South Sudan President urges regional leaders to waive visa fee

NAIROBI, Kenya

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has urged East African leaders to waive visa fees for South Sudanese.

Kiir spoke while addressing the 21st Ordinary Summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State held virtually on Saturday.

“It is in our best interest to ease the movement of people and goods within the region in order to facilitate trade and investment as well as contribute to our end goal of East African regional integration,” he said.

The South Sudanese leader also briefed the summit on the status of South Sudan joining the EAC Custom Union and appealed for additional capacity development support, especially to National Revenue Authority (NRA) from East African Community structures to fast-track joining the customs union in the near future.

For his part, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday committed to ensuring a more united and prosperous EAC as he took over the chairmanship of the regional bloc.

He said he will spare no effort towards the realization of the shared aspirations that gave rebirth to the EAC 20 years ago.

“Thank you for showing confidence, faith and trust in me. I promise to do all I can to take our region to greater heights,” said Kenyatta.     

He further took the opportunity to outline his vision for the region, saying he will focus on strengthening partnerships to enhance intra-EAC connectivity and ensuring sustainable implementation of projects and programs in productive sectors.

“It is desirable that the objectives of the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union; and easier cross-border movement of goods, people and services be realized,” said Kenyatta.

The Kenyan leader emphasized the need for partner states to harmonize their commitment to the free movement of people, workers and services as envisaged in the region’s common market protocol.

He announced Kenya’s decision to remove the visa requirement for South Sudanese nationals visiting the country as an act of reciprocity.

During the summit, Dr Peter Mutuku Mathuki of Kenya was sworn in as the new EAC Secretary-General for a five-year non-renewable term with effect from April 25, 2021.

Kenya to get vaccine this week as caseload rises

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya will receive the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines this week, with reports indicating the consignment might land on Tuesday.

The news comes as the virus caseload continued to rise, with 325 more people testing positive on Sunday from a sample size of 3,282.

This represents a positivity rate of 9.9 per cent, the highest rate ever recorded in February.

Kenya has ordered 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, enough for 20 per cent of the population.

However, Gavi said it will initially supply just a few doses to cover frontline workers and people with pre-existing health conditions (4,176,000 doses, according to a schedule shared by Unicef, Gavi and the WHO).

In a Cabinet meeting, it was revealed that the first batch of the vaccines will be  given to health care workers, frontline workers including security personnel and teachers, vulnerable persons and hospitality sector workers.

The government plans to reach at least 1.25 million Kenyans with the Covid-19 by June in the first phase of the vaccination drive.

According to a brief prepared by the Council of Governors and presented to the counties ahead of rollout, deployment and vaccination plan for the programme will cost Sh34 billion over 30 months.

The death toll in the country due to Covid-19 continued to rise after two more patients succumbed to the virus on Sunday, pushing the fatalities to 1,856.

In a statement, the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe confirmed a total of 347 patients were admitted while 1,495 patients were on home-based isolation and care.

“Fifty eight patients are in the intensive care unit, 26 of whom on ventilator support and 28 on supplemental oxygen. Four patients are under observation,” Kagwe said.

Another 15 patients were separately on supplementary oxygen with 14 of them being in the general wards and one in the high dependency unit.

“Today, 69 patients have recovered from the disease, 58 from the home-based isolation and care while 11 are from various health facilities. Total recoveries now stand at 86,678.”

The second phase is expected to run from July 2021 to June 2022 during which 9.7 million more Kenyans will receive the jab depending on availability of the vaccines.

The target population in this phase will be Kenyans aged above 50 years and those above 18 years of age with underlying health conditions.

Plans by the ministry show the third phase of the vaccination drive could run concurrently with the second phase, depending on availability of adequate vaccines, with the hope of reaching 4.9 million people who will include all other vulnerable populations.

“It is important to note that if vaccines become available sooner than expected and resources are available the targets may change,” Kagwe said.

Nairobi recorded 207 new cases followed by Busia with 30, Mombasa 21, Machakos 14, Kiambu 11, Kajiado nine while Uasin Gishu and Garisaa had five cases each.

Other counties that recorded new infections include Meru and Tharaka Nithi with four, Murang’a and Kercho with two cases each while Kirinyaga, Makueni, Migori, Narok, Kakamega, Bungoma and West Pokot had one case each.

