EAC partner states record $4.8billion loss in tourism, hospitality industry

NAIROBI, Kenya

East Africa Community (EAC) partner states are estimated to have lost international tourism receipts to the tune of $4.8billion (Ksh. 517.6billion) last year, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This follows a study by the East African Business Council (EABC) with the support of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The study was aimed at assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry and policy options to protect sector players from COVID-19 disruptions and future pandemics.

The study reveals that tourism which contributed an average of 9.5% in GDP in 2019 and an average of 17.2% to EAC total exports, was one of the most affected areas in the region. This was reflected in massive reductions in international tourist arrivals, receipts, jobs, visitors to parks and hotel occupancy rates.

From March 2020 when the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in the region, the report reveals that 4.2 Million foreign tourists were unable to travel to their preferred destinations in the bloc.

This saw a dip of about 2 million jobs, from the about 4.1 million jobs recorded in 2019 to 2.2 million jobs by the end of the year.

The study also revealed that visitors to national parks declined significantly by about 65%, impacting negatively wildlife conservation efforts in the region.

The study also shows that hotels in the region registered average occupancy rates of below 30% thus affecting their operations significantly including maintaining staff.

An online survey conducted as part of the study indicated that 26.5% of the businesses lost their entire projected revenues during the pandemic period, 44% lost 75% of their projected revenue and 17.6% lost 50% of their projected revenues.

The respondents indicated that 35% reduced staff by more than 50%, 20% reduced staff by below and up to 50%, 32% maintained staff at partial pay and only 8% maintained all staff at full pay.

The report indicates that businesses turned to borrowing to fund their running expenditures such as rent and utilities due to reduced operational capital while the loss of jobs saw a decline in household incomes,

Speaking during a webinar validating the studies, Mr. Dennis Karera, EABC Vice Chairman noted that the study will contribute to developing macro-economic policy options for consideration and adoption by EAC Partner States.

“ Adopting an EAC coordinated approach in reviving the tourism sector by marketing the region as a single tourist destination, opening EAC skies, rolling out national-wide vaccination drives and mutual recognition of COVID-19 test certificates in the region is certainly critical,” he said.

The Study recommended for tourism destinations to have pandemic preparedness and risk management plans to minimize such instances in the future.

The report also revealed that the tourism stakeholders are calling for the sustaining of stimulus packages provided by EAC Governments to re-engineer and re-define the tourism products by also leveraging digital technologies in tourism marketing and promotion. – Citizen TV

Dozens ‘crushed to death’ in Israel pilgrimage stampede

JERUSALEM, Israel

Dozens of people have been crushed to death in a stampede at a Jewish pilgrimage site at Mount Meron in the north of Israel, rescue services said.

Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency service, said that at least 44 people were killed during the event early on Friday, adding “MDA is fighting for the lives of dozens wounded, and will not give up until the last victim is evacuated.”

On social media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “heavy disaster” and added: “We are all praying for the wellbeing of the casualties.”

The stampede occurred as tens of thousands of mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews were participating in an annual pilgrimage for the feast of Lag BaOmer, in Mount Meron, around the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage.

A video posted on social media by Israel’s public broadcasting, Kan, showed a jampacked crowd of pilgrims walking in a narrow lane.

Yehuda Gottleib, one of the first responders from United Hatzalah, said he saw “dozens of people fall on top of one another during the collapse”.

“A large number of them were crushed and lost consciousness.”

Israeli media published an image of a row of bodies covered in plastic bags on the ground.

Emergency services deployed six helicopters to evacuate the injured. Some of the injured have been transported by military helicopter to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, rescue workers said.

Authorities had authorised 10,000 people to gather at the site of the tomb but organisers said more than 650 buses had been chartered from across the country, bringing at least 30,000 pilgrims to Mount Meron.

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from northern Israel, however said that there have been reports that the crowd could be more than 100,000.

“There is no question that there was an enormous number of people at this very significant religious event…and certainly the videos bear that out.”

