06 October 2021
Somaliland: The deportation – for “reasons of insecurity” – of about 1,000 Somalis who had lived in the area for close to 20 years has been condemned by OCHA, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
BBC Africa Live 06 October 2021. 6:02
Mali: The French ambassador was summoned by Mali’s foreign ministry to protest against Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments which had accused the government of “non-work” and abandoning its responsibilities.
BBC Africa Live 06 October 2021. 4:39
BBC Africa Live 05 October 2021. 17:03
Mozambique/SADC: The mission of SADC troops to fight insurgents in northern Cabo Delgado province has been extended beyond 15th of October at an extraordinary SADC summit yesterday Tuesday.
BBC Africa Live 06 October 2021. 7:30
05 October 2021
East Africa/droughts: Up to 1999, linked to the natural, recurring La Niña phenomenon (cooling of ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific) droughts would happen “once every five or six years. But since 1999, poor March to May rains are coming every two or three years”, as the climate change-induced warming of the West Pacific tends to reduce rainfall in eastern Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The article’s author predicts another bad drought for 2021/22 – early action is needed. The author gives examples of action needed: “providing cash to vulnerable farmers and pastoralists; distributing drought-tolerant seeds; conducting animal health treatment campaigns; providing livestock supplementary feed; providing schools adequate drinking water; assisting families with cash payments so they can afford to keep their children in school.” The time to act is now.
https://theconversation.com/scientists-sound-the-alarm-over-drought-in-east-africa-what-must-happen-next-168095
Male violence/South Africa: In the author’s opinion, “to change male violent behaviour towards females, there is a need to focus on changing male thought patterns that drive gender-based violence and femicide.” For example, women and girls being seen as ‘property’ fosters an entitlement mentality. Men and boys need to be resocialised. To start this, the curricula from primary to tertiary education could be changed.
https://theconversation.com/change-what-south-african-men-think-of-women-to-combat-their-violent-behaviour-167921
Refugees & Self-reliance: Immediate needs often eclipse the overall aim of work with refugees: self-reliance/a new life in a new community with dignity. To help evaluate work with refugees, a tool has been developed: the Self-Reliance Index, officially launched in 2018. Easy to handle, this tool is available for free download on the Self-Reliance Index website (https://www.refugeeselfreliance.org/self-reliance-index). Note that the index has not been developed for high-income contexts/countries – in Africa, it is being used in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.
https://theconversation.com/refugee-aid-should-be-about-achieving-self-reliance-how-were-measuring-it-168756