Africa 54 - November 26, 2021
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:
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, Thursday to push their demands for a fully civilian government and denounce the October coup.
Mohamed Abdelsalam says his 18-year-old son Mido was his "backbone". Last month he was killed as he protested a military coup in Sudan - one of 42 such reported fatalities.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is on the frontline with the army fighting rebellious Tigrayan forces in the northeastern Afar region, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported on Friday.Abiy was wearing military fatigues and speaking to the television in the local Oromiya and Amharic languages, according to the broadcast. Reuters could not independently verify exactly where it was filmed.
Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission on Thursday recommended prosecutions be pursued over crimes committed during the era of former President Yahya Jammeh.
Several UK tourists have expressed their disappointment and alarm after having to cut their vacations short after the detection of a new COVID-19 variant in South Africa. The EU, Britain, and India are among those announcing stricter border controls as scientists sought to determine if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that about 26 million people in various conflicts zones around Africa can not be reached by humanitarian groups. Armed groups, poor infrastructure, and the remoteness of the areas they live in mean that people must travel long distances and take great risks to access supplies or medical attention.
The Tunisian navy rescued 487 migrants on Friday from an overloaded boat that ran into difficulty in rough seas in the Mediterranean as they tried to reach Europe.
The vessel was carrying migrants from Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and the Palestinian territories. The navy said they included 13 women and 93 children. In recent months, several drowning incidents have occurred off Tunisia, with an increase in the frequency of attempted crossings from Tunisia and Libya towards Italy.
Unless Britain acts, the English Channel will become a graveyard for more migrants including young children who embark on the perilous journey for a better life after fleeing wars and poverty across the Middle East and Africa, charities said.
Cameroon's largest lake, Lake Ossa, has been invaded by salvinia molesta, an aquatic fern native to Brazil which hinders navigation, makes fishing impossible, and blocks water access. Now, to combat the spreading plant, a local aid group is training fishermen to harvest the fern and transform it into organic coal.
Germany will have a new government next month after three parties agreed to form a coalition, ousting the ruling Christian Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. The new government under Olaf Scholz faces an early test of foreign policy, as Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops on Europe’s eastern borders. Henry Ridgwell considers Berlin’s future relationship with Moscow.
NASA tests an asteroid-assaulting system to protect planet Earth. Plus, Japanese tourists are ready for the trip of a lifetime, and a look at the historic, sky-darkening lunar eclipse.
In honor of UN’S Universal Children’s Day on November 20th, Music Time in Africa Host Heather Maxwell brings music produced in 2021 by children into focus. Joining her to present is VOA Colleague Kwame Ofori.
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