August 24, 2021

Volunteers Tackle COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in South Africa

Despite COVID-19 vaccine being available to all South African adults, uptake remains low with just 20% of adults having received a first dose.

The Muslim Association of South Africa is one of many groups combatting vaccine hesitancy by delivering shots to doorsteps.

Dawn Crotz received her Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from a paramedic in the comfort of her south Johannesburg home.

While the vaccine has been available to the 64-year-old since April, Crotz said rumors about the side effects made her hesitate. But the reality of the deadly virus changed her mind.

“I decided to get it because I saw my daughter-in-law’s father got so sick he passed away,” Crotz said. “And then I thought I might also get it. I take a flu vaccine every year. I go in and I buy it and they give it to me. And then I thought, ‘No, let me do this also.’”

With South Africa’s COVID-19 death toll surpassing 79,000, volunteer health workers are scrambling to quell people’s vaccine fears.

The country’s Muslim association launched an at-home vaccination program to provide individual attention to allay concerns and to remove the barriers of traveling to a clinic.

Muhammad Varachia is one of the paramedics delivering at-home vaccine.

“I think it’s just a misconception, people reading on social media, people hearing from different people that is bad for you, that it’s man-made,” Varachia said. “How can we create a vaccine in a year, etc, etc. So, there’s a lot of hesitancy that we’ve come across, but we put their fears to bed.”

Another problem is access to transportation and basic information about how one can get the vaccine, especially among the elderly.

“The registration for vaccines are electronic,” Varachia said. “And even though you can also register at sites, you need to know where the sites are, before you can show up there.”

For some people, like 22-year-old Kurt Fischer who is quadriplegic, getting to a vaccination site is difficult both physically and mentally.

While the rest of his family had been vaccinated, his father, Kevin Fischer, said having an at-home option for his son was a game changer.

“I would have sacrificed not having it to give him my shot, if possible, that he’s, he’s first,” Fischer said. “The familiarity of being able to be in his house is a big benefit, that there’s no stress of going to a foreign venue.”

Experts said volunteer efforts are closing the gap in vaccinating more people, especially those most vulnerable.

President Cyril Ramaphosa applauded the country’s youth on Monday for rushing to sites as vaccines were made available to those as young as 18.

But experts warn that fears and other barriers still need to be addressed, or the latest uptick could fizzle out as it did among older age groups.

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

Nigeria: Two Officers Shot Dead, One Kidnapped in Attack on Defense Academy

Armed men in Nigeria have attacked the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) in Kaduna State, killing two officers and abducting a third.

The Defense Academy’s public relations officer, Bashir Muhd Jajira, confirmed what he called a security breach in a statement.

He said the dead officers were a lieutenant commander and a flight lieutenant in the navy and air force respectively, while the abducted one is a major in the army. He also said an officer who was wounded during the attack is being treated.

Jajira said a search team comprising of the army, air force and other security agencies have begun a rescue mission.

An unspecified number of gunmen gained entry into the defense academy about 1 a.m. local time Tuesday.

The attack highlights the growing violence in Nigeria by criminal groups often operating in the country’s northwestern region.

Last week, tens of people were killed in sectarian violence in southern Kaduna state. In Northwest Zamfara state, gunmen abducted some 75 people Saturday after killing at least four. The abductees are yet to be freed.

Darlington Abdullahi, vice president of the Nigerian Defense Alumni association, explains why the attacks persist despite security forces’ efforts to stem the crisis.

“The forests that they’re operating in, they’re more used to forest life than the people or than the security personnel that now have to move into some of those areas, coupled with the fact that every care must be taken before you approach the forest before you try to attack them, take on them in the forest,” Abdullahi said.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015 on the promise he would end widespread insecurity in the country.

Last week, Buhari met with security heads and said he does not want to leave office as a “failure.”

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

All-Female Vegan Rangers Leading Anti-Poaching in Zimbabwe

The impact of the pandemic has increased wildlife poaching around Zimbabwe’s national parks, as people who lost their jobs hunt the animals for food. To help protect the animals, anti-poaching organizations have been formed, including a squad of vegan, women rangers.

