Africa 54 - January 16, 2020
Top Stories:
The United Nations World Food Program sounds the alarm on the dire food insecurity situation facing 45 million residents across southern Africa. The vast 16-nation Southern African Development Community is in the grips of a severe drought as climate change wreaks havoc in impoverished countries struggling to cope with extreme natural disasters like cyclone Idai, which devastated Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi in 2019.
A new law in Senegal that criminalizes rape, brings hope to women who campaigned to force the west African nation to accept that rape must stop. After a unanimous vote in Parliament to criminalize rape, President Macky Sall signed the decree into law on January 10th. Previously, rape drew a maximum prison sentence of 10 years -- but campaigners say convictions were rare. The new law sets a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life.
The Tanzanian government plans to block all mobile phone sim cards that are not registered biometrically by Monday, January 20th. Officials say the move is aimed at cracking down on cyber-crime. But mobile phone users complain the deadline is too tight
A54 Business: Himien Jones returned to Liberia from the United States to start his vodka business - a cassava and sugar cane spirit that he says will not give you a headache.
#SADC #Senegal #Tanzania #Liberia
