cairo — As the performers took the stage and the traditional drum beat gained momentum, Sudanese refugees sitting in the audience were moved to tears. Hadia Moussa said the melody reminded her of the country’s Nuba Mountains, her family’s ancestral home. 

“Performances like this help people mentally affected by the war. It reminds us of the Sudanese folklore and our culture,” she said. 

Sudan has been engulfed by violence since April 2023, when war between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out across the country. The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum, into an urban battlefield and displaced 4.6 million people, according to the United Nations migration agency, including more than 419,000 people who fled to Egypt. 

A band with 12 Sudanese members now lives with thousands of refugees in Egypt. The troupe, called “Camirata,” includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of traditional Sudanese folk music and dance to keep it from being lost in the ruinous war. 

Founded in 1997, the band rose to popularity in Khartoum before it began traveling to different states, enlisting diverse musicians, dancers and styles. They sing in 25 different Sudanese languages. Founder Dafallah el-Hag said the band’s members started relocating to Egypt recently, as Sudan struggled through a difficult economic and political transition after a 2019 popular uprising unseated longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. Others followed after the violence began. El-Hag arrived late last year. 

The band uses a variety of local musical instruments on stage. El-Hag says audiences are often surprised to see instruments such as the tanbour, a stringed instrument, being played with the nuggara drums, combined with tunes of the banimbo, a wooden xylophone. 

“This combination of musical instruments helped promote some sort of forgiveness and togetherness among the Sudanese people,” el-Hag said, adding that he is eager to revive a museum in Khartoum that housed historic instruments and was reportedly looted and damaged. 

Fatma Farid, 21, a singer and dancer from Kordofan, moved to Egypt in 2021. Her aunt was killed in 2023 when an explosive fell on their house in al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. 

“The way I see art has changed a lot since the war began,” she said. “You think of what you present as an artist. You can deliver a message.” 

Kawthar Osman, a native of Madani city who has been singing with the band since 1997, feels nostalgic when she sings about the Nile River, which forms in Sudan from two upper branches, the Blue and White Nile. 

“It reminds me of what makes Sudan the way it is,” she said, adding that the war only “pushed the band to sing more for peace.” 

More than 2 million Sudanese fled the country, mostly to neighboring Egypt and Chad, where the Global Hunger Index has reported a “serious” level of hunger. Over half a million forcibly displaced Sudanese have sought refuge in Chad, mostly women and children. 

Living conditions for those who stayed in Sudan have worsened as the war spread beyond Khartoum. Many made hard decisions early in the war either to flee across frontlines or risk being caught in the middle of fighting. In Darfur, the war turned particularly brutal and created famine conditions, with militias attacking entire villages and burning them to the ground. 

Armed robberies, lootings and the seizure of homes for bases were some of the challenges faced by Sudanese who stayed in the country’s urban areas. Others struggled to secure food and water, find sources for electricity, and obtain medical treatment since hospitals were raided by fighters or hit by airstrikes. Communications networks are often barely functional. 

The performers say they struggle to speak with family and friends still in the country, much less think about returning. 

“We don’t know if we’ll return to Sudan again or will see Sudan again or walk in the same streets,” Farid said. 
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kampala, uganda — The chief of Uganda’s defense forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has given U.S. Ambassador William Popp until Monday morning to apologize or leave the country.

It is not clear why Kainerugaba, who is President Yoweri Museveni’s son, issued the ultimatum to the ambassador, although this week the United States sanctioned four Ugandan police officers for human rights violations.

On Friday, Kainerugaba took to X three times to say Uganda was about to have a serious confrontation with Popp for “disrespecting our beloved and celebrated president and for undermining the constitution of Uganda.”

Five hours later, Kainerugaba tweeted again, saying if Popp did not apologize to the president personally by 9 a.m. Monday for what the general called Popp’s undiplomatic behavior, the government would demand that he leave.

Speaking to VOA, Sewanyana Livingstone, director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative Uganda, said Kainerugaba has no authority to declare Popp persona non grata unless he is appointed minister of foreign affairs.

Sewanyana said Kainerugaba’s comments should be dismissed.

“He needs to calm down. He needs to understand that Uganda is not him, neither is he Uganda,” Sewanyana said. “Uganda will always be there. Sanctions are not the functions of an ambassador. They are issued by the State Department. So, I think he is even targeting the wrong person. I think Ugandans need to call him to order. It’s high time.”

On Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said four Ugandan police officers had been sanctioned for gross violations of human rights. These included torture and cruel inhumane treatment and punishment.

The police officers were identified as Bob Kagarura, Alex Mwine, Elly Womanya and Hamdani Twesigye.

The State Department said reports of the violations as documented by Ugandan civil court documents, civil society organizations and independent journalists were serious and credible.

Ugandan authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

A report released last month by the African Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, or ACTV, noted that torture cases in Uganda were on the rise despite laws against the practice.

Herbert Sam Nsubuga, executive director of ACTV, said the organization was concerned about the situation in Uganda.

“The situation is not as good as we want it to be,” Nsubuga said. “Because just halfway this year, we have made 903 cases. So, it’s still really an issue.”

In 2023, monitors in Uganda recorded 1,235 cases of torture, with the Uganda People’s Defense forces and police as top perpetrators.

The four designated officers in April 2020 raided a Ugandan legislator’s home, accusing him of violating the regulations put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 as he distributed food to vulnerable communities.

According to records produced in court, the legislator, Francis Zaake, was arrested and detained at the Defense Intelligence and Security headquarters, where he was tortured before he was left at a hospital.

He later sued the four officers, and a court awarded him $20,400.

In response to VOA questions on Kainerugaba’s threats, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda quoted State Department spokesman Miller as saying the embassy, the ambassador and the U.S. government were continuing to work directly and normally every day with Ugandan authorities on a full range of issues.

Miller said in accordance with U.S. law, the United States was committed to supporting justice for victims and accountability of those involved in human rights violations around the world.

This, he said, includes denying or restricting travel visas to visit the United States for individuals when there is demonstrated evidence that they have committed abuses.
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paris — On a warm fall evening five years ago, supporters of the moderate Islamist Ennadha party packed one end of Tunis’ Habib Bourguiba Boulevard, the iconic landmark of Tunisia’s 2011 revolution. The other end hosted a boisterous get-out-the vote for business tycoon Nabil Karaoui — one of 26 candidates running in the North African country’s 2019 presidential race.

Tunisians voting Sunday will face a sharply narrower field. Out of 14 aspiring presidential candidates, the country’s electoral commission — handpicked by current President Kais Saied — approved just three. The first is in prison. The second is considered close to Saied. The third is Saied himself.

“The climate today is one of repression of every form of liberty,” said Kamel Jendoubi, a former minister who headed Tunisia’s first post-revolution electoral commission. “Arrests have multiplied against the opposition. Today all the main political leaders, from the left, center and right, are in prison.”

Jendoubi’s remarks are echoed by a raft of opposition politicians, analysts and rights activists, even as Saied’s supporters praise him for overhauling a corrupt and gridlocked system. Few dispute that after five years in office, the 66-year-old leader has dramatically reshaped Tunisia’s political landscape, even as high unemployment and a struggling economy persist.

With Sunday’s vote seemingly stacked in the president’s favor, some believe a second Saied term could consolidate a return to the country’s authoritarian past. Others suggest Tunisians, notably a young, post-revolution generation, will not tolerate the loss of their fledgling democracy — especially if they judge the vote to be rigged.

“If he’s elected under these circumstances, it will be a weak regime,” predicted Michael Ayari, senior Tunisia analyst for the International Crisis Group policy institute. “And a weak regime will do spectacular things to gain legitimacy.”

Cleaning up

A law professor and political newcomer, Saied catapulted to power in 2019, running a one-man, shoestring campaign. His populist message of rooting out cronyism and returning power to the people resonated among an electorate fed up with years of dysfunctional governance.

Thousands celebrated after Saied clinched runoff elections against businessman Karaoui, capturing 73% of the vote — a score some analysts believe he hopes to match or exceed.

Tunisian taxi driver Mongi Ben Ameur voted for Saied then. He plans to vote for him again on Sunday.

“The former regime, the people in politics, they profited from the country, they profited from the people,” Ben Ameur says. “Saied is trying to clean everything up. We won’t harvest the fruits right away, but he’s done things we haven’t seen before.”

In July 2021, Saied seized widespread powers, ultimately dissolving parliament. Over the next two years, he rewrote the country’s constitution, beefing up presidential powers and reducing legislative ones. Voter turnout to approve each change was low, however, dipping to just over 11% in last year’s legislative polls.