About 5,000 police had been deployed to secure the event, the country’s largest public gathering during the coronavirus pandemic.

The ecstatic crowds congregated despite warnings by health officials to avoid presenting COVID-19 risks.

Witnesses said they realised people had been asphyxiated or trampled when an organiser appealed over a loudhailer for the throng to disperse.

“We thought maybe there was a (bomb) alert over a suspicious package. No one imagined that this could happen here. Rejoicing became mourning, a great light became a deep darkness,” a pilgrim who gave his name as Yitzhak told Channel 12 TV.

“Rabbi Shimon used to say that he could absolve the world … If he didn’t manage to cancel this edict on the very day of his exaltation, then we need to do real soul-searching.”

Lazar Hyman of the United Hatzalah volunteer rescue service, who was at the scene, told AFP news agency: “This is one of the worst tragedies that I have ever experienced.”

“I have not seen anything like this since I entered into the field of emergency medicine,” he added.

Private bonfires at Mount Meron were banned last year due to coronavirus restrictions, but lockdown measures were eased this year amid Israel’s rapid COVID-19 vaccination programme that has seen more than 54 percent of the population fully vaccinated. - Al Jazeera

DRC to return AstraZeneca vaccines to Unicef

KINSHASA, DR Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo says it will return to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) a total of 1.3 million doses of the 1.7 million it received, for redistribution to other African countries.

Susie Villeneuve, Unicef regional advisor for Health Systems Strengthening in West and Central Africa, said the decision was made to ensure usage of the vaccines before the expiry date on June 24.

The DRC has not issued a vaccination plan to support a campaign of this scale and has an insufficient number of vaccination sites, which will hinder “access to this vaccine,” the official said.

“Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Angola, Madagascar and the Comoros are among the possible recipients of the Congolese lot,” Ms Villeneuve suggested during a video conference in Ghana’s capital Accra on Tuesday.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, vaccination operations against Covid-19 have been slowing down since the official launch of the campaign on April 19. In one week, only 1,700 people had received the first dose, the Ministry of Health said.

AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the DRC two months ago, but fear of side effects had delayed their launch.

More than 40 African countries at high risk of COVID-19 resurgence - WHO warns

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

The actual number of COVID-19 infections in African countries is much more than announced due to low testing in the continent, which is now facing a high risk of virus resurgence, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday.

Citing the results of its recent analysis, WHO said: “Three countries face a very high risk of COVID-19 resurgence, 20 face high risk, 22 moderate risk, and only one country faces low risk, according to the risk assessment of 46 countries in Africa.”

“Most countries in the [African] region are experiencing community transmission, yet 31 out of the 46 countries analyzed performed fewer than 10 tests per 10,000 people per week in the past four weeks,” WHO revealed.

“This suggests that the number of cases reported in the past 28 days may not reflect the true situation as countries continue to target only people with symptoms for testing,” it added.

WHO’s analysis suggests the risk of COVID-19 resurgence remains high in many African countries. Besides low testing, poor adherence to public health measures, mass gatherings such as recent political rallies in countries like Benin, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Guinea caused a spike in infections.

“With over 4.5 million confirmed cases and more than 120,000 deaths to date, the African continent has not seen a surge in reported cases since January and the epidemic curve has plateaued for six weeks.

“However, the relatively low number of cases has encouraged complacency and there are signs of reduced observance of preventive measures,” WHO said.

“We cannot be lulled into a false sense of security. The devastating surge of cases and deaths in India, and increases in other regions of the world, are clear signs that the pandemic is not yet over in African countries. A new upsurge of COVID-19 infections is a real risk in many countries even if the region’s case count in recent weeks appears to be stable,” WHO quoted its Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti as a warning during a virtual press conference Thursday.

“Combatting COVID-19 fatigue appears to be the key battle in our collective response to the pandemic,” Moeti added.

Moeti stressed that most of the new COVID-19 infections “are still not being detected among known contacts.”

“Investigation of clusters of cases and contact tracing are worryingly low in most countries in the region. We must scale up testing including through rapid diagnostic tests to enhance response to the pandemic,” Moeti added.