Those are recruits of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation on a drill near Mana Pools National Park, about 300 kilometers north of Harare.

Nyaradzo Auxillia Hoto has been part of this group, known as Akashinga, the Brave Ones, since it started in 2017 to fight poaching here. The 29-year-old Hoto says she does not fear poachers or wildlife.

“I am not even afraid. At first, yeah, I was a bit afraid. But now we have been taught on animal behavior and also because of time I have spent in the bush now I have experience of how to handle animals. Whenever I experience even a lion, I won’t be scared. But I would like to study more and to know more about the animals, especially the one I am protecting,” she said.

The women are well-armed, and if they encounter poachers, they detain them, and turn them over to police for prosecution.

Damien Mander, an Australian national and an Iraq war veteran, formed the Akashinga project. He says anti-poaching patrols will help preserve Africa’s wildlife, which has been under steady assault from poachers for decades.

“It was a trial in the beginning on one reserve in northern Zimbabwe, we started with 16 women protecting 90,000 acres. We now got 240 staff as part of this program. We now have eight reserves that we patrol. We are on target to have 1,000 staff by 2026,” he said.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesman of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, says the efforts of such conservation groups are helping to fight poaching in this wildlife-rich country.

“These people have been provided the much-needed resources like patrol, in terms of anti-poaching law enforcement. The same partners some give us vehicles for patrol, some give us fuel, so that we are visible on the ground, our law enforcement is always intact, our rangers are always equipped. Those are some of the problems we always face: that our national parks are in extreme weather conditions. So they need tents, sleeping bags, uniforms, boots. All those things if you put them together it means we can do wonders. Because of these activities and partnerships, we are visible on the ground and less of poaching incidences are recorded in our national parks,” said Farawo.

With more rangers coming on board, Zimbabwe hopes to eliminate poaching in its entirety, and ensure the safety of wildlife roaming the national parks.

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

Somali Forces Recapture Town After Brief Al-Shabab Seizure

Somali security forces recaptured the town of Amaara in the central Galmudug region after al-Shabab militants briefly took over early Tuesday following a dawn attack.

The attack on Amaara and a subsequent roadside explosion in the same vicinity killed at least six people, including four Somali soldiers.

Witnesses and officials told VOA that al-Shabab militants began their attack with a suicide vehicle-borne explosion detonated near an army base.

Galmudug Information Minister Ahmed Shire Falagle confirmed the attack to VOA but disputed allegations that the town fell to al-Shabab. Falagle said the militants loaded a truck with sheep and goats to disguise the explosive-laden vehicle.

He said the truck exploded near a military camp, killing two civilians and three soldiers. A fourth soldier died, and six others were injured after their vehicle struck a landmine in the same vicinity, officials said.

Falagle told VOA that an airstrike targeted the militants near Amaara, but he did not give details.

The U.S. military in Africa, known as AFRICOM, later confirmed conducting a “collective self-defense” strike against al-Shabab fighters. AFRICOM said the militants engaged in active combat with Somali forces.

Initial assessment of the airstrike is that no civilians were injured or killed, AFRICOM said.

Amaara is one of three towns recently captured by Somali forces, with the U.S. providing occasional air support after al-Shabab reportedly posed threats to Somali forces, including the Danab unit trained by the U.S. military.

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

Cameroon Says 40 Villages Razed, Thousands Displaced Fear Returning

Cameroonian authorities are urging thousands of villagers who fled northern Cameroon after a violent conflict between herders and fishers this week to return home. The villagers fled across the border into neighboring Chad after clashes over resources left farms and villages destroyed.

Cameroon says the conflict between cattle ranchers and fishermen has displaced people in Logone and Chari villages, but residents are reluctant to return due to concerns of ongoing violence in the country’s northern border with Chad.

Midjiyawa Bakari is the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, where the Logone and Chari Division is located.