Portugal wants EU to share vaccines with Africa

LISBON, Portugal

Portugal’s Prime Minister, António Costa, has said during a new video conference of European Union leaders dedicated to the fight against Covid-19 he wants faster jabs and the sharing of vaccines, especially with Africa.

“On the first day of the European Council, I stressed the importance of accelerating vaccination. Vaccine distribution contracts must be fulfilled, and we need to boost production, distribution and authorisation capacity for vaccines in the EU,” he said on Thursday, in the first of three posts on Twitter about the summit.

Costs added that international solidarity in sharing vaccines, especially with Africa, is essential to eradicate the virus.

Finally, Costa also considered it vital to ensure the regular functioning of the internal market through coordinated action at borders and by guaranteeing green corridors and the rights of cross-border workers.

The Prime Minister, who will only give statements to the press on the second day of work at the European Council – a virtual summit dedicated to security and defence policy issues, and the southern neighbourhood – attended the leaders’ meeting from the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, headquarters of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU.

In conclusions adopted on Thursday by EU leaders on the Covid-19 pandemic, the 27 accept that the epidemiological situation remains serious and new variants pose additional challenges, so strict restrictions must be maintained while stepping up efforts to boost the supply of vaccines.

“Vaccination is underway in all member states and, thanks to our vaccine strategy, everyone has access to vaccines. Nevertheless, we urgently need to accelerate the authorisation, production and distribution of vaccines, as well as the actual jabs. We also need to strengthen our surveillance and detection capacity to identify variants as early as possible to control their spread,” according to the adopted conclusions.

The European Council then said it supports further efforts by the Commission to work with industry and member states to increase current vaccine production capacity and adapt vaccines to new variants as necessary.

“We also support the Commission’s ongoing efforts to speed up the availability of raw materials, facilitate agreements between manufacturers across supply chains, examine existing facilities to help increase production in the EU and strengthen research and development efforts,” the leaders added.

The 27 also reaffirm their solidarity with third countries and say they are committed to improving access to vaccines for priority groups in neighbouring countries and beyond.

South Africa security forces monitoring Mozambique - Ramaphosa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa, says the country’s security forces are monitoring the developments in northern Mozambique to ensure there is no threat to surrounding countries, including South Africa.

Insurgent attacks in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province have raised fears that that the movement is seeking to establish itself in southern Africa.

The conflict has escalated, with attacks growing in scale and frequency.

Ramaphosa says the Mozambican government regularly briefs the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region on the matter.

The President was speaking during a Q and A session with members of National Editors’ Forum, (Sanef) on Friday.

More than half a million people have fled their homes due to an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique, and the violence and humanitarian crisis will worsen without international help, United Nations officials said on Wednesday.

“If nothing is done soon, we won’t have only 535 000 displaced people. We won’t have only 2 000 people killed by the conflict, but tens of thousands,” said Valentin Tapsoba, regional director for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

The displaced people were in a dire situation, with overcrowding, malnutrition and a lack of essentials including food and water, the officials said in an online news briefing.

Insurgents staged their first attack in Cabo Delgado province – where oil giants such as Total are involved in big gas projects – in 2017 and pledged allegiance to Islamic State two years later.

The conflict has escalated since, with attacks growing in scale and frequency and the militants regularly taking and holding entire towns.

The insecurity has left aid agencies unable to visit a huge swathe of the coastal province, while the number of people forced to flee their homes has swelled from 18 000 at the start of 2020 to over half a million by the end, Lola Castro, World Food Programme (WFP) regional director said.

Some households in the provincial capital Pemba are hosting several other families. One had opened its home to 66 other people who all slept in one room and shared one latrine, Tapsoba said.

“The situation in Cabo Delgado is appalling,” he said.

South Africa has offered to help Mozambique resolve its northern conflict, as the main player in the Southern African Development Community, a regional trade bloc, but Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a virtual Chatham House event that the government had yet to take up the offer.

“We have made every effort to reach out to the government of Mozambique and to sit with them to define a support agenda,” she said.

“Our inability … to arrive at an agreement as to what … support we might provide remains a very worrying puzzle to us,” she said.

There was no immediate reply from Mozambique’s government to a request for comment.

South Africa signs 11 million J&J vaccine deal

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South Africa has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and will ease restrictions due to a decline in new cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.