Chadian army battles rebels in northern town

By Mahamat Ramadane, N'DJAMENA Chad

Chad's army battled with rebels on Thursday near the town of Nokou, about 20 km (12 miles) from where former president Idriss Deby was fatally wounded 10 days ago, rebels and the army said.

Deby was killed on April 19 as he visited troops fighting Libya-based rebels from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), which opposed his 30-year rule. A military council headed by his son took control of Chad after his death, a move which opposition politicians have condemned as a coup.

The military council has said they intend to hold elections within 18 months.

The rebels issued a statement on Thursday saying they had taken control of Nokou, centre of the north Kanem district and located some 300 km from the capital N'Djamena, after destroying an army attack helicopter that had bombed their position.

A "technical failure" caused the MI-24 helicopter to crash, far from the battlefield, a spokesman for Chad's ruling military council, Azem Bermandoa Agouna, said in a statement.

Nokou remained under the control of government forces, he told Reuters separately, confirming that rebel positions had been shelled.

Earlier this week Chad's capital and its second-largest city Moundou experienced violent protests. At least six people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting against the military takeover.

Police spokesman Paul Manga said people in "unmarked vehicles with smoked windows fired live ammunition at demonstrators" during Tuesday's protests, causing injuries and loss of life. No security officers fired live rounds at demonstrators, he said.

More than 650 people who were arrested during the protests were formally arraigned at the N'Djamena courthouse on Thursday, a magistrate at the court of appeals told Reuters.

Meanwhile efforts to find a political solution to the crisis are underway. Representatives of the African Union arrived in Chad on Thursday for a seven-day fact-finding mission to support an investigation into the circumstances of Deby's killing.

The team will also "examine strategies to facilitate a rapid return to constitutional order and democratic governance, while preserving Chad's security and territorial integrity," the African Union said in a statement.

Albert Pahimi Padacke, who the military council appointed prime minister of a transitional government, met with the French and U.S. ambassadors on Wednesday to discuss efforts to form a unity government and a potential timeline for holding elections.

Kenya insists to shut down two 430,000 refugees camps by June 2022

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya said on Thursday April 29 it had told the United Nations it will shut by June 2022 two camps holding over 430,000 refugees who fled from wars in the east and Horn of Africa, adding it planned to repatriate some and give others residency.

The interior ministry made the announcement on Twitter about five weeks after ordering the closure of the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps and giving the United Nations two weeks to present a plan to carry this out.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi met on Thursday in Nairobi and a joint team will be formed to finalize and implement a road map toward the closure of the camps, the U.N. and Kenyan government said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Kenya and the UNHCR "agree that refugee camps are not a long-term solution to forced displacement" and are committed to working together to find alternative solutions in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, the statement read.

One of the two refugee camps in northern Kenya, Dadaab, close to the sensitive border with war-racked Somalia, was set up in 1991. In 2011, amid famine and chaos in Somalia, it was the world's largest camp.

Thursday's announcement appeared to be the decisive step by Kenya after years of discussion about closing Dadaab.

"Among the precursory activities in (the government's) roadmap is repatriation of refugees to countries of origin and socio-economic integration of some of them through Work/Residence Permits (in Kenya)," the tweet read.

Legal challenges could follow. Earlier this month, a Kenyan court ruled against the closure of the camps.

Authorities in Nairobi first announced their intention to shut the Dadaab camp back in 2016, citing national security concerns over infiltration by militants from the Somalia-based Islamist group al Shabaab.

Relations between Kenya and Somalia have deteriorated badly in the past year since Mogadishu cut diplomatic ties with Nairobi, accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs.

Kenya contributes troops to the African Union peacekeeping force deployed in Somalia to curb the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab that seeks to topple the government. In a sign of the tense relationship, Somalia said in January it had lost confidence in Kenyan troops serving in the peacekeeping mission.