“I think he had this philosophy that he had to destroy everything to rebuild on solid foundations,” said Abdelkaddous Saadaoui, an activist and former Cabinet member, describing Saied’s philosophy which he opposes.

“He’s convinced he’s found solutions for the people,” said Tunisian essayist Hatem Nafti, who authored a newly published book on Tunisia under Saied. “He doesn’t even realize he’s a dictator.”

Under Saied’s presidency, authorities have detained or imprisoned dozens of opposition politicians, activists and journalists, dismissed judges and prosecutors, and weakened free expression and judicial independence. Even as Saied cracked down on corruption, analyst Ayari said, new forms have rooted and flourished.

For now, Saied faces no major challengers. On Tuesday, a Tunisian court toughened a prison sentence against presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel on forgery charges, although he remains on the ballot.

Separately, the elections commission rejected a top administrative court’s decision authorizing three additional candidates to run. Last week, lawmakers hastily passed legislation stripping the court’s authority to decide election disputes.

“He’s afraid of losing,” former minister Jendoubi said of Saied. “When Kais Saied did his coup, he was popular — people went out on the streets to applaud him. But his popularity has dropped considerably, because he’s not been able to resolve people’s problems.”

Challenging times

Internationally, Saied has moved beyond Tunisia’s traditional Western alliances, reaching out to Iran, China and Russia, and rejecting foreign interference.

He struck a controversial deal with the European Union to radically curb African migration to Europe, but rejected a $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, even as the country’s public debt soars. Prices and joblessness are also high, and the country faces a major water crisis, which the president blames on a conspiracy.

“Mr. Saied has shown little interest in reforms: his economic policy does not go much beyond ranting about speculators and the odd anti-corruption drive (usually aimed at his political opponents),” The Economist wrote recently. “Another five years of this all but ensures that Tunisia’s economy will continue to flounder.”

While some activists still take to the streets, fear has silenced others. One declined to be interviewed over safety concerns.

“We’ve returned to self-censorship,” another Tunisian said. “It’s true that some still dare to speak out, but no one knows when that will be deemed too much.”

Still, one Tunisian businesswoman, with local government experience, does not regret Saied’s tenure. “These are challenging times, but sadly I feel we need to go through this,” she said. “Because in the past, political parties always made agreements to get a piece of the pie instead of serving the people.”

“For the moment, populism works,” said Crisis Group analyst Ayari of Saied. “Because each time he makes a mistake, he says ‘it’s not me — it’s the others, it’s the plotters.’ But if there’s a new narrative saying Kais Saied is responsible, then there will be mobilizations.”Members of Tunisia’s weakened and divided opposition believe change will come, sooner or later.

“I think there will be resistance against Kais Saied if he is going to confiscate power through cheating and repression,” says Ridha Driss, a senior member of the opposition Ennahdha party. “A peaceful political resistance will gain ground, and things won’t last long for Kais Saied.”
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london — The British government agreed Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base. 

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the agreement would secure the future of the base at Diego Garcia, the largest in the chain of remote islands off the tip of India that has been under British control for over 50 years. The base, which is home to about 2,500 personnel, mainly Americans, has been involved in military operations including the 2003 war in Iraq and the long-running war in Afghanistan. 

Britain’s Labour government said without the deal, the secure operation of the military base would be under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges, including through various international courts and tribunals. 

“It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the U.K., as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner,” Lammy said. 

The agreement also paves the way for the potential return of the few people still alive who were forcibly displaced from their homes on the islands decades ago. 

As part of the deal, the U.K. will retain sovereignty of Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years and will pay Mauritius an undisclosed rent. It will also create a “resettlement” fund for displaced Chagossians aimed at letting them move back to the islands other than Diego Garcia. 

The Chagos Islands, which conjure up images of paradise with their lush vegetation and long stretches of white sandy beaches, have been at the heart of what Britain has called the British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965, when they were siphoned away from Mauritius, a former U.K. colony that gained independence three years later. Mauritius, which lies east of Madagascar in southern Africa, is around 2,100 kilometers (1,250 miles) southwest of the Chagos Islands. 

Following a lease agreement with Britain, the U.S. built the naval base at Diego Garcia for defense purposes in the 1970s. The U.S. has described the base as “an all but indispensable platform” for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa. 

