Ukraine urges Mongolia to arrest Putin on international warrant

KYIV,  Ukraine 

Ukraine urged Mongolia on Friday to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on an International Criminal Court warrant when he visits on Sept. 3, but the Kremlin said it was not worried about the trip.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March of last year against Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated.

The warrant obliges the court's 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

"We call on the Mongolian authorities to comply with the mandatory international arrest warrant and transfer Putin to the International Criminal Court in the Hague," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram.

Asked earlier on Friday whether Moscow was concerned that Mongolia is a member of the ICC, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, no worries about this. We have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia."

Asked whether there had been discussions with Mongolian authorities about the ICC warrant, Peskov said: "Obviously the visit, all of the aspects of the visit have been thoroughly discussed."

UN calls for de-escalation as Israeli West Bank raids continue

NEW YORK,  United States 

Israeli forces have carried out raids in the occupied West Bank for a second day running, leading to calls for de-escalation from the United Nations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday it was beginning a "counter-terrorism operation". On Thursday, it said 12 people had been killed in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm and four in Far'a.

The Palestinian health ministry also reported 16 people had been killed since Wednesday morning.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to immediately halt its operation, saying it was "fuelling an already explosive situation".

He urged Israeli forces to "exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable".

The IDF said five were killed after "exchanges of fire" in Tulkarm with militants who had "hidden inside a mosque". It said seven people had died in Jenin.

Mohammed Jaber, who is also known as Abu Shujaa, was among those killed, according to the Israeli military. He was reportedly the local leader of the Tulkarem Brigade, which is backed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

The IDF said Jaber was linked to a number of attacks on Israelis, and was planning more.

The Tulkarm Brigade said in a statement on Telegram that its fighters ambushed an Israeli infantry unit "in response to the assassination of our commander", without naming him.

The IDF said it had apprehended 10 wanted suspects, and recovered explosives and weapons during raids in Tulkarm and Jenin.

In Far'a, the IDF said it killed four armed militants inside a vehicle.

The Palestinian Mission to the UN condemned the raids in a letter on Thursday, saying the Israeli military had "invaded homes, deliberately targeted civilians, destroyed vital infrastructure and even besieged the four main hospitals in the area".

In response to the criticism, the IDF referred the BBC to its earlier statements that said it targeted armed militants, with some linked to previous attacks.

In Jenin, ambulances were being stopped and checked by military jeeps parked around the government hospital as security forces continued their operation in the city's refugee camp.

The camp is a base for armed groups, as well as a home to unarmed civilians, and has been the scene of many fierce gun battles in the past.

Israeli forces have blocked access to the camp and Palestinian phone networks have been disrupted.

It is the second day of what Israeli media say could be a days-long operation in the West Bank.

It is one of the largest such actions in the West Bank since the days of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, two decades ago.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said the operation has a "clear goal: preventing Iranian terror-by-proxy that would harm Israeli civilians".

In recent days, Israeli politicians have accused Iran - which backs both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - of trying to smuggle in explosive devices with the aim of attacking Israel.

Israel "cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centres", Mr Danon said in a post on X.

There has been a spike in violence in the West Bank since Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Israel's operation in the West Bank "must not constitute the premises of a war extension from Gaza".

He said he was starting the process of asking EU members if they want to impose sanctions on "some Israeli ministers".

He accused the ministers - who he has not named - of "launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law".

Russian fighters to leave Burkina Faso for Ukraine

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso 

Russia is withdrawing 100 of its paramilitary officers from Burkina Faso to help in the war in Ukraine.

They are part of about 300 soldiers from the Bear Brigade - a Russian private military company - who arrived in the West African nation in May to support the country's military junta.

On its Telegram channel, the group said its forces would return home to support Russia’s defence against Ukraine’s recent offensive in the Kursk region.

There are fears the pull-out could embolden Islamist insurgents in Burkina Faso, who recently killed up to 300 people in one of the biggest attacks in years.

Burkina Faso has since 2015 suffered regular jihadist attacks, with more than two million people displaced in what aid groups call the world’s “most neglected” crisis.

The junta under interim President Capt Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, promised to end the attacks but has struggled, even after seeking new security partnerships with Russia.

With nearly half the country outside government control, jihadist groups are increasingly targeting civilians and military units.