Mozambique: Houses burned down near Palma in a new attack – Army spokesman

By our Correspondent, PALMA Mozambique

Several houses near the town of Palma, northern Mozambique, were burned down on Tuesday night in a new development, a spokesman for the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) told our reporter this Thursday, but FADM remains in control of the district headquarters.

Brigadier Chongo Vidigal

“What we had were some houses burnt down on Tuesday outside Palma by two alleged insurgents,” said Brigadier Chongo Vidigal, FADM spokesman for the Northern Operational Theatre (Teatro Operacional Norte).

The official was speaking today from Afungi, about six kilometres south of Palma, next to the facilities of the gas project in northern Mozambique and the Quitunda resettlement village.

The alleged attackers, the same ones responsible for the March 24 attack, returned to Palma looking for “revenge”, he claimed. “We think it was out of revenge against members of the population who the insurgents think collaborated with the Defense and Security Forces (FDS),” he said.

Chongo Vidigal said after two sources in the town reported the presence of strangers who have been attacking people and destroying properties since Tuesday night.

The spokesman confirmed the burning of some houses but reiterated: “The real information is that Palma is completely under the control of the FDS. The village is fully protected”.

Vidigal acknowledged that the majority of the population were afraid to return to Palma, but that was because “the administrative structures” had not yet been reinstated. 

“It is like in a house: If the head of the family does not return, the other members of the household are afraid.” He explained.

Armed groups have terrorized Cabo Delgado since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, in a wave of violence that has already caused more than 2,500 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and 714,000 people displaced, according to the Mozambican government.

The most recent attack, on March 24, was carried out against the town of Palma, causing dozens of deaths and injuries in numbers yet to be ascertained.

Mozambican authorities regained control of the town, but the attack led oil company Total to indefinitely abandon the main construction site of the gas project scheduled to start production in 2024 and on which many of Mozambique’s expectations for economic growth in the next decade are based. - Africa

Zimbabwe court quashes charges against 'government critic' journalist

By our Correspondent, HARARE Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s high court has quashed charges of communicating false information levelled against the journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin’ono, saying the law used by police to arrest him in January no longer exists.

Hopewell Chin’ono has been detained three times since he backed anti-government protests on social media in July.

Chin’ono, 50, has been detained three times since he backed banned anti-government protests on social media in July, when he was first arrested and charged with inciting public violence.

Two tweets landed him back in jail for allegedly obstructing justice in November and later publishing false information in January. The high court of Zimbabwe dismissed the latter charge on Wednesday, declaring it had no legal basis.

Lawyers had argued that Chin’ono had been charged under a section of the criminal code that had been struck down by the Supreme Court in 2014.

On Wednesday, the high court judge Jesta Charehwa ruled “the argument is upheld … Charges against the appellant [are] hereby quashed.”

Chin’ono celebrated the ruling on his Twitter account. “Charged with a law that doesn’t exist,” he wrote. “That is persecution.”

The journalist was last jailed for posting a video he claimed showed a police officer beating a baby to death while enforcing Covid-19 lockdown rules – an account that was vehemently denied.

In November, Chin’ono was arrested for posting a tweet ahead of a judicial decision. He is facing trial for the alleged obstruction of justice in that case.

He is freed on bail and banned from using Twitter to post anything that might incite public revolt against the government.

Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is increasingly under fire for thwarting dissent since he took over from the longtime leader Robert Mugabe in November 2017. - Africa

370,000 children displaced in Central African Republic

BANGUI, CAR

At least 168,000 children were forced to flee their homes following widespread violence and insecurity in the run-up to the Central Africa Republic’s general election of last December, and during its aftermath.

Liton village, in the commune of Begoua, north of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where 2,000 men, women and children have fled their villages since the clashes of January 2021

Around 70,000 of them have not been able to return. This brings the total to 370,000 internally displaced children across the country.

Displaced children are at risk of exposure to sexual and physical violence, recruitment to armed forces and groups, increasing rates of malnutrition and limited access to essential services.

Recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups, remains the most frequent grave child rights violation in CAR, accounting for 584 out of a total of 792 cases of confirmed grave violations documented in 2020.

