Amika's African Studies Blog

Last week, my blog post was about the African Union summit and their response to Sub-Saharan Africa hosting refugees. This week, the African Union is calling for a peace conference on Libya in July of this year to try to resolve the conflict there with the aim of holding elections in October. A statement was made today (Tuesday) that said that the 55 members of the Union would like to hold an "international conference on reconciliation in Libya under the auspices of the AU and Un" during the first half of July.  They are also requesting that the AU, UN, and the Libyan government take "all the necessary measures for the organization of presidential and legislative elections in Oct, 2019. In Libya, there are two rival administrations and only one of them are recognized by the UN. Running Libya has become very complicated because there are also different armed groups that are trying to become the one in power and get state wealth.  

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, security has been on high alert as dignitaries and heads of states from across the continent all gather for the annual African Union (AU) summit which starts today, Thursday. This year's summit will mainly focus on the subject of refugees. The article mentions that Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26 percent of the world's 25.4 million refugees. According to the UNHCR (the UN agency for refugees), 85 percent of the refugees are in developing countries. Three African countries, Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia are some of the top 10 countries that are holding refugees. Human rights campaigners said that it is time that the AU take steps to address the refugee issues in Africa. "African Union member states will not suddenly find money to give to refugees" Achieng Akena, executive director of the Pan African Citizens Network, a civil society group that campaigns for democracy and human rights in Africa, told Al Jazeera.  Link:  https://www.aljaz...

I believe 2 weeks ago I wrote a blog about the protests that has been going on in Sudan because of the price of bread that was tripled in costs, food/fuel shortages, and the economic crisis that they've been having for over a year now. Just yesterday, Sudan's intelligence chief ordered the release of protestors that were held because of the incidents that were happening. The article mentioned that the NISS (National Intelligence and Security Service) arrested more than 1,000 people, including protestors, opposition leaders, activists and journalists during the protests. On Tuesday, the protests anniversary,  there were hundreds of protestors that came around the capital Khartoum that marched in memorial of those who were killed in past protests and demanded their calls for Bashir's (the president) removal.   Link:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/sudan-intelligence-chief-orders-release-protest-detainees-190129174941793.html  

In eastern Rwanda, 14 people have been killed in a tin mine after a hill collapsed on them because of heavy rains. "Because of recent rainfall in the area, part of the hill collapsed and 14 miners who were getting ready for work were buried by land" Fred Mufuruke, the eastern province governor said on Monday. Jean Claude Rwagasana, a local official said that 7 women have been killed because of the tin mine collapse. "This is an unfortunate event that nobody expected. The accident happened when falling debris at the mining site buried all the 14 people and killed them instantly" he also said. The accident happened at a cassiterite mine. The mine site is owned by the Rwandan business of Britain's Piran Resources, said the director of mining inspection at Rwanda mines John Kanyangira. Kanyangira also mentioned that the Rwanda's mining industry employs over 40,000 so I thought that was significant.  I find it somewhat scary that you could die because of unfor...

In December, the people of Sudan started protesting because their government tripled the price of bread, but recently, the protest has become more than just about the bread prices. The protest has escalated into the people of Sudan wanting the president, Omar al-Bashir, to resign because of the economic crisis that has been happening over the past year (a shortage of foreign currency). Repeated shortages of food and fuel have been reported in several cities as well but the cost of it has doubled. In response to the demonstrations, riot police and security agents have broken up rallies by throwing tear gas at the protestors. Many people have been killed as well because of the protesting. The death toll has risen to 24 and over 1,000 people have been arrested since the start of the protests. Sudan's president has blamed Washington for Sudan's economic issues. Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/sudan-official-death-toll-protests-rises-24-190113065645372.html  

In northern Kenya, at least 94 camels have died from suspected poisoning after drinking water in an abandoned well. 26 other camels around the area are under critical condition as well. The incident happened in El-Hadi in North Horr settlement. Shana Guyo, a veterinary officer said that the camels death were a huge loss for the animal owners. He also said that camels are culturally revered and loved among the people in Kenya. They use them for transport, meat, and milk. He suspects that the camels probably suffered from nitrate poisoning from drinking water for an unknown water source. He also said that he has not seen anything like this and this incident has been very unusual. A team has been set to the area to assess the situation and collect samples for tests. Link:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46810376