Survivors say up to 300 people were killed on Saturday in the northern town of Barsalogho, in an attack which was claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

They were reportedly both civilians and military personnel helping to dig trenches to help protect the town against jihadist attacks.

The authorities have not said how many people were killed but Communication Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo called the attack “barbaric”.

The Bear Brigade is said to be responsible for guarding senior Burkinabè officials, including Capt Traoré, whose leadership has been threatened before.

They arrived in the same month when gunshots were fired in the Burkinabè capital near the presidential palace, heightening speculation about growing opposition to the junta leader, who claimed to have thwarted a coup attempt last year.

Videos which circulated on social media and reportedly confirmed by the group showed the Burkinabè military leader being guarded by men in uniforms featuring Russian flags.

The group says it is guarding the Russian ambassador in Ouagadougou, the Burkina Faso capital.

About 100 members of this specialised unit are set to leave the West African country, only three months after arriving.

Their sudden departure is linked to the recent Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.

"When the enemy arrives on our Russian territory, all Russian soldiers forget about internal problems and unite against a common enemy," Bears Brigade commander Viktor Yermolaev told France's Le Monde newspaper (in French).

On Tuesday, the group posted on its Telegram channel that the unit was returning to its base in Russian-occupied Crimea "in connection with recent events."

It is not clear how the Burkina Faso junta plans to compensate for the loss of military support after the partial withdrawal of the Bear Brigade.

Burkina's Faso, like its neighbours, Mali and Niger, is battling various Islamist groups, which operate in the semi-arid Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert.

The military has seized power in all three countries, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States.

They have cut ties with former colonial power France and befriended Russia instead, buying weapons and deploying fighters with the mercenary Wagner Group, now known as the Africa Corps.

However, armed groups have stepped up their attacks, particularly in Burkina Faso, despite massive recruitment by the paramilitary Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland, a self-defence militia.

Rwandan President fires General Nzaramba, other 216 army officers

KIGALI, Rwanda

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame has dismissed the former Director of Gabiro School of Infantry, Maj Gen Martin Nzaramba, 57, and other officers from the Rwanda Defence Force over corruption and misconduct.

According to a Friday statement from RDF, President Kagame dismissed Maj Gen Nzaramba alongside Col Etienne Uwimana, a radiologist and head of the Medical Imaging Department at the military hospital in Kanombe, Kigali. 

19 other senior and junior officers were also kicked out of RDF.

Kagame also authorised the “dismissal and rescission of contracts of 195 other ranks from RDF.

Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Spokesperson Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga said; “Maj Gen Nzaramba was dismissed for corruption and misappropriation of funds meant for soldiers’ welfare during his service as Commandant of Basic Military Training Centre, Nasho,” Rwivanga said on Friday, August 30.”

“Other cases of dismissal are also related to corruption and gross misconduct,” Rwivanga noted. Adding that the RDF remains firm in its policy of zero tolerance to corruption, gross indiscipline and misconduct.

The dismissals came just hours after Kagame, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Force, met with RDF Generals and senior Officers to discuss Rwanda’s peace and security priorities.

Maj Gen Nzaramba was among the top army commanders retired by President Kagame on August 30, 2023.

They included Gen Fred Ibingira, Lt Gen Charles Kayonga, Lt Gen Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, Maj Gen Eric Murokore, Maj Gen Augustin Turagara, Maj Gen Charles Karamba, Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Brig Gen Chris Murari, Brig Gen Didace Ndahiro and Brig Gen Emmanuel Ndahiro.

Al Qaeda branch says it killed 300 fighters, not civilians, in Burkina Faso attack

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso

An al Qaeda-linked group said it killed nearly 300 people in Saturday’s devastating attack in north-central Burkina Faso, but said it targeted militia members linked to the army, not civilians, the U.S. consultancy Site Intelligence Group reported.

The attack outside the town of Barsalogho was one of the deadliest in nearly a decade of Islamist violence in the West African country. A group of victims’ relatives said at least 400 were killed when jihadists opened fire on civilians digging defensive trenches on orders of the military.

Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin said soldiers and militia members were excavating the trenches when it attacked.

“Those who were eliminated in this attack are nothing but militias affiliated with the Burkinabe army … not as they lied and said that they were civilians,” JNIM said in a communique translated by Site on Thursday.

Several videos apparently filmed by the militants and released on social media showed dozens of bodies in trenches, most of them in civilian clothing.