UNICEF Representative in CAR, Fran Equiza, told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday that in the last three months of 2020 alone, the UN verified more grave violations than in the entire first half of the same year - 415 incidents affecting 353 children were carried out compared to 384 incidents involving 284 children.

"In June 2020, the government of the Central African Republic adopted a national child protection code, which, for the first time, explicitly prohibits the recruitment and use of children by armed groups and forces, and clearly states that children formerly associated with armed groups should not be treated as adults”, he said.

But UNICEF has received unverified reports indicating that child recruitment and use, has continued over the first four months of 2021.

Despite CAR generally registering a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases, the epidemic has had a severe impact, including a significant decrease of overall immunization rates, and the closure and disruption of services for forcibly displaced children, and victims of violence.

Incidents of gender-based violence against children spiked at the height of the pandemic’s first wave and during school closures.

The recent escalation of violence has forced schools to be shut, occupied, or damaged in 11 out of the country’s 16 prefectures. "One in every four schools is not functional because of fighting, and half the country’s children are out of school because of conflict,” said Mr. Equiza.

A woman and her young sons stand in front of their shelter in a camp for displaced people in Baboua, Central African Republic

At least 24,000 children under five, across 14 of the Central African Republic’s 35 health districts, are at risk of severe acute malnutrition following the recent spike in violence across the country.

Out of these 14 districts, six currently have no resources or capacity to respond to children’s acute needs. This year, at least 62,000 children under five are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a 25 per cent increase from 2020.

Humanitarian access remains a major concern, with 115 incidents against aid workers recorded by OCHA in January and February 2021, vs. 46 in the same period of 2020.

This has contributed to the suspension or reduction of humanitarian presence in most affected areas. "CAR remains one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers,” said Mr. Equiza.

Limited food supplies in the local market and the poor condition of roads are also important challenges when it comes to quick availability and deployment of supplies.

UNICEF has continued to strengthen its child protection activities across the country. This includes the deployment of mobile child protection teams who can reach vulnerable children, including those located in remote areas.

UNICEF and its partners are also working to provide children with mental health and psychosocial activities through child-friendly spaces and other community-based interventions.

“As part of the longer-term process of reintegration to their families and in their communities, children formerly associated with armed forces and groups are benefitting from specialized programmes that allow them to go back to school or receive vocational training,” said Mr. Equiza.

However, "approximately one in five of these children has not yet been enrolled in reintegration programmes, mainly due to funding constraints,” he added. In 2021, the organisation is seeking $8.2 million to scale up its activities in support of children and women affected by violence, exploitation, and abuse. - UN

Sudan pledges to support stability in Chad

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan government pledged to support the efforts of Chad’s military council to preserve security and stability and called for a national dialogue to achieve a peaceful transition in the neighbouring country.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the Transitional Sovereign Council travelled on Tuesday to Ndjamena for talks with the head of the military council Mahamat Idriss Deby who took power a week ago after the death of his father in a battle against a rebel group.

Hemetti was accompanied by two members of the collegial Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar and Hadi Idris.

A video about the visit by the Sudan News Agency showed the head of the Sudanese delegation speaking in a meeting with the chief of the military council in Chad and some militaries.

Hemetti promised to support the military council in Chad to achieve national reconciliation and stability in his country.

Also, he said Sudan will not host or support any opposition group that works to destabilize the new government.

"Anyone hostile to the Chadian government is an enemy of Sudan whose people want to establish a democratic rule that achieves stability in their country," he said.

"We believe that democracy is the best for us and we see the stability it bought in Niger," he stressed.

The visiting Sudanese official pointed to the strong relations between the people of the two countries saying that any development in one of the two countries affects the other.

He further called for the continuation of the work of the joint security committees and to strengthen the capabilities of the joint border forces.

On 22 April, French Special Envoy to Sudan Jean Michel Dumont met with Hemetti to discuss the situation in Chad.

"We agree to use all the contacts we have in Chad to convince everyone to make the necessary efforts to achieve peaceful and swift transition in Chad" Dumont said after the meeting.