Bakari insists that Mousgoum fishermen and Arab Choua cattle ranchers are fighting over water resources to maintain control over their natural habitats. He wants all civilians to know that Mousgoum fishermen also clash among themselves over water in fishing areas. He adds that the Arab Choua cattle ranchers have informed Cameroon government officials on several occasions that their peers allow cattle to stray out of ranches in search of water, causing tensions between Arab Choua cattle ranchers.

Bakari said Mosgoum and Arab Choua communities are not fighting to chase each other from territories they have been living in for decades.

Last week, the central African nation reported at least 11,000 civilians were displaced by conflicts between Mousgoum fishermen and Arab Choua cattle ranchers over water usage. Cameroon said 10,000 civilians jumped across the Logone river separating Cameroon and Chad to Chadian border towns and villages.

Kamssouloum Abba Kabir is an Arab Choua community leader and a lawmaker in Cameroon National Assembly’s lower house of parliament. He says peace is gradually returning to both communities.

He is pleading with displaced Arab Choua community in Cameroon and Chad to return home, he says, seeking peace and hoping to reconcile. He has called on the Arab Choua community members in Logone and Chari, an administrative unit on Cameroon’s northern border with Chad, to drop their weapons for peace and return.

Cameroon President Paul Biya held a 5th crisis meeting in Kousseri, the capital of Logone and Chari Division Monday. During the meeting, it was reported that 43 people have been killed and more than one hundred wounded in the clashes, including 40 villages burned.

Dougmbe Ahamat, a fisherman and spokesperson of the Mosgoum community, says civilians fear returning because their livelihoods have been destroyed.

“It is difficult for displaced Mosgoum fishermen and their families to return when their villages have been burnt down and fishing lands destroyed,” he said. “The social and economic consequences of the clashes are enormous, and many men were killed, and their wives and children do not know who to rely on.”

Bakari said the government will be sending assistance to the victims but did not say when. He, however, distributed food and matrasses to at least 200 displaced people who returned on Monday.

Mahamat Bahar Marouf is a traditional leader also known as Sultan of Logone-Birni, in another town in Logone and Chari Division.

Marouf says the Mosgoum and Arab Choua communities should learn to settle their disputes peacefully because they will forever live in Logone and Chari. “Fighting instead of exploiting limited natural resources in a sustainable manner will only bring misery to both communities, deepen poverty and underdevelopment,” he said.

Cameroon says it will send government officials, cleric and traditional rulers to Chad in the coming days to encourage people to return home.

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

New Zambian President Promises Bold Agenda

New Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema took office on Tuesday, 12 days after defeating incumbent Edgar Lungu in a general election.

VOA’s Peter Clottey sat down with Hichilema before Tuesday’s inauguration to discuss goals for his five-year term. Hichilema covered a wide range of topics and promised to improve a poor economy, defend human rights, and have better relations regionally and with Washington.

Excerpts from the 55-minute interview:

VOA: What would you want to have achieved within the first 100 days?

Hichilema: One, we want to reunite this country. This country has been divided for so many years and the divisions are visible. You just have to look anywhere, you see them in the workplaces, in the market areas, divisions all over.

We can then do the second anchor of what we are selling… reconstruction, rebuilding our country. So that’s rebuilding the country economically to bring back economic prosperity, to bring back investment, to bring back jobs, to expand jobs, to expand food for people.

VOA: What do you plan to do about the crackdown on press freedom and civil liberties?

Hichilema: Before this new dawn, citizens ran away from the police because the police tear gassed them, the police discharged live ammunition on them. Not anymore. The police who operate law and order keep law and order, but in a humane way, in a civilized way. And what does that mean to the population? It means that they can go about their business. And so we have called for the police to be professional in their conduct and that we will not inject political underhand methods.

VOA: What are your plans to address the debt situation?

Hichilema: We’ll put an eagle eye on it because we don’t want to lay more debt on already overburdened economics… We know that the debt was overpriced in many cases, especially project related debt… We’ll look at those issues with a keen eye and see what opportunities we have to dismantle this debt.

VOA: What is you plan to deal with public corruption following news that the state coffers are empty due to financial malpractices?

