24 December 2022
My two main sources for the article summaries, BBC Africa and The Conversation, are in holiday mode since 19th of December, BBC Africa has switched off its “Africa Live” programme and does only “Latest Updates”, The Conversation republishes articles from its archives. As I do not invent news: sorry for the dearth of them for the time being…
Nigeria/Shell: Though continuing to NOT admit liability, Shell will pay 16m USD for pollution caused by leaks in its oil pipelines. This is the result of negotiations with NGO Friends of the Earth after a Dutch court last year decided that Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was responsible for the damage. The sum will be paid to farmers and their communities in Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo. Though the 16m USD are a fairly small amount, the payment is seen as a “milestone” and an important signal.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64075146
23 December 2022
My two main sources for the article summaries, BBC Africa and The Conversation, are in holiday mode since 19th of December, BBC Africa has switched off its “Africa Latest Updates” programme and does only “Latest Updates”, The Conversation republishes articles from its archives. As I do not invent news: sorry for the dearth of them for the time being…
South Sudan: A photo-essay by Christina Simons. 2.2 million people, almost 20% of the entire population, are thought to have fled their homes – because of conflict and because of flooding. The article – and especially the its excellent pictures – shine a spotlight on some of these internally displaced people – IDPs.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64032266
Congo-Kinshasa: As a “goodwill gesture”, the M23 has handed over Kibumba to the East African force which intervenes in the country’s war-torn east. Kibumba is a town considered strategic, about 20 km from Goma. At least half a million have been displaced as a result of fighting between the country’s army and M23 since March 2022.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 23 December 2022. 12:40
South Africa/Electricity: Eskom, the national power utility, made a loss of 704m USD in year leading up to March 2022 – half of the 1.47bn USD loss in the year before. But these improved results happened before blackouts intensified recently. The problem is still unresolved. “(C)orruption, sabotage, and criminal syndicates” as well as accumulated debts hamper Eskom according “to outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter”.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 23 December 2022. 16:34
Ethiopia/Hyenas: Hyenas are useful because they recycle “waste thrown away by humans and keep the feral dog population under control”. But in Addis Ababa and environs, they have recently increasingly attacked humans. 8 have died in such attacks over the last two years. The city’s expansion and the disappearance of forests seem to be major explanations for this, with hyenas taking up residence in unfinished buildings. Authorities are now organizing a team of hunters to get rid of the danger – by killing them or pushing them outward into forests.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 23 December 2022. 16:25
Congo-Kinshasa/Rwanda: According to a leaked report, UN experts have “found evidence to prove that Rwanda has engaged in military operations in the east of the Democratic republic of Congo including assisting the M23 rebel group”, bearing witness of “the brutality of the conflict” in Congo’s east. Having found proof of many atrocities committed by the M23 (“pillaging, theft, extortion, torture, rape and killings”), “(t)he Congolese army is also heavily criticised.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 23 December 2022. 10:51