France calls to support the interim military council in Chad which pledges to hold general elections in 18 months. Paris also calls to name a civilian government to lead the transition.

The visit of the Sudanese delegation coincided with protests across the country calling for a return to civilian rule.

Two people at least were killed and 27 wounded as the security forces opened fire to disperse protesters.

Kenya suspends flight to India over COVID-19 surge

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe, suspended flights to and from India for 14 days on Wednesday following an uproar on social media that demanded the East African nation take action on the coronavirus.

He said the National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) held a crisis meeting and decided that because of the catastrophic situation in India and surging COVID-19 infections, measures had to be taken to curb the spread of the virus.

Kagwe said that “given the dire events in India, we resolved to suspend all passenger flights in and out of the country for a period of 14 days. This suspension is to take effect from midnight this coming Saturday.”

Cargo planes will remain in service.

Social media platforms were swamped with messages Wednesday that insisted the Health Ministry act following reports that a passenger plane had left India and was headed for the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Kenya was among just a few countries still allowing passenger flights from India, angering Kenyans and causing an uproar on social media.

“By now, flights from India ought to have been suspended. Other countries will impose strict measures like hotel quarantine for passengers from Kenya. Someone tell our CS [cabinet secretary of health] to suspend Indian flights,” said Twitter user Walker Imutembei.

Another Twitter user, Bill Oduor lamented: “Why is Kenya not banning flights from India at such a time that they've been seriously hit with Corona?”

Geoffrey Godfrey asked the Ministry of Health: "Why allow Flights from India then punish us with restrictions? Let in a Chinese flight-covid arrived, Let in Uk flights -Deadlier strain arrived, Now allowing Indian flights? place with the deadliest covid strain, Dont you learn? Or you just dont care?"

India is one of Kenya’s most lucrative destinations, especially as a medical tourist destination, serving Kenyans who are seeking treatment and those importing special medications.

A total of 834 Kenyans tested positive for the virus on Wednesday bringing confirmed cases to 158,326. Cumulative tests stand at 1,659,506 with 1,300 patients currently admitted to facilities.

Twenty-three deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.

 

Chad’s new leader calls for dialogue amid protests

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

The head of Chad’s Transitional Military Council has called for an inclusive dialogue after violent protests left several dead in the Central African country.

In his first speech to the nation on Tuesday, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby promised an "inclusive national dialogue" during the 18-month transition to elections.

He came to power last week after his late father President Idriss Deby Itno, 68, died as he battled rebels on the frontline, just a day after his re-election for a sixth term.

Opposition parties and several civil society groups have objected to the new leader's appointment, calling for a return to civilian rule. Several people have been killed and injured during protests.

"I will be the guarantor of this dialogue, which will not elude any subject of national interest according to a precise timetable that the government will be called upon to unveil," Mahamat Deby said. "The members of the military council are soldiers who have no other ambition than to serve their homeland with loyalty and honor."

He announced the establishment of a "government of national reconciliation, composed of a united team, competent and representative of plural Chad."

He said the military council will also have the mission of drawing up a new Constitution, adding that Chad needs massive support from its international partners to stabilize the economy.

Albert Pahimi Padacke has been appointed the country's prime minister, and tasked to propose a transitional government in 15 days.

SADC leaders postpone meeting on Mozambique insurgency

GABORONE, Botswana

A Southern African leaders meeting that was scheduled for Thursday to address the Islamic State-linked insurgency in Mozambique has been postponed, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi's office said on Wednesday.

The meeting was to receive a report from a team sent to Mozambique to assess the security situation and identify ways to support the country after IS-linked insurgents attacked the coastal town of Palma, displacing tens of thousands of people and stalling a $60 billion natural gas project.

The gas project by French oil major Total is meant to transform the economy of one of Africa's poorest countries.

The meeting was put off due to the unavailability of the Botswana and South African presidents, Masisi's office said.

Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique form a division of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that wants to decide how to help Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province against Islamist militant attacks there.

