19 on the continent is diminishing, according to the World Health Organization’s Africa regional body.
Dr. Benido Impouma, WHO Africa’s director for communicable disease response, stated that a fourth wave sweeping throughout the continent during the holiday season might be the “most brutal yet”.
World Health Organization (WHO), however, is advising African countries to take advantage of the relative drop in infections to prepare for a vaccine rollout by bolstering their capacities.
Mali, Nigeria to combat in Women’s AfroBasket 2021 final
Nigeria defeated Senegal 73-63 to go to the Women’s AfroBasket 2021 final, where they will face Mali. Nigeria finished first in Group B and had an undefeated run to the Final. Mali also defeated Cameroon 52-51 in the final of the Women’s AfroBasket 2021 in Yaounde on Friday.
However, Nigeria’s aggressive defending could pose a serious worry to Mali as the side averages 5.8 blocks, the second-best ratio in the tournament.
Rwanda hits target in Covid vaccination drive
Rwanda has achieved the global goal of fully vaccinating 10% of its 12.9 million population against Covid-19 in September and is one of the European Union’s recommended countries for unrestricted entry to its territory for non-essential travel.
As of September 24, data revealed that the country has vaccinated 2,029,038 people with the first jab and 1,466,966 people were fully vaccinated. Rwanda initiated a vaccination campaign targeting Kigali inhabitants over the age of 18 in August.
Rwanda has received 3.4 million vaccination doses so far, according to the World Health Organization. It has administered 3.3 million doses and fully vaccinated 10% of its population because of these efforts.
Somaliland kicks against election of representatives to Somalia Senate
Somaliland, the “self-declared” independent region of Somalia, has rejected proposals to have Senate representatives elected to represent it in the federal parliament. The region claimed on Wednesday that it has no desire to have representatives in Somalia’s parliament and cautioned Somali politicians to stop disseminating “misleading information.”
Somaliland protested to the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and a few countries on Wednesday, claiming that the northwestern region will have nothing to do with the elections held by the Somali government. Even though it is not internationally recognized, the government in Hargeisa city, the capital, claims it gained independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the late General Mohamed Siad Barre’s era.
African leaders push for unity at UN General Assembly
At this year’s UN General Assembly, African leaders called for global solidarity in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak as world leaders gave their remarks.
Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, used her debut appearance at the United Nations General Assembly to underscore the importance of the world working together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that as the first female president in the history of her country, the burden of expectation to deliver gender equality is heavier on her shoulder.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo used a pan-African tone in his speech as he said it was past time for the African Union to be included in the G20, a group of 19 countries plus the European Union that works to address global economic issues. The president of the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, also urged UN member nations to honor their promises to Africa in exchange for the sacrifices made to preserve humanity from global warming. The South African president however reminded the UN General Assembly that solidarity was the reason why countries in need received medical equipment and supplies to fight the virus.
While on the part of Zambia, Hichilema said his country had achieved history on the issue of gender equality because “for the first time in the history of our country, our new parliament elected the first female speaker to preside over Zambia’s supreme law-making organ of the government.”
Kenya to temporarily ban citizens as domestic workers to Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended a temporary restriction on domestic worker recruitment and shipment to Saudi Arabia until suitable safeguards are in place. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau told MPs that it had written to the Labor Ministry in July to impose a temporary blockade. According to him, the Labor Ministry and the National Employment Authority are responsible for ensuring the safety of Kenyan workers working overseas.
Uganda Court jails official 40 years, demands $5.4 million for graft
A Ugandan anti-corruption court sentenced a government official to 40 years in prison and ordered him to pay $5.4 million in damages for looting funds from a donor-funded initiative to help reconstruct the country’s conflict-torn north.
Kazinda, a former accountant in the Prime Minister’s Office, was convicted of “the offences of illicit enrichment, forgery, causing financial loss and conspiracy to commit felonies,” according to Justice Margaret Tibulya, who sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
Uganda re-opens places of worship, rolls out new measures
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered the reopening of worship centers on Wednesday, but only with strict adherence to Covid-19 regulations to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further.
“Places of worship can now open under strict guidelines like, limiting the number to 200 people and adhering to all other Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place,” he said.
The number of individuals allowed to attend weddings and other social gatherings was increased to 200, and casinos, gaming, betting shops, and gyms were permitted to open during the day and close by 6 p.m.
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