South Africa has been the hardest-hit on the continent by the pandemic, recording almost half of the COVID-19 deaths and more than a third of reported infections.

But daily cases have fallen below 2,000, from a peak above 20,000 last month during a second wave of infections.

Ramaphosa said in a televised address that 2.8 million of the J&J doses would be delivered in the second quarter, with the rest spread throughout the year.

South Africa started administering the single-dose J&J vaccine this month in a research study targeting healthcare workers but has not yet rolled out shots to the wider population unlike in many Western countries.

Ramaphosa said 20 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine had also been secured, 12 million shots would come from the World Health Organization’s COVAX scheme and that the government was finalising its allocation from the African Union.

In total the country aims to vaccinate 40 million people, or two-thirds of the population.

Ramaphosa said that so far more than 67,000 health workers had received the J&J vaccine.

The second phase of the country’s vaccination programme, which includes the elderly, essential workers and those with co-morbidities, would start around late April or early May.

The cabinet had decided to move the country from alert level 3 to 1, he added, meaning a shorter curfew from midnight to 4 a.m., gatherings would be allowed and alcohol sales would return to normal licence provisions.

“The easing of restrictions should not be viewed as a reason to abandon precautions,” Ramaphosa said. “The threat of a third wave is constantly present.” - Reuters

'COVID-19 Oxygen Emergency Task-force' launched to address poor countries' challenges in oxygen access

By Osoro Nyawangah

Since the start of the pandemic, affordable and sustainable access to oxygen has been a growing challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

COVID-19 has put huge pressure on health systems, with hospitals in many LMICs running out of oxygen, resulting in preventable deaths and families of hospitalised patients paying a premium for scarce oxygen supplies.

Oxygen is an essential medicine, and despite being vital for the effective treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, access in LMICs is limited due to cost, infrastructure and logistical barriers.

Health facilities often cannot access the oxygen they require, resulting in the unnecessary loss of lives.

Recognizing the central importance of sustainable oxygen supply, alongside therapeutic products such as dexamethasone for the treatment of COVID-19, the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator Therapeutics pillar (co-led by Unitaid and Wellcome)is taking a new role to coordinate and advocate for increased supply of oxygen.

And, in partnership with a WHO-led consortium, is today announcing the launch of a COVID-19 Oxygen Emergency Taskforce.

It is estimated that more than half a million people in LMICs currently need 1.1 million cylinders of oxygen per day, with 25 countries currently reporting surges in demand, the majority in Africa.

This supply was constrained prior to COVID-19 and has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “This is a global emergency that needs a truly global response, both from international organisations and donors. Many of the countries seeing this demand struggled before the pandemic to meet their daily oxygen needs. Now it’s more vital than ever that we come together to build on the work that has already been done, with a firm commitment to helping the worst-affected countries as quickly as possible.”

The taskforce has determined an immediate funding need of US$90 million to address key challenges in oxygen access and delivery in up to 20 countries, including Malawi, Nigeria and Afghanistan.

This first set of countries has been identified based on assessments coordinated by WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, in order to match in-country need with potential financing, such as through the World Bank and the Global Fund.

Unitaid and Wellcome will make an immediate contribution of up to US$20 million in total for the emergency response.

The urgent, short-term requirements of additional countries will be measured and costed in the coming weeks, with the overall funding need over the next 12 months estimated by ACT-A to be US$1.6 billion - a figure that will be regularly reviewed by the taskforce.

Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said: “Oxygen is life-saving and it is imperative to move faster to scale-up holistically with patient-centred, end-to-end solutions that improve clinical outcomes.”

He said WHO has been working through the Biomedical Consortium to bring the technical, clinical and procurement partners together with about US$80 million of biomedical equipment procured for low and middle-income countries.

Adding that “The Oxygen Taskforce will help drive oxygen scale-up through further innovation, financing and capacitation.”

The Wellcome Chief Operating Officer, Paul Schreier said: “We have made critical advances in providing lifesaving clinical care and treatments to COVID-19 patients over the last year. The impact of the combination of oxygen and dexamethasone to treat severely ill patients has, in particular, been incredible.”

He noted that global access to advances remains unequal. “We need to urgently increase access to medical oxygen to ensure patients are benefiting regardless of where they live and ability to pay. International solidarity is the quickest and only way out of this pandemic.”

