July 23, 2021

Malawi Begins Classes in World’s First 3D-Printed School

SALIMA, MALAWI – Adifu Maulana quit school in 2014 to escape punishment she often received for arriving late.

She had to walk 7 kilometers to attend classes held under a tree because of Malawi’s shortage of classrooms.

But thanks to what is being called the world’s first 3D-printed school, constructed by joint-venture group 14Trees, Maulana has resumed learning. The Swiss-British group says the fast construction of computer-built schools could help alleviate a shortage of classrooms in countries like Malawi.

Maulana said she is happy because she can realize her dreams of becoming a teacher. The school is near now, she said, so she won’t arrive late at school, and her lessons are going smoothly.

The aid project 14Trees is a joint venture between Swiss cement maker LafargeHolcim and the United Kingdom’s development finance institution, the CDC Group.

The project aims to quickly construct affordable housing and schools in African countries like Malawi, which has a shortfall of 36,000 classrooms according to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Our estimate is that with conventional construction methods, it would take more than 70 years to build so many classrooms,” said Francois Perrot, managing director for 14Trees. “And we think that 3D printing can bring a lot of speed to the construction process and reduce time needed to build those schools to 10 years or even less.”

The 3D printing technology allowed the Malawi school to be built in just 18 hours; Perrot said building by hand would have taken about three weeks.

“The other advantage is that you can reduce drastically the quantity of the material that you need when you print,” Perrot said. “And this has an effect on affordability; meaning that the building becomes more affordable and also [carbon emission] is reduced, which in Malawi is up to 70% that is emitted per building.”

But even though 3D printing could transform construction around the world, its high cost is a challenge.

While the school cost about 15% less to print than to build, the 3D printing machine costs about $500,000.

“Now the other thing that we want to consider at this point will be: if this is a welcome development, who will own the 3D printing machine?” said Khumbo Chirwa, a representative of the Malawi Institute of Architects. “Will it be the local contractor, or the government will buy it and then start printing all these classrooms all over the place? Maybe that’s the discussion for another day.”

But the project implementers say costs will go down as materials begin to be locally produced.

Meanwhile, 14Trees plans to continue demonstrating the power of the technology by printing more schools and houses in Malawi as well as in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

Rising COVID Cases in Port Sudan Could Be Caused by Delta Variant

KHARTOUM – Health authorities in Sudan’s Red Sea state town of Port Sudan say they have seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent days and suspect the rise is due to the highly contagious delta variant.

Health officials say over the past week they have recorded nearly 140 new cases of the virus.

Doctor Zafaran Ahmed Azzaki, director general at the Red Sea state health ministry, told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that symptoms in the new cases appear slightly different from those identified in the previous wave of COVID-19 cases, prompting health officials to believe the new wave could be linked to the delta variant.

“The infection rate has been very high in recent days, and we still believe that there are a lot of positive cases that are not reaching the hospital. Suspected cases have increased and 90 percent of them are found positive and automatically, cases of death also have increased,” Dr. Azzaki said.

Health workers in Red Sea state recorded at least 60 COVID-19-related deaths in the past two months, about the same amount recorded during the entire six-month period of the first wave, according to Dr. Azzaki, adding that, “Death cases within this third wave have increased drastically but when you look at the timeframe of two months, it has reached 60, and this is our worry.”

Last week, state medical workers collected 170 suspected cases out of which 137 tested positive, said the state health ministry official.

The World Health Organization’s regional office for Africa reported on July 15 the continent recorded a 43% week-on-week rise in COVID-19 deaths.

Deaths increase across Africa

Continent-wide, fatalities increased to 6,273 in the week ending July 11 from 4,384 deaths in the previous week. Africa is now less than 1% shy of the weekly peak reached in January when 6,294 deaths were recorded, according to the WHO.

Africa recorded one million additional cases over the past month.

The WHO says the surge is driven by public fatigue with key health measures and an increased spread of variants. To date, the delta variant, which is currently the most transmissible of all variants, has been detected in 21 African countries.

Red Sea state health ministry officials have been unable to determine how many new cases are caused by the delta variant and say they will need assistance from a recognized outside laboratory institution.

Samples sent to South Africa

Dr. Azzaki said her team has sent some samples for testing to South Africa and expects results within a few days.

