How ‘food sexism’ has turned Nigeria into a pariah nation where land access is restricted by patrilineal inheritance
Last year, Nigerian farmer Odam Obat lost about two thirds of her cassava crop to devastating floods at her home in the Niger Delta – a densely populated but erosion-prone region on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. To avoid such a loss again, she decided this year to...
Malaria outbreaks in Africa linked to arrival in East Africa of Indian species of insecticide-resistant mosquito
Compelling evidence has emerged that a malaria outbreak in Ethiopia this year was caused by the arrival in eastern Africa of an insecticide-resistant species of mosquito (Anopheles stephensi). The finding complicates disease-elimination efforts in Africa – where 95 per cent of the world’s malaria infections occur – and has worried...
Qatar World Cup: Fifa directs teams to see no evil, hear no evil claiming football is not politics
Fifa chiefs Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura have sent a letter to all 32 World Cup nations pleading with them to stick to football when the tournament kicks-off. The build-up to the competition, which starts in Qatar on November 20, has been overshadowed by a raft of social issues surrounding...
UN hails agreement between Ethiopian government, TPLF rebels as ‘bold’ step to lasting peace
A peace agreement signed between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to end the two-year conflict in the want-away semi-autonomous Tigray region has been hailed by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as “bold step taken” by the two parties to conflict. In a statement issued by...
Surge in crime in South Africa raise concerns over the nation’s community policing as trust in police recedes
Against the backdrop of spiralling crime in South Africa, serious concerns have been raised about the effectiveness and necessity of the Community Police Forums (CPF). CPFs were foundational to South Africa’s 1990s transition to democracy. When first established, they provided a bridge between the police and communities in a context...
Political and military situation in eastern DRC termed dire as M23 rebels intensify war with army
Both the United Nations (UN) Secretary General and Namibian President Hage Geingob are outspoken about an escalation of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and what is termed “the worsening political and military situation” in that part of the sprawling, conflict ridden, central African country. Geingob, in his...