The taskforce brings together key organisations that have been working to improve access to oxygen since the start of the pandemic including Unitaid, Wellcome, WHO, Unicef, the Global Fund, World Bank, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), PATH, the Every Breath Counts coalition and Save the Children.

Building on these efforts, partners will focus on four key objectives as a part of an emergency response plan: measuring acute and longer-term oxygen needs in LMICs; connecting countries to financing partners for their assessed oxygen requirements; and supporting the procurement and supply of oxygen, along with related products and services.

Other areas in the scope of the taskforce include addressing the need for innovative market-shaping interventions, as well as reinforcing advocacy efforts to highlight the importance of oxygen access in the COVID-19 response. - WHO

Tanzania announces new Covid-19 measures under mounting pressure

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

After months of downplaying the disease, Tanzania has finally acknowledged the presence of Covid-19 in the country, and introduced new measures to prevent its spread.

The minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima (C) seen here with senior officers drinking traditional medicines in the fight against Covid-19 

The announcement comes after weeks of concerns raised by activists, various church leaders, the US embassy, and others who have spoken up about a deadly resurgence of Covid-19, blamed on an unlikely outbreak of pneumonia.

The sudden deaths of several high-profile politicians, believed to be as a result of Covid-19, fueled worries that the country was in the grips of a second wave.

These included the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, chief secretary John Kijazi, and the former Bank of Tanzania Governor, Professor Benno Ndulu.

On Feb. 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon Tanzania to take “robust action” to tackle the virus. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation remains “very concerning.”

Since then, the Ministry of Health has released a statement urging Tanzanians to take precautions, including hand washing and wearing face masks. The government is also promoting herbal remedies, such as steam inhalation to combat the coronavirus. These methods have not been approved by the WHO.

The minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, initially touted the use of traditional medicines in the fight against Covid-19 and other diseases.

She told a press briefing that the Tanzania government has no plans to import any of the Covid-19 vaccines being used in other countries. It will make use of all the traditional means, including herbs and steam inhalation.

“Many journalists have been asking about the Covid-19 vaccines and the ways to prevent the disease in Tanzania. Unfortunately, the ministry of health has no plan to receive any of the vaccines being used in other countries for now,” said Dr Gwajima.

A Covid-19 testing centre has also been set up at Serengeti National Park and on 23 February, the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) released new guidelines for traveling on the capital Dar es Salaam’s public transport—it is now mandatory to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

While president John Magufuli has still not directly referred to coronavirus, he did acknowledge an increase in respiratory diseases.

Speaking at Kijazi’s funeral, he said: “We managed to defeat these respiratory diseases last year. We will do so again with God’s help.” After declaring three days of prayer, the president added that people should wear masks but only ones that are locally made.

He reiterated that the country will not impose a lock-down.

Zitto Kabwe, the leader of the opposition party, Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT) Wazalendo, called the new rules insufficient: “There is not enough testing happening, and without that it is difficult to reduce the transmission. The health system is already overwhelmed, and the government has not proposed any measures to manage this.”

Tanzania has not released any numbers on Covid-19 since April 29, 2020, and shortly thereafter declared the country free of the disease following a strict lockdown.

Kabwe believes that the government must collect and share this data to tackle the virus effectively.

“We need widespread testing and the release of data,” he said. “We also require a big investment in protecting healthcare workers and public health announcements to inform citizens on how to stay safe.”

While the number of coronavirus cases in the country remains unknown, those on the frontline say that hospitals are struggling to deal with the number of patients they are seeing with respiratory problems.

Dr Deus Kitapondya, a medical specialist based in Dar es Salaam, said that although these rules are a step in the right direction, more must be done.

“We still do not have the mandate to give a clear coronavirus diagnosis,” he said. “Doctors need comprehensive guidance and protocols, so we know how to manage patients with Covid-19.

U.S demands probe into Uganda election violence

KAMPALA, Uganda

The United States government has called for “independent, credible, impartial and thorough” investigations into alleged irregularities in Uganda’s presidential elections.

File: Ugandan presidential candidate Bobi Wine is led into a vehicle by riot policemen in Luuka district, eastern Uganda Nov. 18, 2020.

Washington also wants members of state security services probed for alleged abuses against Opposition candidates and civil society.

