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Some US lawmakers urge Biden to halt military aid to Israel

World /

Some US lawmakers on Monday voiced concern over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and called on the Biden administration to stop military aid to Israel. “(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is committing human rights abuses over and over again – bombing hospitals, burning Palestinians alive, blocking food aid, and killing aid workers,” Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said on X. “This evil genocide must end and President Biden has to stop enabling it. That starts with cutting off military aid,” she added. Her remarks came after the Pentagon announced on Sunday the deployment to Israel of a THAAD anti-missile system battery and a crew of US military personnel to operate it in order to help bolster the country’s air defenses. Congresswoman Cori Bush also called for an arms embargo to Israel. “There are no words powerful enough to capture the agony of human beings being massacred & burned alive,” Bush said, referring to images of Gazans being burned alive due to Israeli attacks. Four people were killed and 40 others injured early Monday when Israeli warplanes hit a hospital courtyard in the central city of Deir al-Balah, burning 30 tents where people were sleeping. “The U.S. is funding & arming the Israeli military’s extermination of the Palestinian people. It’s unconscionable. End this genocide. There must be an #ArmsEmbargoNow,” Bush said on X. – When will US ‘stop funding this madness?’ Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, said “genocidal maniac” Netanyahu is burning Palestinians alive, bombing hospitals, starving people, and killing aid workers. “When will our country stop funding this madness? When?” she said on X. During its offensive in Gaza, Israel has numerous times attacked hospitals, schools, and houses of worship – civilian sites normally off limits to attacks, raising the specter of war crimes. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a member of the progressive “Squad” group in the US House of Representatives, along with Omar, Bush, and Tlaib – wrote on X: “The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov, fully armed by the Biden admin while food aid is blocked and patients are bombed in hospitals. This is a genocide of Palestinians.” “Arms embargo now,” she added. Over the last year, Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people, while also generating famine-like conditions and the spread of disease. It is now also carrying out air and ground raids in Lebanon, despite warnings that this could turn the war into a larger regional conflict. The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

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Rwanda launches vaccination campaign amid Marburg virus outbreak

Africa /

After Rwanda declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease on September 27, the country’s Minister of Health reassured attendees at a briefing that the situation is under control. During a meeting with diplomats and development partners, Minister Nsanzimana discussed the vaccination strategies being implemented to combat the disease. Last week, Rwanda received 700 doses of an experimental vaccine, which has been administered to healthcare professionals and those who have been in contact with confirmed cases. “We were informed that the vaccines were available. We viewed it as a great opportunity to enhance our immune systems,” said Augustin Sendegeya, Chief Medical Officer at King Faisal Hospital. Despite the vaccine being in trial stages, Sendegeya expressed confidence in its safety and potential value for those at risk of infection. Some doctors have reported no significant side effects from the vaccine. “I didn’t observe any major reactions; those who were vaccinated yesterday experienced few symptoms,” noted Blaise Dushimiyimana, a gynecologist at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali. So far, more than 200 people in the country have received the vaccine. Marburg virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness in humans, and Rwanda has reported 13 deaths related to the outbreak since it was announced.

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Flash floods in Jonglei State displace hundreds, spread disease

Africa /

Flash floods have wreaked havoc in Jonglei State, South Sudan, leaving hundreds of families without shelter and access to clean water, according to a United Nations report on Monday. Intense rainfall in Bor town has displaced around 375 households across four areas of the state capital. Residents are enduring severe conditions, lacking basic necessities and medical care. Maper Kuot Akuei, a community leader in Bor, voiced his concerns about contaminated floodwater, which has contributed to the spread of diseases such as malaria and pneumonia. “The water is contaminated, bringing malaria, pneumonia, and other hidden diseases,” Akuei said. “There’s no medicine in the hospital; only the clinic can help us, but if you don’t have money, you can’t get treated.” Akuei highlighted the tragic toll on the community, reporting that children have died, women have miscarried, and the elderly have succumbed, largely due to the government’s inaction. As conditions deteriorate, frustration is mounting among flood victims, who are urgently calling for government and international assistance to meet their pressing health and humanitarian needs. Without prompt intervention, the crisis in Jonglei State is poised to worsen further.

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Zambia faces severe energy crisis as drought drains Kariba dam

Africa /

Zambia is grappling with a climate-related energy crisis that has severely diminished its power supply. Frustrated residents are even transporting their entire desktop computers to local cafes to work. The country is experiencing unprecedented electricity blackouts due to a severe drought that has left the Kariba dam, the source of much of its power, with critically low water levels. This massive dam, built in the 1950s, was intended to provide a sustainable source of hydroelectric power by harnessing the Zambezi River. However, prolonged drought conditions, worsened by the El Niño weather pattern and rising temperatures, have pushed Zambia’s hydroelectric capacity to the brink of collapse. Currently, only one of the six turbines at the dam can operate, generating less than 10% of its normal output. With over 80% of Zambia’s electricity coming from Kariba, residents often experience just a few hours of power each day, and some areas go days without any electricity. The situation is particularly detrimental to small businesses, which struggle to operate during daylight hours. Tindor Sikunyongana, who runs a welding business, expressed his frustration, noting that his generator ran out of diesel while he was speaking. He has tried to mitigate the impact by investing in a diesel generator, but the cost of fuel is often prohibitive. Experts warn that Zambia’s heavy reliance on hydroelectric power has left it vulnerable. Geoffrey Chiyumbe, Vice Chairman of the Energy Committee at the Engineering Institute of Zambia, noted the risks of depending on hydro for 85% of the energy supply and emphasized the need for a more diverse energy mix to prevent crises like the current one. At the Kariba dam, the 128-meter-high wall is nearly exposed, with a reddish-brown stain marking where the water once flowed in better times over a decade ago.

