VIF News Digest: International developments (Africa), 18-24 March, 2019

Death toll in Mozambique cyclone, floods could surpass 1,000 – President: Reuters, 18 March 2019

The number of people killed in a powerful storm and preceding floods in Mozambique could exceed 1,000, the president said on Monday, putting the potential death toll greatly more than current figures.

Eighty-four deaths have been confirmed so far in Mozambique as a result of Cyclone Idai, which has also left a trail of death and destruction across Zimbabwe and Malawi, with vast areas of land flooded, roads destroyed and communication wiped out. " target="_blank">Click here to read... [2]

Cameroon protests US criticism during Nagy Visit: VOA, 18 March 2019

As the top U.S. diplomat for Africa visits Cameroon, pro-government groups are protesting what they call Tibor Nagy's interference in Cameroon's internal affairs.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Nagy and the European Union representative Federica Mogherini recently called on Cameroon to free opposition leader Maurice Kamto and 150 of his supporters. They also urged Cameroon authorities to work harder to stop the violence in its Western, Aanglophone separatist regions. Click here to read... [3]

A First: India begins military exercises with 17 African countries - The Diplomat, 19 March 2019

On Monday, Indian military personnel were joined by counterparts from 17 African states to begin the inaugural Africa-India Field Training Exercise 2019, or AFINDEX-19. An opening ceremony for the exercises was held at the Indian Army’s Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra, in the country’s west.

The 17 participating African states include Benin, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, according to a statement by Lt. Col. Mohit Vaishnava, an Indian Army public relations officer. Click here to read... [4]

Aid Agencies Race to Help Survivors of Cyclone Idai: VOA, 19 March 2019

United Nations and international aid agencies are rushing food, medicine and other emergency relief supplies to hundreds of survivors of Tropical Cyclone Idai, which struck Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Aid agencies say the full horror and impact of this cyclone, the worst to hit east-southern Africa in nearly a decade, will only emerge in the coming days. Many areas in Mozambique remain cut off because of the floodwaters. This makes it difficult to provide assistance to the victims and to fully assess the damage and needs.

There are no accurate figures on the number killed, but Mozambique's President said it could be as high as 1,000. Click here to read... [5]

Macron woos East Africa but French companies struggle to make inroads: Reuters, 21 March 2019

On a trip to East Africa last week, a beaming French President Emmanuel Macron was driven through the grounds of the Kenyan president’s official residence in a locally assembled Peugeot 3008 car. Two days earlier, he toured churches hewn into the rock in Ethiopia. On a visit last year, he went to a Nigerian nightclub.

Macron, 41, is trying to recast the style of France’s engagement in Africa, where it was once a colonial power, hoping that building warmer cultural and personal ties will help boost business, trade and investment. Click here to read... [6]

UN to explore wave of deaths linked to food aid porridge in Uganda: The Guardian, 21 March 2019

The World Food Programme and Ugandan government have launched an investigation into deaths linked with the distribution of fortified porridge to refugees and people suffering from malnourishment.

The health ministry was alerted to reports of possible food poisoning among people who had consumed Super Cereal, a blended food designed to prevent malnutrition, in the north-east region of Karamoja on 12 March. Click here to read... [7]

Fighting against the clock, aid workers rescue more victims of African cyclone: Reuters, 21 March 2019

Rescue workers plucked more survivors from trees and roofs to safety on Thursday, a week after a cyclone ripped through southern Africa and triggered devastating floods that have killed hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Helicopters whirred above the turbid, reddish-brown flood waters searching for people to ferry back to the port city of Beira, the main headquarters for the huge rescue operation in Mozambique.

The death toll in that country has risen to 217 and around 15,000 people, many of them very ill, still need to be rescued, Land and Environment Minister Celso Correia said. Click here to read... [8]

Somalia: 15 people including deputy minister killed in Al Shabaab attack – africanews, 23 March 2019

Somalia’s authorities secured the site of an attack after fifteen people were killed including a deputy minister when al-Shabaab militants stormed government buildings in the capital, Mogadishu.

At least 11 people were also wounded when gunmen set off explosions and stormed the government ministries on Saturday in an attack claimed by the Al-Shabaab Islamist group, police said. Click here to read... [9]

Mali attack: More than 130 Fulani villagers killed – BBC, 24 March 2019

More than 130 people were killed in an attack on a village in central Mali on Saturday by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters' clothing. Gunmen surrounded the village at dawn before attacking people in their homes in Ogossagou in the Mopti region. The attackers targeted members of the Fulani ethnic community who are accused of having ties to jihadists.

The attack took place while UN ambassadors were in Mali to discuss increased violence. The Security Council mission met Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga to talk about the increased threat from jihadist fighters in central Mali. Click here to read... [10]