Africa 54 - December 29, 2020
You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa is reinstating a ban on alcohol sales and ordered the closure of all bars as a necessary step to control a resurgence of the coronavirus -- including a new variant of the virus. During a televised address Monday night, Ramaphosa also announced residents will remain under a 9pm to 6am curfew, meaning residents must be inside their home from during that time. Medical and security workers are excluded from the curfew. Ramaphosa also said all indoor and outdoor gatherings will be prohibited for 14 days from midnight Monday, except for funerals and restaurants, museums, gyms, casinos. Ramaphosa says anyone caught not wearing a mask in a public place would face a fine and a possible jail sentence. South Africa has recorded over one-million coronavirus cases and nearly 27-thousand deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Ramaphosa's announcement comes just days after a new faster spreading variant was confirmed to be present in the country.
South African medical workers are worried about the collapse of the healthcare system amid surging infections of the coronavirus. Africa 54 health correspondent Linord Moudou has more.
The French government says a roadside bomb killed three of its soldiers Monday, when their armored vehicle struck the explosive device in the Hombori region, north of Mali. The soldiers were part of France’s operation Barkhane mission, which is fighting an Islamist extremist insurgency in Africa’s Sahel region. French defense minister, Florence Parly, says the soldiers were working as part of a five-thousand troop mission in an area where terrorist groups are attacking civilians and threatening the regional stability. French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated in a press statement the nation’s determination to fight terrorism and praised the efforts of the soldiers in restoring peace and stability in the troubled region.
Election officials are still counting the ballots in Niger on Tuesday, following Sunday’s presidential election that is expected to result in the West African nation's first transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents. Results are expected in the coming days. To get more on what were the main concerns for the voters and why the election is significant for the country, Africa 54 managing editor Vincent Makori spoke via Skype to Mahmud Lalo, VOA Hausa service reporter who has been in Niamey.
At his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Kabore vowed to unite the west African nation torn by violent Islamist militant attacks as he embarks on his second and final five-year term. Kabore won the November 22nd presidential election with nearly 58 percent of the vote.
Burkina Faso was Once a stable country in the turbulent Sahel region, but the landlocked nation has been drawn into a violent security crisis during much of Kabore's first term. Islamist insurgents with links to the al-Qaeda and Islamic state terrorist groups have killed more than two-thousand people in attacks this year in Burkina Faso and nearly one-million people have been displaced, according to Reuters. Ethnic and religious tensions fueled by the militant attacks are increasing, disrupting life in once-peaceful communities.
Earlier this year, Russia claimed victory in the global race for a vaccine against the coronavirus. But as charles maynes reports from Moscow, the Kremlin’s new challenge is the vaccine’s rollout, and convincing Russians the drug is both safe and effective.
A third COVID-19 lockdown is underway in Israel after virus rates rose sharply in recent weeks. The country is headed toward a fourth election in two years after the latest coalition government imploded. But Israel seems to be having success with its rollout of vaccines and now leads the world in the number of vaccines per capita.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have found the sharpest increase in symptoms of depression is among Asians living in the United States.
A seven-year-old Ugandan boy has become a sensation in his country with his precocious display of aircraft knowledge and budding flying skills.
Some Nigerians are finding ways to spread joy during the holiday season while observing precautions against the spread of COVID-19. They are organizing remote caroling and singing from their balconies.
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