30 August 2022
South Sudan: Today Tuesday is a public holiday so that people can witness the official ceremony in which at least 21,000 soldiers graduate, the first batch of unified forces (army and police), all pledging allegiance to the same state. “A unified force was a key pillar of the revitalised peace deal signed in September 2018 to end five years of the conflict.” It has taken a long time. In 2018 “it was agreed that about 80,000 troops be trained for a unified security force”.
BBC Africa Live 30 August 2022. 8:34
BBC Africa Live 30 August 2022. 16:02
29 August 2022
“The chameleon does not change its colour to show off, it does it to live long”
BBC Africa Live 29 August 2022. 6:48 Proverb of the day. A proverb sent by Prestine Rexlex Akaeze to BBC News Pidgin.
Angola: With support strong amongst youths, especially in Luanda and other cities, victory of the UNITA-led coalition UNITA-FPU (United Patriotic Front) is probable. But “(g)iven how tightly the MPLA controlled the electoral process – from the partisan composition of the electoral commission to control of the judiciary (including the crucial Constitutional Court and the media – to the organisation of vote-counting, a fabricated result giving the MPLA above 50% of the vote was to be expected.” So the official result attributed 51% to MPLA which has reigned supreme since the country’s independence. Even with this official result, the MPLA’s loss of its two-thirds majority in parliament is most significant. UNITA is contesting the official election results.
https://theconversation.com/official-angolan-result-gives-ruling-mpla-wafer-thin-win-on-the-streets-the-outcome-isnt-believed-189478
Nigeria/Ecology: “(B)irds are an indicator species of how well the ecosystem is functioning to provide food, clean water, good soil and quality of life for people”, so monitoring birds is important. Recently, the AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute at the University of Jos has started doing it also in Nigeria, more or less a first, it seems, in West Africa. The article tells about how this was done in a nature reserve close to the institute, Amurum Forest, and what the results were.
https://theconversation.com/weve-been-tracking-birds-in-a-small-nigerian-forest-for-18-years-what-we-found-and-why-it-matters-189116
Women Entrepreneurs/South Africa: For a woman to turn entrepreneur in South Africa, having a role model is of great importance. The article’s author’s research furthermore showed that “leadership, innovativeness, curiosity, self-efficacy and motivation” are needed for women to start their own businesses.
https://theconversation.com/want-to-get-more-women-to-start-their-own-businesses-heres-what-it-takes-188998
Burkina Faso: Following “social media posts urging ‘native’ Burkinabè” to attack Peulh (Fulani), over 700 imams gathered in Ouagadougou and condemned religious and ethnic intolerance.
BBC Africa Live 29 August 2022. 18:35
Sierra Leone: 6 died in mudslides caused by heavy rains in the country’s capital Freetown.
BBC Africa Live 29 August 2022. 13:57
Tigray/Ethiopia: After a few months of truce, the war is on again. “Tigrayan forces took the Amhara town of Kobo on Saturday after pushing southwards near the border.” Fighting is ongoing in the vicinity and major towns close-by have imposed curfews.
BBC Africa Live 29 August 2022. 9:14