Day: April 15, 2022

BRAZZAVILLE– African countries need to stay vigilant and weigh the risks before relaxing COVID-19 measures, despite the decreasing infections, warned the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday, in a statement, noting that, the continent is faced with risks of possible resurgence and new variants.

Africa is called for vigilance, as it is experiencing its longest-running decline in infections, since the onset of the pandemic, reads the statement, released by the WHO regional office for Africa, adding, weekly cases have fallen for the past 16 weeks, after recording around 18,000 cases and 239 deaths in the week ending Apr 10, a decline of 29 percent and 37 percent, respectively.

“Despite the decreasing infections, it is crucial that countries remain vigilant and maintain surveillance measures, including genomic surveillance, to swiftly detect circulating COVID-19 variants, enhance testing and scale up vaccination,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, noting, the possible resurgence of the pandemic and new variants.

“With the virus still circulating, the risk of new and potentially more deadly variants emerging remains, and the pandemic control measures are pivotal to the effective response to a surge in infections,” Moeti said in the statement.

With the cold season approaching in the Southern Hemisphere in June through Aug, Africa now faces a high risk of another wave of new infections, warned the WHO, adding that, new variants can impact the evolution of the pandemic, as the BA.4 and BA.5, the new sub-lineages of the Omicron variant, have been recently detected in Botswana and South Africa.

As several African countries are easing COVID-19 measures, including mask-wearing in public places, the WHO urged the continent to weigh the risks and benefits and to quickly reinstate the measures in case the epidemiological situation worsens.

As of yesterday morning, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 11,369,164. The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stood at 251,666, while 10,741,624 people who have been infected with the disease have recovered, according to the Africa CDC.

South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Africa with 3,733,919 cases, while the northern African countries, Morocco and Tunisia reported 1,164,052 and 1,038,668 cases respectively, said the Africa CDC.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

At least 35 people were killed Thursday when a bus carrying Easter worshippers crashed into a ravine in eastern Zimbabwe about 10 p.m. local time.

The bus reportedly was carrying 106 passengers of the Zion Christian Church to an Easter pilgrimage.

Seventy-one people were reported injured in the crash.

"The bodies of the victims were taken to Chipinge Hospital for post-mortem while the injured were referred to the same institution for treatment, with 13 being critically injured," said the Zimbabwe Republic Police, CNN reported.

Between 2017 and 2019, the country averaged upward of 2,000 traffic deaths per year, but that number could be much higher, CNN said.

Source: Voice of America

Editor's note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.

Impacts of Ukraine war reverberate globally

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the developing world is facing a “perfect storm” threatening to devastate many of its economies. He said 1.7 billion people could be affected by disruptions in food, energy and finance systems.

UN Chief: Ukraine War Fallout Threatens Economic Crisis in Developing World

Sexual violence, trafficking growing in Ukrainian conflict

The United Nations said Monday that Ukrainian women and children are at heightened risk of sexual violence, rape and trafficking as reports grow of such violations. U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous told the Security Council that young women and unaccompanied teenagers are at particular risk.

UN: Sexual Violence, Trafficking Increasing in Ukraine War

ICC prosecutor: Ukraine a ‘crime scene’

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan visited the Ukrainian town of Bucha on Tuesday, as workers dug up bodies wrapped in black plastic bags from mass graves. He said the country has become a “crime scene.” His office has opened an investigation into alleged crimes falling under the court’s jurisdiction.

As Calls Grow for Justice on Ukraine, ICC Steps Forward

Millions of South Sudanese face growing hunger, famine

The U.N. said this week that more than 7 million South Sudanese will be facing a food crisis by July because of floods, drought and armed clashes. About 87,000 people in the Pibor administrative area and parts of Jonglei, Lakes and Unity states are also likely to be at catastrophic levels of famine by July. About 2.9 million people will be just one step lower, at emergency levels.

South Sudan Facing Food Crisis

Move in General Assembly to hold Security Council veto holders accountable

Nearly 40 countries plan to bring a draft resolution to the U.N. General Assembly that seeks to hold the five veto-wielding countries in the Security Council accountable when they exercise that right. If adopted, the resolution would require the General Assembly to meet when one of the five permanent Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia or the United States — uses its veto to block adoption of a council resolution.

UN Security Council Veto Holders Could Face Accountability

African states abstain on Russia resolutions, may signal revival of NAM

Some African nations' repeated abstentions on U.S.-led resolutions condemning Russia at the United Nations could be a subtle signal for the revival of the Non-Aligned Movement, analysts say.

African States May Be Pushing to Revive Non-Aligned Movement, Analysts Say

In brief

Secretary-General Guterres said Wednesday that despite U.N. efforts, he does not think a nationwide humanitarian cease-fire will happen right now in Ukraine. He is hopeful, however, that several proposals the U.N. made for local cease-fires, humanitarian corridors, humanitarian assistance and civilian evacuations might still be possible, and he is awaiting a response from Russia.

The United Nations warned Thursday that as many as 6 million Somalis could face the risk of famine if the rainy season fails as expected and global food prices continue to rise. Three poor consecutive rainy seasons have deepened the country’s drought, plunging millions of people to crisis levels of food insecurity. Somalia imports 85% of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia, and the war there has also complicated the country’s food crisis. A humanitarian response plan requesting $1.5 billion is only 4.4% funded.

The U.N. says it continues to be concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Myanmar. More than 900,000 people are displaced, including more than 560,000 who have been uprooted because of violence since the military coup in February 2021. The U.N. Refugee Agency estimates that 35,700 people from Myanmar have crossed into neighboring countries. A humanitarian appeal for $826 million to assist 6.2 million people is only 4% funded.

Quote of note

“When the perpetrators walk free, the survivors walk in fear, carrying the burden of ostracism and shame.”

-- Pramila Patten, special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, to the U.N. Security Council on the need for accountability.

What we are watching next week

On April 19, the U.N. Security Council will be briefed on the situation in Ukraine by the director general of the International Organization for Migration as well as by the U.N. Refugee Agency. More than 4.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24

Source: Voice of America