Mr Ned Price, the US Department of State spokesman, said early this week that Uganda’s January 14 elections were “marred by election irregularities and abuses by government’s security services”.  He did not provide specifics or evidence to substantiate the alleged anomalies. 

However, Ugandan officials, including President Museveni have admitted that security forces killed at least 54 civilians in November 2020 while subduing protests sparked by the arrest of then president candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine.

The government is investigating the killings, according to the President, who provided no timeline of the inquiries and whether the findings will be made public. 

He has separately described most victims as “rioters” and “terrorists” while promising that the government will compensate those shot without basis. 

At the Tuesday press conference at the US Department of State headquarters in Washington DC, Mr Price said: “We strongly urge [for] independent, credible, impartial and thorough investigations into these incidents. We will consider a range of targeted options to hold accountable those members of the security forces responsible for these actions.”

In Kampala, Information minister and government spokesperson Judith Nabakooba last evening said it was difficult to respond to unspecified concerns.  “We will wait, as we expect, for their communication through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will sit [as Cabinet] and discuss the concerns and respond as government,” she said.

Mr Price had said unspecified options under consideration would target to hold accountable individuals “responsible for what we saw in the context of Uganda’s election just as we continue to work with Uganda to pursue some of our mutual interests”. 

The Department of State leads America’s foreign policy to advance US interests abroad and its public criticism and call for audit of Uganda’s elections suggests the matter has gained currency and high-level attention in Joe Biden’s administration.

Incumbent Yoweri Museveni won the January 14 poll with 60 per cent while runner-up Bobi Wine, who got 35 per cent of the valid votes, rejected the results as manufactured and called for an audit, a call which has gone nowhere. 

It remained unclear how the US planned to make good its demand for independent inquiries into the election results, which Bobi challenged in court but is withdrawing prematurely citing biased judges.

Asked whether Washington had formally petitioned the Ugandan government, Mr Anthony Kujawa, the US embassy spokesperson in Kampala, said they are “deeply troubled by credible reports of election irregularities … as well as security force violence during the pre-election period.”

“We continue to voice our concerns and call for accountability with Ugandan authorities at the highest levels of government,” he noted, using the diplomatic euphemism of “highest level” that denotes head of state or government.  

Washington has not specified options that it is considering against specific Ugandan security officials, and it remained unclear how such action could affect military cooperation including the ongoing peace-keeping mission in Somalia, where Uganda is the biggest troop contributor, and counter-terrorism operations in the region.

 In an interview last evening, Uganda Media Centre executive director Ofwono Opondo said America’s demand to audit Uganda’s polls is ironic considering that then President Donald Trump alleged that he was rigged out while his successor, Biden, accused his predecessor of inciting insurrection.

Supporters of Mr Trump stormed the US Capitol in January in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to stop certification of the results of the November 2020 vote. 

“Americans should first address those issues before their government can ask for independent inquiry into Uganda’s elections,” Mr Opondo said.

He added: “[US Department of State spokesman Price] should remember that we (Ugandans) have interests, both domestic and foreign, which we must pursue, defend and protect. The interest of Uganda is supreme to Ugandans. We don’t believe that the interests of Uganda and the US are mutually exclusive, although the US sometimes is overbearing.”

Mr Price on Tuesday said Uganda continues to play an “important role when it comes to some of our interests in the region”, citing AMISOM.
“But, again, this goes to the point that … we can pursue our interests and pursue our values at the same time,” he added in response to the demands for election audit and punishment for transgressions.

“We strongly urge [for] independent, credible, impartial and thorough investigations into [election irregularities]. We will consider a range of targeted options to hold accountable those members of the security forces responsible for these actions,” Ned Price, US Department of State spokesperson

“We (Ugandans) have interests, both domestic and foreign, which we must pursue, defend and protect. The interest of Uganda is supreme to Ugandans,” Ofwono Opondo, Uganda Media Centre executive director

 “The United States is deeply troubled by credible reports of election irregularities during the January 14 polls, as well as security force violence during the pre-election period,” Anthony Kujawa, US Kampala Embassy spokesperson

“We will wait, as we expect, for their communication through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will sit [as Cabinet] and discuss the concerns and respond as government,” Judith Nabakooba, Information minister.

