Africa
Food Security
33 African countries in need of external assistance for food- FAO
A total of 45 countries and regions worldwide are in need of external assistance for food, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has warned. The FAO’s latest “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” report, which is published triannually, indicates that due to factors such as regional conflicts and adverse weather conditions, 45 countries and regions worldwide require external food assistance. Among them, 33 are in Africa, nine in Asia, two in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one in Europe.
African News: 33 African countries in need of external assistance for food March 15th 2024
Republic of Congo
Public Health
Republic of Congo reports its first mpox virus cases in several regions
The Republic of Congo has recorded its first cases of mpox in several regions, the health ministry said, an indication of how the disease may be spreading across Africa since sexual transmission was first confirmed on the continent last year. Mpox is a virus that originates in wild animals and occasionally jumps to people, who can spread it to others. The virus was previously known as monkeypox, because it was first seen in research monkeys.
African News: Republic of Congo reports its first mpox virus cases in several regions March 15th 2024
West and Central Africa
Economic
Internet disruption hits West and Central Africa, Netblocks and Cloudflare data shows
A major internet outage struck West and Central Africa on Thursday, as reported by the internet observatory Netblocks, which cited information from operators indicating multiple subsea cable failures. The precise cause of these failures remains unclear at this time. According to Netblocks data, Ivory Coast faced a severe outage, while Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso experienced significant impacts. Cloudflare, an internet firm, confirmed ongoing major disruptions in Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, and Niger through one of its monitoring accounts.
African News: Internet disruption hits West and Central Africa, Netblocks and Cloudflare data shows March 15th 2024
Senegal
Election
Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month
Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, has been released from prison ahead of the presidential election later this month, triggering jubilant celebrations across the country’s capital. Sonko is widely seen as the main challenger to President Macky Sall’s ruling party. As he left the prison complex on Thursday night, Sonko was greeted outside by crowds of supporters waving flags, chanting and holding up posters.
Yahoo News: Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month March 15th 2024
Haiti
Politics
Haiti crisis: powerful gang leader Barbecue threatens politicians as fires break out in capital
A powerful gang leader in Haiti has issued a threatening message aimed at political leaders who would participate in a planned transition council, as fires broke out amid a fresh surge of violence in the Caribbean nation’s capital. Nearby countries bolstered their border security and withdrew staff from embassies while plans to send a long-awaited international security force remain uncertain. After unpopular Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced on Monday he would step down once the council was in place, the capital, Port-au-Prince, was initially quieter, but violence appeared to be flaring up again as of late Wednesday, with a shoot-out in one neighbourhood and an attack on the police academy early on Thursday.
SCMP News: Haiti crisis: powerful gang leader Barbecue threatens politicians as fires break out in capital March 15th 2024
Russia
Elections
Russians votes in Presidential Election
Voters headed to the polls in Russia for a three-day presidential election that is all but certain to extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule by six more years after he stifled dissent. Putin’s political opponents are either in jail or in exile abroad, and the fiercest of them, Alexei Navalny, died in a remote Arctic penal colony recently. With balloting over three days in nearly 100,000 polling stations in the country, any true monitoring is difficult anyway. The elections in Russia are a sham because the Kremlin controls who’s on the ballot and how they can campaign. They also control every aspect of the voting and the vote-counting process.
AP News: Russians votes in Presidential Election March 15th 2024
UK
Security
UK Unveils New Definition of “Extremism”
United Kingdom Communities Secretary Michael Gove has unveiled the government’s new definition of “extremism” to the House of Commons. Gove’s statement to parliament comes just four days after three former Conservative home secretaries – Priti Patel, Sajid Javid and Amber Rudd – signed a joint statement with others, including Neil Basu, the former head of counterterrorism policing, warning about the risks of politicising “anti-extremism” measures. According to the new definition: “Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others” or “undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights”. It also includes anything that would “intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve” either of the above aims.
Aljazeera: UK Unveils New Definition of “Extremism” March 15th 2024
Scandinavia/Europe
Security
Signs of tension with Russia are rising in the Nordic region following Sweden and Norway’s accession to NATO
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo warned that Moscow is gearing up for a “long conflict with the West” and Denmark revealed plans to boost defence spending, as Russia continued to condemn the expansion of the Western military alliance in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said in published remarks that Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO was “a meaningless step” and Russia will deploy troops and systems of destruction to the border after Finland joins the alliance. Putin also warned the West that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the US sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict.
Aljazeera: Tension between the Nordic region and Russia March 15th 2024