The bloodshed highlights the danger of the authorities’ growing reliance on civilians as they struggle to combat jihadist groups that have destabilised swathes of the Sahel region since an insurgency took root in neighbouring Mali in 2012.

“Civilians are playing a significant role in the conflict,” said Ryan Cummings, director of analysis at Africa-focused risk-management company Signal Risk, referring to their recruitment into militia or in fortifying towns, as they appear to have been doing in Barsalogho.

“But civilians that are assisting the military are seen as collaborators. This has made them targets of attacks,” he said.

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta has not said how many people were killed, but said civilians, soldiers and volunteer army auxiliaries known as VDPs were among the victims.

State television reported that the attackers struck while Barsalogho locals were engaged in unspecified community work.

On Wednesday, citizen advocacy group Collectif Justice pour Barsalogho said the authorities were negligent for using the military to force the community to build trenches, “which turned out to be mass graves.”

“Our parents were led to the slaughter,” it said in a statement.

Frustrations over worsening violence led to two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022, but the new authorities have failed to stem the bloodshed. Over 6,500 civilians have been killed since the start of 2020, the nongovernmental organisation Armed Conflict Location and Event Data showed in July. More than half died under the current government.

A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case

HONG KONG, China

A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former editors of a shuttered news outlet in a sedition case widely seen as a barometer for the future of media freedoms in a city once hailed as a bastion of free press in Asia.

Chung Pui-kuen, the former chief editor of Hong Kong's now-shuttered outlet Stand News, walks outside on bail after he was found guilty in a landmark sedition trial under a colonial-era law, in Wanchai District Court in Hong Kong on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.

The trial of Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was Hong Kong’s first involving the media since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Stand News, which closed in December 2021, had been one of the city’s last media outlets that openly criticized the government as it waged a crackdown on dissent following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

It was shut down just months after the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, whose jailed founder Jimmy Lai is fighting collusion charges under a sweeping national security law enacted in 2020.

Chung and Lam had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications — charges that were brought under a colonial-era sedition law used increasingly to crush dissidents. They face up to two years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $640) for a first offense.

Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Ltd., the outlet’s holding company, was convicted on the same charge. It had no representatives during the trial, which began in October 2022.

Judge Kwok Wai-kin said in his written judgment that Stand News became a tool for smearing the Beijing and Hong Kong governments during the 2019 protests.

He said a conviction is deemed proportional “when speech, in the relevant context, is deemed to have caused potential damage to national security and intends to seriously undermine the authority of the Chinese central government or the Hong Kong government, and that it must be stopped.”

The case was centered on 17 articles Stand News had published. Prosecutors said some promoted “illegal ideologies,” or smeared the security law and law enforcement officers. Judge Kwok ruled that 11 carried seditious intent, including commentaries written by activist Nathan Law and esteemed journalists Allan Au and Chan Pui-man. Chan is also Chung’s wife.

The judge found that the other six did not carry seditious intent, including in interviews with pro-democracy ex-lawmakers Law and Ted Hui, who are among overseas-based activists targeted by Hong Kong police bounties.

Chung appeared calm after the verdict while Lam did not appear in court due to health reasons. They were given bail pending sentencing on Sept. 26.

Defense lawyer Audrey Eu read out a mitigation statement from Lam, who said Stand News reporters sought to run a news outlet with fully independent editorial standards. “The only way for journalists to defend press freedom is reporting,” Eu quoted Lam as saying.

Eu did not read out Chung’s mitigation letter in court. But local media outlets quoted his letter, in which he wrote that many Hong Kongers who are not journalists have held to their beliefs, and some have lost their own freedom because they care about everyone’s freedom in the community.

“Accurately recording and reporting their stories and thoughts is an inescapable responsibility of journalists,” he wrote in that letter.

After the verdict, former Stand News journalist Ronson Chan said nobody had told reporters that they might be arrested if they did any interviews or write anything.

The delivery of the verdict was delayed several times for various reasons, including awaiting the appeal outcome of another landmark sedition case. Dozens of residents and reporters lined up to secure a seat for the hearing.

Resident Kevin Ng, who was among the first in the line, said he used to be a reader of Stand News and has been following the trial. Ng, 28, said he read less news after its shutdown, feeling the city has lost some critical voices.

