30 June 2021
Kenya: Low rainfall has led to drought in the northern counties of Marsabit, Turkana and Mandera and some of the pastoralists’ animals have died because of the drought. The three counties are now in “alarm stage” with the risk of starvation looming.
BBC Africa Live 30 June 2021. 5:41
Eswatini: Protests sparked by the death of a law student, murdered by police according to the demonstrators, have led to violent confrontations with the security forces but are continuing and have brought Manzini, the country’s economic capital, to a standstill. A curfew has been imposed and internet has been shut off, borders and the airport remain closed.
BBC Africa Live 30 June 2021. 15:33
29 June 2021
Kenya: A railway line connecting Mombasa (on the Indian Ocean) with Malaba (on the border with Uganda) is one of Kenya’s biggest infrastructure investments ever. The author(et al.)’s study of the two finished parts of that line (the third is still under construction) found that “the construction and operation of the railways has degraded, fragmented and destroyed key ecosystems. It increased soil erosion, land degradation, flooding and habitat destruction. It also affected water bodies and wildlife movement.“ The article gives many concrete examples.
https://theconversation.com/kenyas-huge-railway-project-is-causing-environmental-damage-heres-how-159813
Fossil fuels: Fossil fuels still look like the cheap way to obtain development. Globally, “contraction and convergence” may be the only way to mitigate both climate change and poverty: The rich are to reduce emissions while poor countries can at first continue increasing their emissions. Once out of poverty, the no longer poor nations would have to reduce emissions also. Besides a world map with per capita CO2 emission, the article contains a chart showing cumulative CO2 emissions by world region from 1750 to the present day.
https://theconversation.com/how-colonialisms-legacy-makes-it-harder-for-countries-to-escape-poverty-and-fossil-fuels-today-159807
Eswatini: Protesters defying the government ban on all demonstrations have been demanding major constitutional reforms over the weekend, clashing with the police. “There were unconfirmed reports that King Mswati may have fled the country as the protests intensified.”
BBC Africa Live 29 June 2021. 4:34
South Africa: The constitutional court has sentenced Jacob Zuma to 15 months in prison. It “didn’t simply find him in contempt, but spelled out the many ways in which South Africa’s former president had lied, sought to mislead the public, and ultimately tried to ‘destroy the rule of law’.”
BBC Africa Live 29 June 2021. 9:09 and also BBC Africa Live 29 June 2021. 11:31
Ghana: When Ibrahim Muhammed, a popular social media activist critical of the government, attacked on Saturday by a mob (because of being critical?) and deceased on Monday, was to be buried, protesters gathered. Clashes with security forces left two youths dead in Ejura (Ashanti region).
BBC Africa Live 29 June 2021. 17:06
Nigeria: On Sunday, Nnadmdi Kanu, the leader of separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) was arrested by Interpol and “repatriated” to Nigeria. He had “fled the country in 2017 and is facing charges of treasonable felony”.
BBC Africa Live 29 June 2021. 14:00