Ethiopia officially inaugurates its $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, on Tuesday. The official ceremony, which kicked off the night before, was graced by Kenya’s President William Ruto and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and some other regional leaders. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has hailed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a “shared opportunity” for the region that is expected to generate more than 5,000 megawatts of power and allow surplus electricity to be exported. However, Sudan and Egypt—who rely heavily on the Nile for water supplies—have expressed fears that the dam will threaten their water security and even breach international law.
South Sudan’s justice authorities announced that the first vice president, Riek Machar, is facing charges of treason and other heavy crime charges. Machar, who had been under house arrest since March, was accused by the transitional government of participating in treasonous activities against President Salva Kiir. He also faces charges of murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property, military assets, and crimes against humanity, alongside seven others. On Thursday, South Sudan’s president announced the immediate official suspension of Machar as his deputy due to the criminal allegations leveled against him.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) commenced war crimes hearings against Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony this week. The trial is being held in absentia as Kony remains a fugitive, making it the first-ever absentia hearing of the international court. The Ugandan rebel leader is facing 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity as the fugitive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which carried out terror activities in northern Uganda for decades. At the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, prosecutors began with the presentation of evidence to the court to back their charges against the fugitive Ugandan rebel leader, with pressing allegations that he inflicted terror on Ugandan society that its nightmares still haunt the society to date.
The African Union Commission (AUC) held the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, from September 8 to September 10. The Summit emphasizes the need for Africa to harness climate financing strategies that address the impacts of climate change while contributing to both climate adaptation and mitigation interventions and ensuring green development. It concluded with the launch of new energy programs aimed at accelerating Africa’s energy transition. Notable energy programs like the Continental Energy Programme in Africa (CEPA), funded by the European Union, and the ENGAGE program, funded by Germany, were announced to help increase energy access and promote green initiatives across the continent.
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology signed a Memorandum of Agreement with China’s Shanghai Haiqi Industrial Company Ltd. to establish Nigeria’s first local insulin production facility. According to the ministry, the initiative is the first of its kind in Nigeria and represents a bold step of the Tinubu’s renewed hope administration towards providing affordable healthcare, securing industrialization, and guaranteeing health security. The agreement was signed through the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA).
Burkina Faso’s government announces the abolishment of visa fees for all African citizens this week, making travel fees for its territory free for all African countries. According to Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers, the law applies to all 54 countries on the continent, excluding territories that aren’t sovereign states. Also, this step is seen as a crucial step taken towards increasing Burkina Faso’s attractiveness for tourism, business, and investments.
A Gauteng South Division Court in South Africa sentenced seven Chinese nationals this week to 20 years imprisonment after being convicted on February 25 for human trafficking from Malawi in 2019. The group was reported to have trafficked 91 Malawian nationals from 2017 to 2019 and forced them to work at a cotton fabric in an industrial area in Johannesburg known as Village Deep, subjugating them to inhumane conditions. Although the prosecutors had sought life sentences for the convicted criminals, the court gave them a 20-year lengthy imprisonment.
The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that the number of suspected Ebola cases has significantly increased in Congo’s southern Kasai province. The virus has also spread beyond four districts, with 16 recorded deaths. Health experts cited the ongoing crisis in eastern Congo as a factor that could complicate the efforts of medical practitioners in controlling the spread of the disease. As part of global efforts to contain the virus, the World Health Organization has sent experts to Kasai so as to join the health care in providing treatment and monitor and mitigate the spread of the deadly virus.
Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council officially bars former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam from contesting in the upcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on October 25th. The council cited that the two major opposition figures are ineligible to run due to their removal from the electoral roll. The former Credit Suisse CEO and leader of the largest opposition party in Ivory Coast (PDCI), Tidjane Thiam, was excluded from the candidates list due to legal disputes over his nationality, while Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the African Peoples’ Party, was disqualified due to his past criminal conviction. The upcoming election now has only five candidates to contest for the presidential seat, including President Alassane Ouattara, who is currently seeking a fourth term.
Ghana has signified a positive response to the U.S. deportation offer, becoming the latest African country to accept deportees from the U.S. Ghanaian President John Mahama stated that a bilateral agreement had been reached with the U.S. over the acceptance of deported individuals. According to him, Ghana will only take in nationals from various West African countries. Without specifying the total number of deportees that Ghana would receive, the president mentioned that 14 nationals, comprising several Nigerians and a Gambian, have been welcomed, while the process to facilitate their safe return to their motherlands has begun.