By Rédaction Africanews with AFP In the largely arid Puntland region in north-eastern Somalia, where the past three rainy seasons have failed, there is nothing to see but dry water ponds, destroyed crops, and animal carcasses. As the drought intensifies, and the malnutrition rate soars, the race is on to stop another hunger catastrophe. But several international organisations have had to stop operations in the Kismayo camp and elsewhere, in large part due to aid cuts made last year by US President Donald Trump. World Food Programme Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations, Matthew Hollingworth, said there is a malnutrition…
Author: Montage Africa
Fintech platform, Kaleidofin (www.Kaleidofin.com), has closed Kenya’s first private-sector local currency securitisation in the smallholder agriculture sector, in partnership with agri-finance company Apollo Agriculture and with investment from the IDH Farmfit Fund, a blended finance impact fund, marking a significant step in developing institutional capital markets for rural lending. This first-of-its-kind securitisation in Kenya demonstrates how structured credit markets can channel institutional capital toward smallholder finance. The milestone transaction involved the securitisation of smallholder farmer credit for inputs with a value of KES 370 million, mobilising KES 276 million (approximately USD 2.1 million) in financing through the sale of these…
A baby hippo found desperately nudging its dead mother at a lake in Kenya over the weekend is now being hand-reared at a wildlife sanctuary after being rescued. The calf, which has been named Bumpy, was “just days old” when it became orphaned, according to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a charity whose keepers are now taking care of it. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which rescued the calf and handed it over to the wildlife charity for specialised care, said the mother may have died from natural causes. KWS said the mother hippo had visible injuries on its lower body, which…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP For the Senegalese children who have lost a parent to the sea, navigating the burden of grief is not easy. When an adult has died trying to reach Europe, it is the children left behind who must rebuild their broken lives, often with fewer meals and greater poverty. Many grow up too fast, forced to abandon school and burdened by the responsibility of earning money to help their family. Known as “those who remain,” their suffering is complicated by the taboo in speaking about their parents’ decisions to leave. Breaking this silence is the goal…
The hospital ship Africa Mercy® arrived in Toamasina yesterday, marking the sixth time that Mercy Ships (https://MercyShips.org) has visited the island nation since 1996. It is also her third consecutive field service to the country, reaffirming the strength of a growing partnership between Mercy Ships and the government of Madagascar. Following the recent devastation of Cyclone Gezani, the return of the Africa Mercy comes at a meaningful moment for the country. While parts of Madagascar continue to recover, Mercy Ships expresses solidarity with its people and remains committed to supporting the nation’s ongoing recovery efforts through safe surgical care and…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP The leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary said his forces are prepared to fight for decades in their war with the regular army, warning that his fighters remained positioned outside the army-controlled capital. “We do not want this war to continue,” RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo told a group of soldiers at an undisclosed location late Wednesday. But “if they [the army] want it to go on for 40 years, it will continue until they are uprooted.” The remarks by Dagalo, who is also known as Hemedti, came a day after Sudan’s army-aligned…
South Africa’s government has condemned the circulation of what it called “fake videos and images” that have been described by some as recordings of attacks on foreign nationals in the country. The call comes as diplomatic tension has increased between South Africa and other African nations following accusations that xenophobic violence is on the rise once again in the country. Ghana’s government has written to the African Union (AU) asking the continental body to discuss the issue, which it says is a “serious risk to the safety and wellbeing” of Africans in South Africa. Nigeria has also raised the issue…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP, AP In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the opposition is sharply criticising what it calls a “two‑tier democracy” after a pro‑UDPS march in Kinshasa reignited debate over United Sates sanctions and a possible constitutional reform that could open the door to a third term for President Félix Tshisekedi. While the opposition acknowledges that the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress) and its allies have the right to demonstrate, it accuses authorities of systematically repressing opposition protests. Prince Epenge, a spokesperson for the LAMUKA opposition coalition, says their marches are routinely met with violence. “There…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP In the Central African Republic’s Haute-Kotto prefecture, the NGO Esperance is supporting former child soldiers by providing them with vocational training. For teachers, it’s the chance to pass on important life skills that will equip the children for the world of work. Christophe Evariste Yonaba, a sewing teacher, said, “they come in and we give them a normal lunch. They have a short break, then we resume the training again until exactly 2 p.m. They eat enough before going back home to their parents. So they’re really motivated. There are lots of changes. They really…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP A passenger aboard the MV Hondius has made an emotional appeal from the quarantined cruise ship, as it remains anchored off Cape Verde following a deadly suspected hantavirus outbreak. Jake Rosmarin, speaking from onboard, described the fear and uncertainty facing those still confined to the vessel. “What’s happening right now is very real for all of us here. We’re not just a story, we’re not headlines, we are people — people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part. All…