Botswana is the current chair of the SADC division, which is tasked with promoting peace and security in the region.

Masisi went into self-quarantine on Tuesday after the detection of a case of COVID-19 among his staff, while South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa is giving testimony to an inquiry into corruption under his predecessor Jacob Zuma.

The insurgency broke out in Mozambique's northeast in 2017 and the rebels have stepped up attacks in the past year.

A report by ratings agency S&P Global said militant attacks in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province pose a "significant threat" to production facilities associated with one the biggest natural gas discoveries in the world. - Reuters

East African bloc urges assistance for displaced Somalis

NAIROBI, Kenya

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Wednesday called on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons following armed clashes in Mogadishu on April 25.

FILE: A woman cooks for her family at al-Adala Internally displaced people Camp just outside of the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The East African bloc also said it will continue providing support to the Somali people in their quest for peace, democracy, and stability.

The bloc welcomed the Somali leaders’ consensus to proscribe extension of the mandate of the executive and parliament and reiterated the centrality of constructive and inclusive dialogue as an essential prerequisite for a comprehensive settlement of all outstanding issues.

“IGAD strongly urges all Somali leaders to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that will lead to further escalation of violence. All parties should ensure the protection of lives, properties and civilian institutions,” the bloc said in a statement.

It called on the stakeholders to move rapidly to conclude the implementation framework of the September 17 pre-election agreement through an inclusive and transparent dialogue that prioritizes the popular aspiration of the Somalis for peaceful, inclusive and credible elections without further delay.

The statement comes after the UN humanitarian agency said about between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Mogadishu following an outbreak of violence on April 25.

Prime Minister Mohamed Roble has also called on those who had fled their homes and the vulnerable internally displaced persons who had sought refuge in the Somali capital but have again fled to find refuge on the outskirts of the city to return back.

President Mohamed Farmajo had earlier dropped his term extension plans and opted for dialogue to resolve the political stalemate on the elections, thus easing tensions that had engulfed the country.

 

Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto mine on track to start production

BAMAKO, Mali

Barrick Gold Corporation’s giant Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in western Mali has seen its third underground mine reach its first mining level and it is scheduled to start delivering ore tonnes to the plant during the current quarter, President and Chief Executive Mark Bristow said in a press briefing yesterday.

At the same time, a prefeasibility study has started on two more mines; an underground operation at Loulo 3 and a large open pit at Yalea South.

These, Bristow said, would add mining sources and improve feed flexibility, providing further support for the complex’s robust 10-year plan.

He said the exploration programs designed to replace depleted reserves are continuing to deliver good results.

“The complex produced 193,014 oz of gold in quarter-one and is on track to achieve its full-year guidance of 640,000 to 700,000 oz.” Bristow said adding that given its strong performance and the relatively high gold price, the joint venture board paid a combined dividend for the Loulo-Gounkoto complex of $80 million in the quarter.

He disclosed that COVID-19 testing and care capacities were upgraded during the quarter through the acquisition of new equipment and the complex has been largely unaffected by the third wave of the pandemic.

President and Chief
Executive Mark Bristow

The world’s gold producer giant’s president said the complex was continuing to invest in the development of the local community. “One of our latest initiatives is the Accelerator program, which trains smaller suppliers and service providers in all aspects of business to enable them to grow and diversify.”

Since the program was introduced eight months ago, 63% of the participants have diversified their revenue streams and 80% now have five-year growth plans and long-term goals.

“Loulo-Gounkoto remains a pillar of the Malian economy as well as a driver of local economic development. Over the past 24 years, Barrick and its legacy company Randgold Resources have contributed $7.7 billion to the economy, of which $3 billion went to the state in the form of dividends, taxes and royalties. Our long partnership with the country and its people is a testament to how mutually beneficial a relationship of this kind can be,” Bristow said

Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is currently undertaking mining and exploration projects in Papua New Guinea, the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Australia, Peru, Chile, Russia, Mali, South Africa, Pakistan, Colombia, Argentina and Tanzania. - Africa 

(osoropj@gmail.com)