“We have already agreed to send all positive cases to South Africa so that the National Ministry of Health can confirm if the new infection is from the Indian strain or not but according to the symptoms, this strain spreads faster and its transition period is also quick,” Azzaki told VOA.

Red Sea state authorities ordered a partial lockdown in Port Sudan for a two-week period, which ended Friday, but due to the recent surge in cases, health officials have recommended the lockdown be extended for another two weeks, said Azzaki.

She called on citizens celebrating the Eid-al-Adha holiday to follow all health directives and protocols, including mask wearing, social distancing, avoiding all public gatherings, and frequent hand washing.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

US Lends More Airpower to Somalia’s Fight vs. al-Shabab

ABOARD US MILITARY AIRCRAFT – The United States is again targeting fighters with the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab terror group in Somalia, launching its second airstrike in the past four days following a nearly six-month hiatus that began when President Joe Biden took office.

The strike, by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), appears to be part of an effort to lend U.S. airpower to what has been described as a fierce struggle on the ground between the Somali military and al-Shabab in Galmudug state, the same region targeted in Tuesday’s airstrike.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told VOA and other reporters traveling aboard a U.S. military aircraft with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Friday’s strike was carried out in support of Somali forces near the village of Qeycad. He said the strike was permitted by the powers granted by the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.

Kirby added that just as with the earlier airstrike, U.S. troops were not on the ground with Somali forces but were conducting a remote advise-and-assist mission. Further information was not provided because of “operational security.”

Al-Shabab is ‘no match’

A statement issued earlier Friday by the Somali government said the precision airstrike “destroyed al-Shabab fighters and weapons with zero civilian casualties.”

“Al-Shabab’s tactics are no match for the Danab [Somali special forces] and its partners,” the statement added, further describing the strike as having a “crippling” impact on the al-Shabab fighters.

The resumption of U.S. airstrikes against al-Shabab comes as military and intelligence officials in the U.S. and around the world warn of a growing threat from the al-Qaida-linked group.

Late last month, AFRICOM Commander General Stephen Townsend told a virtual defense forum that the spread of terrorism “has continued relatively unabated” across Africa, and he singled out al-Shabab as a major concern.

“We see threats in Somalia to regional stability,” he said. “We even see threats there to the U.S. homeland.”

Security vacuum?

Those concerns are being echoed by intelligence agencies from other countries and U.N. monitors, who warned in a report released Friday that al-Shabab has been successfully exploiting a security vacuum created by the departure of U.S. troops and a partial drawdown of the African Union Mission in Somalia.

In central and southern parts of the country, al-Shabab has “encountered little resistance in capturing several towns … in areas that had previously been hostile,” the report said.

The intelligence from U.N. member states also warned that al-Shabab, already able to boast having 10,000 fighters under its command, is gaining more advanced military capabilities.

The group “has significantly increased its use of drones to conduct reconnaissance flyovers and record the activities of security forces,” the report said, warning that al-Shabab may soon start weaponizing the drones as well.

Some intelligence agencies voiced fears that the drones could be used to supplement al-Shabab’s portable air defense systems in potential attacks on low-flying aircraft and aviation infrastructure along the border with Kenya. The area has served as a critical corridor for humanitarian flights and commercial aircraft.

Earlier this year, some Somalis voiced concerns that the pause in U.S. airstrikes was serving to embolden al-Shabab, allowing key leaders to come out of hiding and their fighters to mass in larger numbers without fear.

US airstrikes

The U.S. carried out 63 airstrikes against al-Shabab in 2019 and 53 airstrikes in 2020.

Another seven airstrikes were launched in the first 2½ weeks of 2021, before former U.S. President Donald Trump left office.

Not everyone, however, is convinced that the previous pace of U.S. airstrikes has made much of a difference.

Stephen Schwartz, the U.S. ambassador to Somalia from 2016 to 2017, told VOA that airstrikes against al-Shabab and the Islamic State group have “limited or modest value” in the overall fight against extremists, but they are extremely useful “in keeping al-Shabab on its back foot.”

“With no airstrikes for months and months, I would imagine al-Shabab is more relaxed, but also more able to do the things they couldn’t, whether it’s mobility, training more in the open, just lots of things that could make them more effective,” Schwartz said.