“They reported the truth, they defended press freedom,” Ng, who works in risk management industry, said of the editors.

Stand News shut down following a police raid at its office and the arrests of its leaders. Armed with a warrant to seize relevant journalistic materials, more than 200 officers participated in the operation.

Days after Stand News shut down, independent news outlet Citizen News also announced it would cease operations, citing the deteriorating media environment and the potential risks to its staff.

Hong Kong was ranked 135 out of 180 territories in Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index, down from 80 in 2021. Self-censorship has also become more prominent during the political crackdown on dissent. In March, the city government enacted another new security law that raised concerns it could further curtail press freedom.

Francis Lee, journalism and communication professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the ruling on which articles were seditious appears to be drawing lines. Whenever an article is about a one-sided political stance, highly critical or viewed as lacking factual basis, then that could be considered as smearing, Lee said.

Some of the court’s logic differs from how journalists typically think, he said. Journalists “may have to be more cautious from now on.”

Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the ruling is in line with “the anti-free-speech trend” of rulings since the 2020 security law took effect, criminalizing journalists carrying out their professional duties.

Foreign governments criticized the convictions. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X that it was a “direct attack on media freedom.”

However, Eric Chan, Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration, insisted that when journalists conduct their reporting based on facts, there would not be any restrictions on such freedom.

Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police national security department, told reporters the ruling showed their enforcement three years ago — criticized by some as a suppression of free press — was necessary.

Botswana's ODC seeks $300 million loans for diamond purchases

GABARONE, Botswana

Botswana’s state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) seeks a $300 million credit facility from local banks to support larger volumes of diamond purchases, Finance Minister Peggy Serame said on Thursday.

ODC, established in 2012 as an independent window for the government to sell diamonds outside of the De Beers channel, currently gets 25% of its production from Debswana, a joint venture between Botswana and Anglo American’s De Beers.

In June last year Botswana and De Beers agreed a new 10-year diamond sales agreement, which will see ODC’s share of Debswana output rise to 30% initially and then increase gradually to 50% by the end of the deal, as the country seeks to get more revenue from its resources.

Following the maturity of a $140 million working capital facility in 2023, Serame said ODC has appointed Standard Chartered Bank to structure and coordinate a new $300 million syndicated revolving working capital facility.

ODC is currently only able to afford purchases up to $70 million using its own cash reserves, Serame told lawmakers as she sought approval for a $175 million government guarantee for the new credit facility.

“The $175 million government guarantee will crucially support ODC’s increased entitlement of 30% to Debswana’s rough supply, as well as assist the company in negotiating favourable rates in the local market on a new working capital facility,” Serame said.

The diamond industry is currently going through a market downturn which has seen sales at Debswana fall 49% in the first half of the year.

In October last year, ODC temporarily halted its rough sales as part of an industry wide drive to reduce the glut of inventory in the cutting and polishing industry caused by weaker global demand for jewellery.

The diamond industry is expected to start recovering from the impact of weak global demand during the fourth quarter of 2024, Serame said, and availability of the credit facility would put ODC in position to benefit from the recovery.

Israel agrees to pauses in fighting for polio vaccine drive

GAZA, Palestine

Israel has agreed to a series of three-day “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to allow UN health officials to administer polio vaccinations in the territory, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

“The way we discussed and agreed, the campaign will start on the first of September, in central Gaza, for three days, and there will be a humanitarian pause during the vaccination,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the agency’s representative for Palestinian territories.

The vaccination rollout will also cover southern and northern Gaza, which will each get their own three-day pauses, Peeperkorn told reporters, adding that Israel had agreed to allow an additional day if required.

Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday night the new measures were “not a ceasefire.”

Hamas said it supports the “UN humanitarian truce.”
The United States and European Union have both voiced concern over polio in Gaza, after the first case there in 25 years was confirmed this month in an unvaccinated 10-month-old baby.

UN agencies have said they plan to provide oral vaccines against type-2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) to more than 640,000 children in the territory.

Poliovirus is highly infectious and most often spread through sewage and contaminated water — an increasingly common problem in Gaza with much of the territory’s infrastructure destroyed by Israel in its war against Hamas.

The disease mainly affects children under the age of five. It can cause deformities and paralysis, and is potentially fatal.

Nigeria and Niger sign security cooperation agreement amid tensions

ABUJA, Nigeria

Despite strained relations following last year’s coup in Niger, Nigeria and Niger have signed a new security cooperation agreement.

