VIF News Digest: Africa (12 – 18 November 2018)

Africa

Congo's Ebola outbreak to last at least six more months – WHO: Reuters
13 November, 2018

The Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already killed more than 200 people, is expected to last until mid-2019, the World Health Organization’s emergency response chief Peter Salama told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s very hard to predict timeframes in an outbreak as complicated as this with so many variables that are outside our control, but certainly we’re planning on at least another six months before we can declare this outbreak over,” he said. click here to read... [2]

U.N. Lifts sanctions on Eritrea, but keeps Somalia arms embargo: The New York Times
14 November 2018

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to lift sanctions against Eritrea following its thaw in relations with Ethiopia and other neighboring countries, but kept an arms embargo on Somalia and a ban on trade in charcoal, a key source of money for Shabab militants.

The resolution approved by the council, the United Nations’ most powerful body, commended “efforts toward peace, stability and reconciliation in the region” led by Ethiopia’s reformist prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in April and accepted an international commission’s border decision favoring Eritrea. click here to read... [3]

African Union approves $681.5 million 2019 budget: Africa Times
15 November 2018

The African Union has approved a USD$681.5 million budget for 2019 during its extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa, which began Wednesday. The details include $273.3 million for financing the peacekeeping budget, with another $249.8 million to the AU program budget and $158.5 million for the operational budget.

There are now 14 nations implementing the 0.2 percent levy that supports AU peace and security operations, with another 23 countries in the process of doing so. Member states are working towards funding all of the Union’s operational budget, 75 percent of programming and 25 percent of peacekeeping operations by 2021. click here to read... [4]

US to cut Africom troops amid focus on Russia and China: BBC News
16 November, 2018

The US is cutting hundreds of troops in Africa as it focuses on countering threats from Russia and China. Around 700 counter-terrorism troops will be removed over the next few years, the Department of Defense said. About 7,200 US soldiers are currently based in dozens of African countries including Nigeria and Libya. There will now be a shift away from tactical assistance to advising and sharing intelligence in West Africa, the Pentagon said.

However, counter-terrorism activities in several countries including Somalia and Djibouti will remain largely the same. click here to read... [5]

U.S. to withdraw 10 percent of troops in Africa to counter Russia, China: africanews
16 November 2018

The U.S. military will withdraw hundreds of troops focused on counterterrorism operations in Africa over the next several years to support the Pentagon’s increased focus on countering threats from China and Russia, officials said on Thursday. Earlier this year, the U.S. military put countering China and Russia at the center of a new national defense strategy, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focusing on the fight against Islamist militants.

“This realignment specifically projects to reduce forces by about 10 percent over the next several years – representing a fraction of the overall 7,200 DoD personnel operating in Africa,” Commander Candice Tresch, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told Reuters. click here to read... [6]

Eritrea President says Kenya key to regional dynamics, plans visit: africanews
17 November, 2018

Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki has stressed the importance of Kenya for the new era of peace in the wider Horn of Africa region. Afwerki was speaking when he received a Kenyan delegation led by the country’s Director General of National Intelligence, the Eritrean Information Minister disclosed on Saturday.

“It is a new era in the Horn of Africa and Kenya, given its importance, is expected to play an important role in shaping the region,” Afwerki said after receiving a message from his counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta. He has also accepted an invitation to visit Kenya at a yet to be confirmed date. Afwerki’s last regional visits have been thrice to Ethiopia. click here to read... [7]

Egypt and Ethiopia to discuss Nile Dam dispute – PM: Reuters
18 November 2018

Egypt said on Sunday it would hold talks with Ethiopia in the next two weeks to iron out differences over an Ethiopian dam on the River Nile that Cairo sees as a threat to its water supplies. The two countries and Sudan have held a series of meetings over the $4 billion hydroelectric Grand Renaissance Dam, but have yet to reach a deal on managing flows and other issues.

Egypt fears the scheme will restrict the waters coming down down from Ethiopia’s highlands, through the deserts of Sudan, to its fields and reservoirs. Ethiopia, which wants to become Africa’s biggest power exporter, says it will have no such impact. click here to read... [8]

DRC efforts to fight Ebola resume in Beni after deadly violence: Aljazeera
18 November 2018

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have resumed efforts to fight a major Ebola outbreak in eastern Beni region after a brief suspension following clashes. "Despite deadly attacks.. Ebola response activities are continuing," the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga had announced the suspension of operations on Saturday, a day after clashes broke out a few a "few metres" away from a local emergency centre and the hotels of several responses teams in Beni, North Kivu province.
Peacekeepers from the United Nations' mission in the country (MONUSCO) repelled an offensive by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia in the city's northern Boikene neighbourhood late on Friday. click here to read... [9]

World Bank re-engages Tanzania on scrapped education plan: Reuters
18 November, 2018

The World Bank will work with Tanzania to redesign a $300 million education project, a senior official said on Sunday, days after the lender said it cancelled plans for the project due to the country’s controversial policies on pregnant school girls. The World Bank told Reuters on Wednesday that it had not presented the education programme to its board for financing approval last month in part due to Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s stance on pregnant girls in schools.

Tanzania has banned pregnant girls from attending state primary and secondary schools since 1961. Magufuli affirmed his commitment to this policy last year, saying school girls who become pregnant must be expelled and not allowed to return. click here to read... [10]