Author: Amnewsworld

Rwandan Hutu rebels Tuesday denied allegations they were behind the killing of the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo and instead accused the armies of the DRC and Rwanda. Luca Attanasio died of his wounds on Monday after a World Food Program convoy came under fire near the eastern city of Goma while he was on a field trip, according to a senior diplomatic source in Kinshasa and the WFP. The Italian government confirmed the death and said an Italian policeman, Vittorio Iacovacci, and a driver it did not identify, had also died. The DRC interior ministry blamed…

In light of Sudan’s decision to ditch its fixed exchange rate and adopt a managed float — in line with a reform program agreed last year with the International Monetary Fund that aims to close the gap between the official and black-market rates. It is expected to shift the official rate toward black market levels — sending prices higher even as citizens already grapple with an inflation rate that topped 300% last month. Hanan Ismail Ahmed, a Sudanese woman who is not happy with the shift, shares her frustration. “Yesterday it was floated, and today I came to the market…

Despite a rise in civilians killed and injured following the start of peace negotiations, the overall numbers for 2020 were down due to lower civilian casualty rates earlier in the year. There was a rise in civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan following the start of peace negotiations in September, although overall numbers for 2020 were down due to lower civilian casualty rates earlier in the year, according to a report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office. The Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Annual Report 2020 documents the…

In 2018-19, high-income countries were spending the equivalent of $8,501 annually for every child’s education, against $48 in low-income countries. COVID-19 is only widening this spending gap. Education budgets are not adjusting proportionately to the challenges brought about by COVID-19, especially in poorer countries. Despite additional funding needs, two-thirds of low- and lower-middle-income countries have, in fact, cut their public education budgets since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the new joint World Bank – UNESCO Education Finance Watch (EFW). In comparison, only one-third of upper-middle and high-income countries have reduced their budgets. These budget cuts have been relatively…

“We are past the stage of early warning – this emergency demands urgent action. An increased humanitarian response will be needed … to prevent another wave of displacement and death,” said NRC. Rising levels of armed violence, and almost 500,000 people displaced by floods and looming famine in five states are deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. Renewed fighting in many parts of the country has escalated to levels as serious as any, since the conflict started in 2013. Delivery of humanitarian assistance continues to face significant obstructions particularly in areas hardest-to-reach. Four aid workers have also…

Hunger in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua has increased almost fourfold over the past two years – from 2.2 million people in 2018 to close to 8 million people in 2021. “Considering the level of destruction and setbacks faced by those affected, we expect this to be a long and slow recovery,” said Miguel Barreto, WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “2020 was a year to forget across the world, and even more so for communities in Central America that were dealt a series of blows.” With homes and farms destroyed, food stocks running low and…

Several thousand Algerians rallied in a northern town Tuesday, almost two years since the start of the “Hirak” protests which swept former strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power. Demonstrators brandished Algerian and Berber flags and shouted slogans against the military and current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in the rally in Kherrata, 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of the capital Algiers. “A civilian state, not military. Freedom of the press and of expression. An independent judiciary,” read one banner. It was in Kherrata that major protests first broke out on February 16, 2019, against Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term. The following week,…

In Kenya, the Food and Agriculture Organization has teamed up with the company 51 Degrees, which specializes in managing protected areas, and has rejigged software developed for tracking everything from poaching to injured wildlife or illegal logging, to hunt locust swarms.  The locusts first infested the east and Horn of Africa in mid-2019, eventually invading nine countries as the region experienced one of its wettest rainy seasons in decades. Some countries like Kenya had not seen the pest in up to 70 years. AmNews/Report.

Namibia’s national carrier on Wednesday announced it was ending operations after the Southern African country’s government approved the loss-making airline’s liquidation. “Effective Thursday, 11 February 2021, all flight operations will be canceled with all aircraft returning to base”, read a notice from the company. Customers with outstanding bookings were told ‘register their claims for refund’ by calling the company’s offices. Air Namibia had failed in its multiple recovery attempts despite several years of state bailouts. Over 600 workers are set to lose their jobs. Namibia’s government said affected staff would get full compensation. Namibia’s ministry of public enterprises, the ministry…

The South African education minister Angie Motshekga came under strong criticism for her remarks on rape. Motshekga was addressing students when she said that “an educated man won’t rape” which later attracted a lot of criticism. Students were heard murmuring in discord after she commented that she was disappointed that some educated men would still rape women. South African social media was lit after a video of her comment started trending all over with some trolling her for not understanding dynamics on rape matters. A real scourge In South Africa, rape is a scourge. Official statistics are dizzying. Over the…