Hichilema: Our policy is very clear: zero tolerance to corruption. Zero and I mean zero. You come to protect public assets, you’ve come to grow these public assets, not to deplete them. I think it’s important that that message goes to my colleagues in the European Union, the allies, and the people in the civil service… We are going to strengthen the institutions that help us to fight corruption.

VOA: What is your message to the people who suffered under the previous administration and who are demanding a pound of flesh?

Hichilema: There was a perception that if you use force, then you stay in power. We have proved that wrong. I’m sure you remember at one point I couldn’t enter my own town and I asked the question: ‘Why should I not enter this town? Since when did I need a passport to enter this town?’ I don’t want to continue articulating those issues. But I want to say that, that’s over. So, the first thing we do is clearing that, that no one needs a permit. No one needs a license from anyone to hold a meeting… We will not allow other people to go through the pain we have gone through.

VOA: How do you want the already warm relations between Washington and Lusaka to be under your leadership?

Hichilema: Our values are very clear. We espouse clear values: constitutionalism, democracy, and democratic space to all, in accordance [with] our constitution, in accordance to subsidiarity laws. We ascribe the rule of law, order in society, respecting fundamental human rights, liberties, and freedoms.

VOA: What role do you think Zambia can play in promoting democracy within the SADC’s region and by extension Africa?

Hichilema: We think that we have already sent a signal that we are a child of democracy. We are a product of democracy… and we got elected against all odds. Honestly, we are a good example of how democracy must evolve even under brutal conditions.

So we are willing on the SADC’s platforms, African Union platforms to, in a small way, because we’re the new kids on the block, offer our own experiences so that others can either emulate or do even better.

VOA: What is your message to the people of Zambia after your success at the recent polls?

Hichilema: We have not overpromised anything. We have answered what people’s cries are. And with the people, with the difficult financial situation, with the support of those who believe in what we are doing, and democracy and rule of law, we think all of these factors brought together will begin to dismantle a very difficult situation and deliver for the people of Zambia over a five-year period.

Source: Voice of America

August 24, 2021

Jailed Chadian President Habre Dies in Senegal

Former Chadian president Hissene Habre, who was serving a life term in Senegal for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has died, Senegalese Justice Minister Malick Sall said Tuesday. He was 79.

“Habre is in his Lord’s hands,” Sall told the television channel TFM.

The Chadian consulate said he had died of Covid-19.

Habre, who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at an African Union-backed trial in the Senegalese capital Dakar in 2016.

He seized power in Chad in 1982, but fled to Senegal in 1990 after he was in turn overthrown.

Habre’s rule was marked by brutal crackdowns on dissent, including alleged torture and executions of opponents.

Some 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed under his leadership of the semi-desert country.

In exile in Dakar, Habre lived a quiet life in an upmarket suburb with his wife and children.

But the former dictator — who was dubbed “Africa’s Pinochet” — was finally arrested in 2013 and tried by a special tribunal set up by the AU under a deal with Senegal.

Habre began serving his life sentence in the Cap Manuel penitentiary in Dakar.

His supporters voiced concerned for his health and pushed for more lenient detention conditions given his advanced age.

Last year, a Senegalese judge granted him a two-month furlough designed to shield him from coronavirus.

Groups representing Habre’s victims recognised his right to be treated humanely, but fiercely resisted preferential treatment for the former dictator.

‘Pitiless’

Reed Brody, a lawyer who represented Habre’s victims, said in a statement on Tuesday that he had been calling “for months” for the former dictator to be vaccinated against Covid.

AFP was unable to independently verify whether Habre had received a jab.

Brody was nonetheless withering about Habre’s legacy, saying he would “go down in history as one of the world’s most pitiless dictators.”

Habre “slaughtered his own people to seize and maintain power… burned down entire villages, sent women to serve as sexual slaves for his troops and built clandestine dungeons to inflict torture on his enemies,” Brody said.

Habre’s conviction in 2016 was seen as a turning point for pursuing rights abusers in Africa, where the International Criminal Court (ICC), located in The Hague, was becoming increasingly unpopular.

The former dictator was ordered to pay up to 30,000 euros ($33,000) to each victim who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his rule, as well as to their relatives.

Source: Voice of America