Kenya's first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in March

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s first batch of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in the first week of March, the presidency said on Thursday, with healthcare workers, frontline workers and vulnerable population groups to be given priority.

“Cabinet ratified the distribution framework for the vaccines; with first priority being given to Health Care Workers, Front-line Workers including Security Personnel and Teachers, vulnerable persons and groups and Hospitality Sector Workers,” the presidency said in a press release.

The statement did not reveal details of the type of vaccines or the quantity of the doses that will arrive next month.

In January, the health ministry said that it was seeking an extra 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, on top of 24 million already ordered that it planned to source from major pharmaceutical manufacturers like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

It said then that the extra doses will be acquired through the African Union’s disease control and prevention body.

The African Union has been trying to help its 55 member states buy more doses in a push to immunize 60% of the continent’s 1.3 billion people over three years.

Last week, its vaccine team said 270 million doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines secured for delivery this year had been taken up.

On Wednesday, Ghana became the first African country to secure vaccines through the World Health Organization’s global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX, acquiring 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India.

Namibia run out of COVID-19 budget

By Shelleygan Petersen, WINDHOEK, Namibia

Only N$2 million (Namibian Dollars) is left of the government's Covid-19 budget, although the health ministry maintains funding is available for the vaccine rollout.

Health minister Kalumbi Shangula 

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the finance ministry made available N$727 million specifically to fight the pandemic, and to date, the ministry only has 0,3% of the total funds still available.

Health minister Kalumbi Shangula maintains that the funds left are still sufficient for the Covid-19 fight, and treasury is set to allocate more funds in the next budget announcement.

The minister could not reveal the government's vaccination rollout plan or how much the government planned to spend on the vaccines, the rollout plan and if there is a specific budget meant for Covid-19 vaccines.

“This [Covid-19] vaccination rollout plan will be funded through the already established vaccination programme in the ministry. [...] I do not have the exact figures right now but it will be funded through that programme,” he said.

Namibia is expecting its first doses of the Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax facility by the end of this week. To date, the government has paid N$29 million for the vaccine.

Initially, the first payment was for Namibia to get vaccines for 20% of the population or 508 200 people.

The government also signed a Financial Commitment Agreement on 5 November 2020 for the remaining
US$9 096 780 (roughly N$140,2 million).

Medical aid funds agreed to pay for the Covid-19 vaccine on behalf of their members, said Namibian Association of Medical Aid Funds.

The costs of the logistics of the Covid-19 vaccine are yet to be determined.

The impact of the rollout remains unknown, although discussions around the procurement are ongoing.

At least 60% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve a sufficient level of herd immunity.
Namibia is expected to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine by Saturday through the Covax facility.

The country is set to receive over 127 200 doses after the World Health Organisation gave it the green light for emergency use.

Meanwhile, the Namibia Medical Regulatory Council has not yet approved the vaccine for use in the country and is busy with the necessary guidance and regulatory oversight.

Last week, China donated an additional 100 000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Namibia.

The health ministry is busy with the logistical arrangements to get the vials in the country.

Vaccines developed by Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac are already being rolled out globally.

Apart from the Covax Facility, Namibia is in discussion with governments and manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines in countries such as China, the Russian Federation, India and the United States of America to secure additional vaccine supplies to cover the remaining 40% of the population.

Shangula said all the vaccines that are currently available are acceptable to Namibia.

“The choice of the vaccine takes into consideration the availability of the vaccine, cold chain imperatives and of course the cost, among others,” he said.

WHO Africa urged governments to focus more on setting up systems to manage the logistics and supply chain for vaccines, reaching refugees, migrants and internally displaced people and financing national vaccination campaigns.

In the last two months, Namibia has recorded 203 Covid-19 related deaths as the country has been experiencing a downward trend since January. - Africa

Cholera kills 55 people in northern Mozambique

MAPUTO, Mozambique

A cholera outbreak has killed 55 people affected by a jihadist violence since the end of last year in northern Mozambique, UNICEF said Wednesday.

Nearly 5,000 cases of cholera have been reported, especially among hundreds of thousands of civilians living with host families and in makeshift accommodation in camps for internally displaced people.

Last week saw the highest jump of more than new 400 cases, UNICEF spokesman Daniel Timme told AFP.

“It doesn’t look good. The water and sanitation facilities are not sufficient at the moment and need urgent upgrades,” he said.

