Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia battle for Nile River rights
During recent talks by phone between Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa—current chairperson of the African Union (AU)—El-Sisi reiterated concern about Ethiopia’s filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). El-Sisi said he seeks a fair and balanced agreement and rejects any unilateral filling of the dam’s reservoir. Ramaphosa said he hopes “intensive coordination” between...
Tunisia appoints new prime minister
Tunisia’s president has appointed Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the new prime minister of the country to form a new government and end months of political deadlock. President Kais Saied in late July designated Mr. Mechichi to succeed Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned over allegations of a conflict of interest. The new prime minister has one month to form a government capable...
Ravages of acute hunger will likely hit six in 10 in Zimbabwe: WFP
UNNEWS The World Food Program (WFP) is urgently seeking more international support to prevent millions of Zimbabweans plunging deeper into hunger. The Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated an already severe hunger crisis in Zimbabwe, UN humanitarians warned on July 30. In an appeal for an additional $250 million to support emergency relief for millions of vulnerable people, the World Food Program (WFP)...
Number of fires more than doubles in Brazil’s Pantanal
BRASILIA, Brazil—The number of fires in Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s biggest tropical wetlands, more than doubled in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, according to data released by a state institute. Officials said it was the largest number of fires in a six-month period in the last two decades. The sharp increase in fires...
Libya’s unclear future marred by internal, external conflict
Civil war is currently ratcheting up in Libya as internal saber-rattling escalates and foreign actors involved take sides and add to heightened threats of military action. Libya has been absent a cohesive government since a United States-led overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi and the Great Jamahiriya government in 2011. Since the U.S. and NATO (North Atlanta Treaty Organization) invasion, resulting in...
Challenging cultural norms and removing stigma is key to confronting Lesotho’s rape culture
Commentary THABA-TSEKA, Lesotho—The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and given rise to a new, deeply concerning wave of rape culture in Lesotho. Although the true extent is not known yet, we have noticed concerning reports that the onset of the pandemic has worsened sexual violence with more women and girls being confined to small living places whilst social tensions are exacerbated. According...
U.S. entertainment, music industry exploits South African musicians
Copyright is the most important type of protection available to musicians. It has even been boldly asserted that “the recording industry is built on copyrights.” Without copyright, wrote Stellenbosch University professor Owen Henry Dean in a 2015 study, “there is very little protection available to musicians and producers.” Taking music without compensating the original creator is at the heart of a fight...
Zindzi Mandela, an offspring of struggle, dies at 59
There is no doubt, the name Mandela is synonymous with a legacy of struggle for the soul and transformation of South Africa. Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela was an offspring in that line who continued that legacy of service into the 21st Century. Ms. Mandela, the youngest daughter of the late iconic figures Nelson and Winnie Mandela died in Johannesburg, South Africa....
Condemning Belgium’s King Leopold II and enslavement, murder of 10 million Congolese
An online petition condemning the brutality King Leopold II was nearing 100,000 signatures as this column went to press. The Belgian king, according to historical accounts including Adam Hochschild's 1998 book, “King Leopold's Ghost,” and the Hon. Elijah Muhammad's 1965 book, “Message To The Black Man,” was responsible for the deaths of 10 million Congolese at the turn...
Police brutality in the U.S., its roots and some views from the Motherland
In Senegalese scholar Mahamadou Lamine Sagna's 2019 book, “Cornel West Matters: Politics, Violence, Racism and Religion in America,” he helps explain the building pressure in America and the world that reached a boiling point with the death of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police. Dr. Sagna, who currently teaches at the American University of Nigeria and...