Announced by the Nigerian army on Thursday, the accord aims to bolster regional stability and security.

"Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strengthening collaboration for regional stability and security," stated a Nigerian army communiqué following the signing of the memorandum of understanding by defense chiefs from both countries in Niamey, Niger's capital, on Wednesday.

The coup in July 2023, which ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, strained relations between Nigeria and Niger and caused divisions within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The coup raised concerns about efforts to combat Islamist violence in the region.

ECOWAS had threatened military intervention in Niger if diplomatic efforts to restore the democratic government failed, prompting Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to withdraw from the 15-member bloc in January.

These countries criticized ECOWAS for not aiding in their fight against Islamist violence and subsequently formed the Alliance of Sahel States with a military agreement.

Niger, though reducing its participation, remained part of the Nigeria-led Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) fighting Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

The new agreement signals Niger's intention to re-engage actively in security cooperation within the MNJTF framework, according to the Nigerian communiqué.

Dogs feast on bodies as a town cemetery runs out of space in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda

Locals in Luwero town council in Uganda have raised serious environmental and health concerns as the cemetery and dumpsite, purchased two decades ago, reached full capacity.

Following the fill-up, officials have resorted to shallow burials, stacking bodies on top of each other, or dumping them in a single pit at the 2.5-acre public cemetery located in the Kalongo Zone which also works as a garbage dump for waste collected from residents.

The cemetery on average receives at least five unclaimed bodies each week, many retrieved from accidents, murder scenes, and other incidents across the district according to authorities. The situation has been further exacerbated by an influx of Sudanese refugees, who are also buried in the same cemetery upon their death.

Simon Ssebale, a local resident noted that dogs have been exhuming the bodies and feeding on the remains. Doreen Zawedde, another resident, pointed out the heavy stench emanating from the cemetery due to the poor burial practices employed by the town council workers.

Irene Nambaasa, also a resident, warned that the improper disposal of bodies poses a significant risk of disease outbreaks to the community. The garbage dumpsite, located on the same piece of land has also reached its full capacity.

With no space left, garbage is now being dumped on roads or in residential compounds. Luwero district councillor Robert Majanja Ssekubulwa voiced concerns about a potential cholera outbreak as the rainy season approaches, fearing that overflowing garbage could flood into residential areas.

He urged the town council to relocate both the cemetery and the garbage dump to a new location to safeguard residents' health. Luwero LC III chairperson Chris Johns Buwembo noted that the district has allocated Shs 50 million in the 2024/25 financial year to purchase alternative land for these purposes.

Buwembo also appealed to the government for assistance in managing the town's daily garbage collection, as the town council is currently overwhelmed.

"It's is full, you cannot dump there now...if we keep pushing it and pushing, it can be of great problem whereby it can cause the same like what happened in Kiteezi. So basically, right now we're yearning for any help but basically from the government to find a way of helping us in Luweero to see that we get at least a piece of land where we can transfer the garbage. Two, to have the machines that can help us in collecting the garbage here and there. We allocated Shs 100m to procure a garbage truck which is also not sufficient. We also had to budget some Shs 50m for land procurement, the process is starting but Shs 50m is not substantial enough," said Buwembo.

This crisis follows a recent tragedy in Kampala at the Kiteezi garbage landfill, where a collapse led to the deaths of at least 35 people and displaced over 100 others.

As the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) searches for alternative land for garbage disposal, numerous town councils, municipalities, and cities across the country are also struggling with waste management, raising fears of similar disasters.

EAST AFRICA Newspapers 30/08/2024

China's lending to Africa increased in 2023, study shows

By Kate Bartlett, JOHANNESBURG South Africa 

Chinese lending to Africa rose for the first time in years in 2023, new research by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center showed Thursday. 

But the $4.61 billion loaned last year is still far less than China’s commitments to the continent pre-pandemic.

In the heady early days of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, China’s loans to Africa surpassed $10 billion each year.

That lending dropped sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and stayed low as China experienced its own economic slowdown. The decrease in loans also came as some African borrowers entered drawn-out debt overhauls.

Lucas Engel, a data analyst who co-authored the Boston University study, explained why he thinks lending was up somewhat in 2023 despite China’s troubles.