“This is our absolute priority for now because the survivors of this violence now have the threat of water-borne diseases,” he added.

Nearly 670,000 people have been uprooted since shadowy jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State group began to wreak havoc in Mozambique’s gas-rich but impoverished Cabo Delgado province in 2017.

One in 10 of those displaced have moved in with host families, according to Timme, with some families taking in up to 40 people.

The government has now started to resettle the displaced people in newly created villages in safe areas.

Italy wants "clear and exhaustive" answers over slain Ambassador

ROME, Italy

Italy has asked the United Nations to start an investigation into the attack in which the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo and his body guard were killed earlier this week.

"We have formally asked the UN and the WFP [World Food Programme] to open an investigation that clarifies what happened, the reasons behind the security provisions used and who was responsible for these decisions," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio (pictured) told parliament on Wednesday.

Ambassador Luca Attanasio, Carabinieri policeman Vittorio Iacovacci, and a Congolese driver, Mustapha Milambo, were killed in an attack on a WFP convoy in the eastern part of the DR Congo on Monday.

"We have also explained that we expect clear and exhaustive answers as quickly as possible," Di Maio said. He added that a team of the Carabinieri's special operations group was already in the DR Congo to gather evidence for an investigation by Rome prosecutors on the case.

Di Maio said that other investigative teams would also follow.

The DR Congo government has blamed Rwandan rebel group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) for the attack. It said Attanasio and Iacovacci were killed by rebels, ruling out the hypothesis that the friendly fire of Congolese security forces may have caused the deaths.

"We owe them the truth ahead of anything else," Di Maio said.

"But the best way to honor the memory of Ambassador Luca Attanasio and Carabiniere Vittorio Iacovacci is to continue to strengthen our political attention for the African continent, something Luca strongly believed in with passion and dedication,” he added.

Attanasio had devoted most of his diplomatic career and his personal efforts to Africa, participating in the activities organized by the Mama Sofia NGO founded by his wife Zakia in Kinshasa.

The bodies of Attanasio, 43, and Iacovacci, a-30-year-old officer who was part of the ambassador's security team, arrived in Italy late on Tuesday. Autopsies will be performed on Wednesday.

Di Maio called the two men "heroes" and said they will have a state funeral in Rome on Thursday.

13 killed in DR Congo attacks, ADF blamed

BENI, DR Congo

Thirteen people have died in attacks in the eastern DR Congo region of Beni, local officials and experts said on Wednesday, blaming a notorious militia called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

“ADF men attacked the village of Kisima late Tuesday, leaving 11 dead,” said Bozi Sindiwako, the chief official for the Rwenzori area in North Kivu province.

That toll was confirmed by the US-based monitoring group, the Kivu Security Tracker (KST).

The army also said there was an attack, without giving the number of casualties.

“Clean-up operations continue in the area,” Beni army spokesman Antony Mwalushayi said.

“We have just launched a new operation in the Rwenzori sector in a bid to drive the ADF enemy out of the Congolese territory,” Mwalushayi said. “The problem is that we have an enemy that attacks the defenseless.”

In a separate attack overnight, two people — a civilian and a soldier — were killed in the North Kivu city of Oicha, its mayor Nicolas Kikuku said. He added that an ADF fighter was also killed.

The new deaths bring the number of civilians killed by armed groups in Beni since November 2019 to at least 1,013, KST told AFP.

The army has been carrying out a military offensive against the group since October 2019.

President Felix Tshisekedi has said he wants to end decades of unrest in the mineral-rich east, but killings there have more than doubled in the last year, according to the United Nations.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, a central African country the size of continental Western Europe, has been plagued by militia violence in its east for more than a quarter of a century.

In a report published on Monday, KST said 122 armed groups are active in the country’s four eastern provinces — North and South Kivu as well as Ituri and Tanganyika.

The most notorious group in North Kivu is the ADF, whose stronghold lies in the Beni area, near the Ugandan border.

In late 2019 the Congo army began a campaign to eliminate the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia that has been operating in the vast country since the 1990s. The ADF responded with a series of retaliatory massacres of civilians.

The military offensive has scattered the group, which now operates in small, mobile groups, according to a recent report by UN experts.

After a brief lull in activity, ADF attacks have been ramping up since the start of February.