Some Somali military officers have also expressed concerns, telling VOA that while airstrikes can be helpful, they need additional support, including better weaponry and supplies to fight al-Shabab on the ground.

Statistics compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a U.S.-based nonprofit research group, suggested that the danger to civilians in Somalia from al-Shabab actually decreased in the absence of airstrikes.

ACLED said it found 155 incidents in which al-Shabab targeted civilians in the six months before Biden took office, and just 90 in the six months after he became president.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

Ethiopian Government Accuses TPLF of Disrupting Aid Delivery to Tigray

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – The Ethiopian government accuses Tigray forces of expanding the conflict into the neighboring Afar region, the third regional state to be drawn into the conflict. Authorities say this has imperiled food aid to some of the 54,000 people who have fled their homes due to the fighting.

Mitiku Kasa, Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commissioner told the state-run Ethiopian News Agency that over 180 trucks transporting food aid for the people of Tigray are stuck at the border between Afar and Tigray.

Kasa blamed the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or the TPLF, for creating chaos and described the group as “cruel” for blocking the aid.

The fight with the Tigray forces expanded to Afar last weekend when fighters attacked residents at the border of Afar and Tigray, Afar regional authorities said.

Ahmed Kireta, the Afar Regional State Communications Office Head, said Tigray forces opened fire in the Afar region’s zone four district. Residents of the area were caught off guard, Kireta said, and accused the TPLF of killing pastoralists in the area, burning property and sexually assaulting women. He said Afar regional militia and local police known as “liyu police” are working to stop them.

Ahmed said elderly women and children were victims of the initial attack and accused the TPLF of continued fighting in three other areas of the Afar region’s fourth district.

He said there is ongoing fighting in an area called Yalo in the region’s district four, and Tigray forces have entered areas further such as Golina and Awra attacking civilians. Ahmed accused the forces of burning down and looting the town of Akar, located at the border. He said fighting continues but regional authorities are fighting back to push the forces out. As a result, 54,000 civilians have fled their homes, and regional authorities are assessing the overall damage.

Ahmed said the Afar region’s militia and police are working with federal forces to push out forces that are associated with the TPLF.

Afar is the third region to become embroiled in conflict since the war in the Tigray region began in November 2020. In the capital, Addis Ababa, the government of Ethiopia organized a rally in support of federal forces. Residents carried banners that called for an end to what they termed as foreign meddling in internal matters.

The mayor of the capital city, Adanech Abiebie, accused the TPLF of using lobbyists to create a negative portrayal of Ethiopia. She said the country’s federal forces are sacrificing their lives defending the country.

On Monday, Ethiopia’s army chief of staff, General Berhanu Jula, who hasn’t been seen in public in recent weeks, said federal forces are on standby to act if necessary.

He said if the TPLF want to achieve their goals through force, the national defense force is now more organized than it was when the war began. He says the army is armed and has experience. He added that the federal forces are just waiting for an order from the government.

Colonel Getnet Adane, Ethiopian National Defense Force Public Relations Officer, told state media that the federal forces have taken appropriate measures against the Tigray forces in fighting along the borders of the Amhara region and the Afar region.

However, Getachew Reda, TPLF spokesperson said Tigray forces are making gains on both fronts. Getachew said the Ethiopian government has tried to send brigades of fighters to the regions to fight back but they haven’t been successful.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

Record Number of People Fleeing Armed Attacks in Burkina Faso

GENEVA – The U.N. refugee agency on Friday called for concerted action to help record-breaking numbers of people forced to flee increasingly violent armed attacks in Burkina Faso.

The attacks on civilians and security forces by jihadist groups are increasing in frequency and in the level of violence. Over the past two years, more than 1.3 million people, or 6 percent of the population, have become displaced inside the country.

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the speed of internal displacement was showing no sign of slowing as armed attacks continue unabated.

“In the first half of this year,” Baloch said, “some 240,000 people fled their homes to other parts of Burkina Faso, a sharp increase compared to nearly 100,000 registered during the last six months of the year 2020.”

The UNHCR said there had been an equally alarming increase in the number of people fleeing across Burkina Faso’s borders in search of asylum. It said more than 17,500 people had fled to neighboring countries in the first half of this year.

Most have fled to Mali and Niger. However, the agency noted some refugees had fled to Mauritania and Chad, and that more risked spilling over to Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo, widening the impact of the regional displacement crisis.

