Day: December 20, 2021

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Millions of Somalis Facing Conflict, Drought, Disease Need Lifesaving Assistance

The United Nations estimates 7.7 million people, half of Somalia’s population, will require humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022.It is appealing for $1.5 billion to assist 5.5 million of the most vulnerable among them.

Decades of conflict, recurrent climatic shocks, disease outbreaks, and increasing poverty, including the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are devastating the lives and livelihoods of people in Somalia.

They are facing acute hunger. Many are on the verge of famine because the rains have failed to fall for a third year in a row.U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula says 80 percent of the country is affected by drought.

Speaking on a video link from the capital Mogadishu, he tells VOA 169,000 people have abandoned their homes in search of water, food, and grazing land for their livestock.

“When I visited the countryside, I saw many dead animals,” he said. “The people I met with, including one woman told me that she lost all her 200 goats, and two camels and her donkey and she and her three children are living under a tree…and the elderly people I met with told me they had not seen this level of drought since the 1970s and 80s.”

Abdelmoula says conditions in Somalia are dire. He expresses concern about a less than adequate response to the U.N. appeal given the fierce competition for funds. He says Somalia has been pushed to the back burner because of emerging crises elsewhere, especially Tigray in northern Ethiopia and Afghanistan.

He adds the international community would be making a big mistake were it to abandon Somalia.

“When this happened back in the 90’s, some serious consequences ensued. This includes mass migration, starvation and famine, the emergence of al-Shabab and the political instability and widespread piracy,” he said.

Recent projections indicate drought could displace up to 1.4 million Somalis in the coming six months, adding to the nearly 3 million people already displaced by conflict and natural disasters.

Humanitarian coordinator Abdelmoula says at least 1.2 million children under age five are likely to be acutely malnourished in 2022.He warns some 300,000 children projected to be severely malnourished are at risk of dying without imminent assistance.

Source: Voice of America

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Five Civilians, One Soldier Killed in Latest Rebel Attack in Central African Republic

Five civilians and a soldier were killed in the latest attack by armed groups in volatile Central African Republic, plagued by fighting between rebels and the army, a local official said Monday.

Rebel fighters attacked army positions of Central African forces on Sunday in the town of Mann, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Bangui, local sub-prefect Jean-Ulrich Sembetanga told AFP.

“The toll is five civilians killed, one Central African soldier and one rebel,” Sembetanga said, blaming the powerful 3R (Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation) group, active in the northwest of the country and mainly made up of the Fulani ethnic group.

The news came hours after a report that 15 civilians were killed in the central east of the former French colony December 6 and 7.

The U.N. MINUSCA mission said Monday that others were mutilated in the attack some 400 kilometers east of Bangui, and that some 1,500 people were forced from their homes.

The organization added it had evidence of “cases of amputation, extortion and destruction of homes and the displacement of upwards of 1,500 people,” pointing the finger of blame at a mainly Christian and animist militia known as the anti-Balaka.

MINUSCA added it “strongly condemns the recent violence deliberately targeting civilian populations.”

Yearslong conflict

One of the poorest countries in the world, the CAR descended into conflict in 2013 when then-President Francois Bozize was ousted by a rebel coalition called the Seleka, drawn largely from the Muslim minority.

The coup triggered a sectarian bloodbath between the Seleka and anti-Balaka forces.

In December last year, rebels launched a new offensive against President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s regime on the eve of presidential elections.

Touadera won reelection, and his army has now reconquered the lost territory — the United Nations and France say with key support from Russia’s Wagner private security group — as well as crack Rwandan troops.

Moscow denies the allegations.

Touadera on October 15 decreed a unilateral cease-fire with a view to opening a dialogue with armed groups. The main groups responded by announcing they would abide by the truce.

But on November 28, some 30 civilians and two soldiers were killed in an attack in the northwest which authorities blamed on the 3R group.

Source: Voice of America

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Malawi’s Former President Criticizes Government on Arrests

Malawi’s former president, Peter Mutharika, has accused President Lazarus Chakwera’s government of political persecution in arresting former officials linked to the former leader. Mutharika made the comments Sunday at his first large rally of supporters since Chakwera defeated him in elections last year.

Thousands of supporters of Malawi’s opposition Democratic Progressive party (DPP) braved rain to attend a rally addressed by party leader Peter Mutharika and political ally Atupele Muluzi, leader of the opposition United Democratic front in Blantyre.

The rally was the first since Mutharika lost last year’s rerun presidential election to President Chakwera.

Mutharika told the gathering that it is concerning that the Chakwera government is only arresting officials of the former administration’s party in the fight against corruption.

Mutharika said this is a ploy to silence the opposition.