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Tito Mboweni, SA’s first labour minister post-apartheid, dies at 65

Africa /

Tito Mboweni, South Africa’s first Minister of Labour after the end of Apartheid, has passed away at the age of 65. Local media reported that he died on Saturday night (Oct. 12) in a Johannesburg hospital, surrounded by loved ones, after a short illness. Mboweni was a prominent anti-Apartheid activist and served as Minister of Labour from 1994 to 1999 in the Cabinet of founding President Nelson Mandela. Following this, he held the position of Governor of the South African Reserve Bank for a decade, starting in 1999. He also served as Minister of Finance during the first term of current President Cyril Ramaphosa. In a statement released on Saturday (Oct. 11), President Ramaphosa praised Mboweni as “a leader and compatriot who has served our nation as an activist, economic policy innovator, and champion of labour rights.” He expressed shock at Mboweni’s passing, noting, “Given his vitality and engaging spirit, Dr. Mboweni’s loss at 65 is deeply felt.”

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Opposition calls for boycott elections in Chad

Africa /

In Chad, the opposition has called for a boycott of the parliamentary and municipal elections scheduled for December 29. According to local media reports, 15 opposition political groups gathered in the capital, N’Djamena, under the slogan “No to Special and Anti-Democratic Elections.” Max Kemkoye, the leader of the Union for Democracy and Progress Party, stated that despite the opposition’s repeated calls for respect for democratic rules, freedoms, and human rights, the current government has not changed its methods. Kemkoye emphasized the need for an updated and reliable voter registry, the neutrality of electoral institutions, and guarantees of equality to ensure election security. He expressed concerns that the upcoming elections would not be free and fair, urging the public to boycott them. The call for a boycott comes amid a transitional period following the death of President Idris Déby Itno, who was killed in combat against the separatist group “Front for Change and Concord in Chad” (FACT) on April 20, 2021. His son, Mahamat Idris Déby Itno, was appointed head of the Military Transitional Council composed of 15 generals shortly thereafter. Mahamat Déby promised an 18-month transition period leading to elections, with a transfer of power to civilians and a commitment not to run for office. However, during the National Dialogue Forum held on October 9, 2022, the transition period was extended by two years, and Déby was allowed to run in the elections planned for 2024. Mahamat Idris Déby Itno was elected president on May 6, receiving 61% of the vote. The parliamentary and municipal elections, the first since 2011, are set to take place on December 29.

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Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon surpasses 2,300

World /

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since last October rose to 2,306, with 10,698 others injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Sunday. In a statement, the ministry said 51 people were killed and 174 others injured over the last 24 hours. Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,488 people, injuring over 4,297 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people. The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed over 42,200 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year. Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon.

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Boko Haram: 15 members surrender in Nigeria

Africa /

 Fifteen members of the Boko Haram terrorist group surrendered to the Nigerian army on Sunday, the West African nation’s military announced. A statement from the Nigerian army said it conducted an operation in the Aguata region of northeastern Borno State against Boko Haram. The statement indicated that 15 members of the group surrendered during the operation and that their camp was destroyed. Boko Haram, which has been active since the early 2000s, has carried out mass violence since 2009, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Since 2015, the group has also conducted attacks in neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

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Turkey rescues 28 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish waters

Africa, Turkey /

The Turkish Coast Guard on Sunday rescued a total of 28 irregular migrants forced back into the country’s territorial waters by Greek forces in the Aegean Sea. In the first of two successful rescue operations off the country’s Aegean shores, the Coast Guard Command said on its website that 14 migrants, including four children, were saved from a rubber boat off the district of Dikili in Izmir province. The other operation took place off the coast of Datca district in the province of Mugla, resulting in the rescue of an additional 14 migrants, among them seven children, from a lifeboat. All migrants were transferred to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management for further processing. Türkiye has been a key transit point for asylum seekers wanting to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Ankara and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

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Kenya and Haiti seek more support for on going violence

Africa /

Kenya and Haiti’s leaders called on international partners on Friday to fulfill their commitments to the U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission in Haiti, highlighting the need for more resources as the budget is set to run out in March 2025. Kenya is leading the mission to address escalating gang violence in Haiti, having deployed nearly 400 officers, alongside around 20 police and soldiers from Jamaica. However, this falls short of the 2,500 personnel pledged by various countries, including Chad and Bangladesh. During a meeting in Nairobi, Kenyan President William Ruto announced plans to send an additional 600 officers next month. The U.N. has received $68 million of the $85 million pledged for the mission. Ruto expressed optimism about the mission’s success based on recent operations, while Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille indicated ongoing discussions with countries like Brazil and Mexico to bolster support. Gang violence has surged in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, with gangs reportedly controlling up to 80% of the capital. This has triggered a violent backlash from civilian vigilante groups. In early October, the U.N. Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the Kenya-led multinational force but declined Haiti’s request to transition it into a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

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