Peace in Central Sahel

Baloch said a mechanism must be found to bring peace and security to Burkina Faso and to the neighboring Central Sahel countries.

“These countries, which are struggling, they may need support from other countries in the region or beyond,” Baloch said. “But what is also important is trying to take care of this displaced population. … So the call is for security in the region but also for resources, which help us to take care of this desperate population.”

The UNHCR said more money was required to meet the growing humanitarian needs in the region. It appealed for greater support from the international community. It noted that only half of the $259.3 million it requested had been received.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

More Than 200 African Men Cross from Morocco into Spain’s Melilla

MADRID – Authorities in Spain’s autonomous city of Melilla said Thursday that 238 African men have made it into the North African Spanish enclave after climbing over fences separating it from Morocco.

Sub-Saharan migrants fleeing poverty or violence regularly attempt to force their way over the 12-kilometer-long border in Melilla and in Spain’s other enclave in the northern African coast, Ceuta, as a stepping stone to reach the European continent. The migrants often attempt to cross in large groups to surprise police agents on both sides of the fences.

In one of the largest attempts in recent months, more than 300 Sub-Saharan men tried to cross in the early hours of Thursday, according to a statement from the Spanish government’s delegation in Melilla, a city of 84,000 residents.

It said the migrants were carrying hooks to climb the fences and that three Spanish Civil Guard officers were slightly injured when they tried to stop the migrants.

The 238 who made it in were taken to a migrant processing center where they need to self-isolate to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus.

They usually remain there until authorities can figure out if they can be returned to their countries or qualify for staying in Spain.

Migrant pressure on the Melilla border has increased recently, with at least five attempts to cross since May, after thousands of people – including hundreds of unaccompanied children – forced their way into Ceuta, some 400 kilometers to the west.

That sparked a diplomatic row between Spain and Morocco over the future of Western Sahara, a territory annexed by Rabat in the 1970s.

Source: Voice of America

July 23, 2021

Food Aid Remains Out of Reach for Millions in Tigray

GENEVA – The World Food Program is renewing its appeal for unimpeded access to Ethiopia’s northern province of Tigray, where an estimated four million people are suffering from acute hunger.

In a rare bit of good news, the World Food Program says the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service has transported 30 aid workers and urgently needed relief supplies for distribution across Tigray into Mekelle, the provincial capital.

The plane, which arrived Thursday, is the first passenger flight into the region in nearly a month. Commercial flights to Tigray stopped June 23. That was several days before Ethiopian authorities declared a unilateral cease-fire after eight months of deadly warfare. Tigray fighters quickly seized Mekelle and took control of the airport.

WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says his agency, which manages the U.N. humanitarian air service, plans to operate twice weekly scheduled flights. That, he says will facilitate the regular movement of humanitarian personnel and light cargo into and out of Tigray.

“Now, whilst this is positive news, we also have some not so positive news,” said Phiri. “The World Food Program is extremely concerned as the humanitarian response in the region continues to be challenged by a severe lack of sufficient food and other humanitarian supplies, limited communication services and no commercial supply chain.”

Despite the challenges, the WFP has managed to deliver food aid to more than 730,000 people in parts of the south and northwest in the past month. Phiri says the WFP hopes to reach an additional 80,000 people in the northwest in coming days.

While that is commendable, he says faster, free, and unimpeded access is needed to reach millions of Tigrayans with life-saving food. He notes a U.N. food security analysis in June projected more than 400,000 people would be suffering from catastrophic levels of hunger starting in July.

“This is a conflict that is just over eight months old now. And people have not harvested,” said Phiri. “The majority also failed to plant. They have no food left. Their grain stocks were looted. Others were displaced. Some even multiple times. And they are in bad shape and our teams are telling me that the situation is quite dire. You expect malnutrition rates to be quite high.”

Phiri says the WFP aims to assist 2.1 million people at risk in Tigray. In the meantime, he says another WFP-led convoy of over 200 trucks carrying food and other essential supplies is on standby in Semera, the capital of the neighboring Afar region.

The WFP suspended aid deliveries along the Afar route after its convoy was attacked Sunday. Phiri says the trucks are expected to depart for Tigray as soon as security is assured.

Source: Voice of America