“Last week, we had plans to send my two officials who are experts in economics to address a conference and advise the government on how to turn around economic problems facing the country, but before the day came, they were arrested,” he said.

Mutharika was referring to the arrest of former Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamveka and former Reserve Bank Governor Dalitso Kabambe. They stand accused of attempting to falsify documents to get funding from the International Monetary Fund.

The two were released on bail after being arrested and charged with abuse of office.

Mutharika also accused Chakwera’s administration of targeting people from the southern region and particularly of the Lomwe tribe to which Mutharika belongs.

“Reverend Chakwera, you are the man God. I am pleading with you to stop ill-treating people from the southern region. And also, you should stop ill-treating people of the Lomwe tribe because they are innocent,” Mutharika said.

Responding to Mutharika’s remarks at the rally, a spokesperson for the governing Tonse Alliance, Maurice Munthali, told a local daily Monday that Mutharika’s remarks are baseless.

Munthali also dismissed accusations of tribalism and political persecution, saying Mutharika should be the last person to say that because his administration was the champion of that.

George Phiri, a former lecturer in political science at the University of Livingstonia in Malawi, says Mutharika’s claims about political arrests and tribalism are baseless because there is strong evidence that those who are being arrested are those who broke the law during their tenure of office.

“All I can say is that Malawi is not doing well … when arrests are made of this kind, they don’t take the issues to court for prosecution so that we can justify what happened. That’s what I can accuse not only the Tonse Alliance government, even Peter Mutharika’s government did the same and even other previous administrations did the same,” he said.

Phiri said, to prove Mutharika’s accusations wrong, the Chakwera administration should be sure to take all the cases involving officials of Mutharika’s political party to court for prosecution.

Source: Voice of America

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Danakali creates new sodium-ion battery material stream with rock salt production planned for Colluli

“Colluli is a 200-year life of mine project, the rock salt resource represents another potential revenue stream from Colluli and reinforces Colluli’s primary business model. We believe that the new generation of sodium ion battery development is an opportunity that complements other potential end uses for our mined Rock Salt given Colluli’s proximity to regional markets,” says chair.

Danakali Ltd (ASX:DNK, LSE:DNK, OTC:SBMSF) is preparing to capitalise on recent gains in the rock salt spot price, moving to leverage the rock salt resource at its Colluli Sulphate of Potash (SOP) Project in Eritrea, which boasts the world’s highest JORC resource of potash with a solid salt SOP reserve of 1.1 billion tonnes and a rock salt resource of 347 million tonnes at 96.9% sodium chloride.

DNK considers Colluli’s rock salt a potentially economic resource due to positive shifts in the rock salt market caused by a new generation of sodium-ion batteries developed by CATL.

These new sodium ion-e cells are capable of charging faster and operating at lower temperatures than lithium-ion batteries, with the added bonus of 30% lower raw material production costs.

Rock salt prices have risen rapidly year-on-year, averaging about 47% growth by that metric with the current average price sitting at US$50-$60/tonne. Rock salt is seen as a potential source of sodium needed for the mass production of sodium-ion batteries. Other primary applications for rock salt include its use for de-icing, water treatment and in the chemical, aluminium, oil, paper, textile and food industries.

“Another potential revenue stream”

Danakali chair Seamus Cornelius said: “Colluli is a 200-year life of mine project, the rock salt resource represents another potential revenue stream from Colluli and reinforces Colluli’s primary business model.

“We believe that the new generation of sodium-ion battery development is an opportunity that complements other potential end uses for our mined rock salt given Colluli’s proximity to regional markets.”

While the primary focus of the Colluli Project is potash, the project’s mine plan already requires Danakali to mine through the upper rock salt layer atop the project’s SOP mineral resource to access the target salt layers of carnallitite, sylvinitite and kainitite that start at 16 metres below surface.

Colluli has the potential to produce a 96.9% pure rock salt which was previously described as waste from the open-cut mining process.

Potash mining at the project during modules 1 and 2 will produce an estimated 128 million tonnes of rock salt at an annual production rate of 1.8 million tonnes per annum, which will be stockpiled in preparation for export from the proposed Anfile Bay export terminal during the first 60 years.

About Danakali

Danakali Ltd (ASX:DNK, LSE:DNK, OTC:SBMSF) is focused on the development of the Colluli Sulphate of Potash Project in Eritrea, East Africa.

The company is evaluating renewable options of solar, wind and geothermal energy for becoming a zero-carbon company in the production of SOP at its Colluli Project.

Its vision is to bring Colluli into production using the principles of risk management, resource utilisation and modularity as a growth platform to develop the resource to its full potential.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online