“Investment should be viewed in the context of China’s overall economic heft and the importance China attaches to its relationship with Africa,” Engel said, “especially strategically important long-term borrowers that China has developed close relationships with.”

The Boston University paper found a couple of trends when analyzing China’s loans to eight African countries and two regional financial institutions last year. 

The researchers said one thing that was unique was that more than half the money was loaned to African multilateral banks.

They said this was likely a form of risk mitigation, and Cobus van Staden, managing editor at the China Global South Project, a thinktank based in Pretoria, agreed.

“If you’re lending to African multilateral institutions, that means you are in a mix of lenders and there are de-risking mechanisms in place, partly because the risk is also separated across many actors,” van Staden said. “If you’re lending bilaterally, particularly to a government, then you … the risk impact is higher.”

Despite this growing risk aversion, the researchers noted China was still lending to three major longtime borrowers: Angola, Nigeria and Egypt.

Critics have accused China of ensnaring African countries in “debt traps,” by which large sums owed to Chinese companies make African governments beholden to Beijing economically and politically.

However, economists have widely debunked the "debt trap" theory.

Another thing the Boston University research found was that China was once again committed to energy lending after a two-year hiatus. China committed loans to three renewable energy projects in Africa in 2023, in solar and hydropower.

This is in line with China moving away from the large infrastructure projects of the past to so-called “small is beautiful” projects and a “green BRI.”

Lauren Johnston, associate professor of China studies at the University of Sydney, said it was not surprising that despite the 2023 uptick, China’s loans to Africa hadn’t rebounded to anywhere near previous levels. She noted that initially China was financing large projects like the building of dams, roads and railways. Now, that’s done.

“Maybe this is like a period of consolidating those investments rather than just carrying on and building the next big investment,” Johnston said. 

“It’s a period to consolidate and grasp the economic value and imbed the returns and successes, and learn from any issues with those earlier loans.”

Next week, Xi will address African leaders gathered in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Nigeria becomes first African country to obtain Mpox vaccines

ABUJA,  Nigeria 

Nigeria has become the first African country to obtain mpox vaccines.

It received 10,000 doses vaccine from the United States of America.

Nigerian authorities have reportedly prioritized five states (Bayelsa, Edo, Cross-River, Lagos, and Rivers) with the highest burden of mpox cases.

Mpox cases have been confirmed in more than 10 of Nigeria's 36 states.

The ceremonial signing in Abuja Tuesday (Aug. 27), came one week after the World Health Organisation declared a global health emergency.

"Today's handover ceremony symbolizes more than a transfer of vaccines, it exemplifies the power of international cooperation in addressing global health challenges and local health challenges," Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director and CEO of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency said.

"We're aware that this vaccine is not exactly in surplus supply. I believe we are getting 10,000 of the about 200,000 doses that are available globally."

The United States government has donated the Jynneos (MVA) vaccine to Nigeria.

Getting an mpox vaccine can help prevent infection. It is recommended for people at high-risk of getting mpox.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the epicentre of the global outbreak. The US has pledged to donate to the country 50,000 doses.

The US envoy to Nigeria explained why Nigeria received the first delivery.

"Nigeria government has put together a vaccination plan. So, there's a plan on how to use these vaccines effectively, how to make sure we get the most effect out of this 10,000 vaccine donation. So that's very much why Nigeria was chosen to receive this first batch. We will continue to work with Nigeria on efforts to stop the spread of the monkeypox illness."

According to the WHO, most people with mpox will recover within 2-4 weeks.

The goal of treating mpox is to take care of the rash, manage pain and prevent complications.

Xi meets U.S. national security advisor

BEIJING, China

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the Great Hall of the People here on Thursday.

Xi pointed out that in this changing and turbulent world, countries need solidarity and coordination, not division or confrontation. People want openness and progress, not exclusion or regress.

As two major countries, China and the United States should be responsible for history, for the people and for the world, and should be a source of stability for world peace and a propeller for common development.

While great changes have taken place in the two countries and in China-U.S. relations, China's commitment to the goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, the principle of handling the relationship based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation remains unchanged, its position of firmly safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged, and its efforts to carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and American people remain unchanged, Xi said.

Xi expressed the hope that the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction, view China and its development in a positive and rational light, see each other's development as an opportunity rather than a challenge, and work with China to find a right way for two major countries to get along.