Around 1,500 inhabitants from the Chagos Islands were displaced to make way for the U.S. base, in what Human Rights Watch said last year amounted to “crimes against humanity committed by a colonial power against an indigenous people.” 

Chagossian Voices, a U.K.-based group representing the Chagossian diaspora around the world, voiced disappointment that the negotiations excluded those displaced. 

“Chagossians have learned this outcome from the media and remain powerless and voiceless in determining our own future and the future of our homeland,” it said in a statement on social media. “The views of Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty.” 

The agreement will be included in a treaty and is dependent on legal processes being finalized. Both sides have committed to complete this as quickly as possible. 

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he spoke to his Mauritius counterpart, Pravind Jugnauth, on Thursday morning, welcoming the agreement after two years of negotiations that began under the previous Conservative government. 

“Fifty-six years after our independence, the decolonization is finally complete,” Jugnauth said in a televised address to the nation later Thursday. 

The Mauritius government said that the treaty would aim to resolve all outstanding issues related to the islands, including “its former inhabitants,” as well as addressing “the wrongs of the past.” 

It laid out the hope that those displaced who are still alive and their descendants, who are mainly living in the U.K., Mauritius and the Seychelles, would have a right to return, as it is now “free” to implement a resettlement program on the islands except Diego Garcia. 

It added that the U.K. will financially support the Chagossians, who have fought a long-running legal battle about their displacement, most recently in 2016 when they lost out in a Supreme Court ruling in the U.K. At the time, the previous Conservative government refused their right to return but voiced its “deep regret” for the way the Chagossian community had been mistreated in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Over the years, the Chagossians and Mauritius have garnered increasing international support, notably among African nations and within the United Nations. In 2019, in an advisory option that was nonbinding, the International Court of Justice ruled that the U.K. had unlawfully carved up Mauritius when it agreed to end colonial rule in the late 1960s. 

In a statement, the White House said President Joe Biden applauded the “historic agreement” on the status of the Chagos Islands. 

“The agreement secures the effective operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the next century,” the statement said. 

In the U.K., Conservative lawmakers standing to be leader of Britain’s opposition party expressed dismay at the decision to hand over sovereignty of all but one of the islands. They were criticized for the comments, given that the previous Conservative government started the negotiations. 

One of the candidates, Tom Tugendhat, said he has consistently opposed any plan to hand over sovereignty of the islands and warned that the move could see Mauritius potentially leasing one of the islands to China. 

“This is a shameful retreat undermining our security and leaving our allies exposed,” he said.
…

GENEVA  — The World Health Organization launched a global plan Thursday to address the growing threat of dengue and other deadly arboviruses, which have affected millions of people around the world and put billions more at risk.  

“The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

An arbovirus is a virus that is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, ticks, or other arthropods, such as crustaceans, insects and arachnids.   

Dengue has emerged as the most problematic arbovirus disease. The WHO notes the number of cases has nearly doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases at the end of August of this year, including more than 6,000 deaths. 

The WHO aims to “turn the tide” against dengue and arboviral diseases, Tedros said, noting that the measures in the proposal could “protect vulnerable populations and pave the way for a healthier future.” 

The WHO chief said everyone has a role to play in the fight against dengue, “from maintaining clean environments to supporting vector control and seeking and providing timely medical care.” 

“Factors such as unplanned urbanization and poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices, climate change and international travel, are facilitating the rapid geographical spread of dengue,” Dr. Raman Velayudhan, WHO unit head, global program on control of neglected tropical diseases, told journalists in Geneva Tuesday, in advance of the plan’s launch. 

“The disease is now endemic in more than 130 countries,” he said. “Similar trends are also observed for other arboviral diseases, such as Zika, chikungunya, and more recently, the Oropouche virus disease, especially in the Americas.” 

Dengue is endemic in tropical and subtropical climates, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific and the Americas. The WHO says the majority of dengue cases, as well as several other arboviruses, have been reported from the American region this year.  

WHO officials say the situation is also of concern in Africa, “where countries are battling multiple diseases amid conflict and natural disasters,” placing additional strain on already fragile health systems. 

The Africa CDC reports more than 15,000 cases of dengue have been recorded in 13 African countries this year. 

“This global escalation underscores the urgent need for a robust strategy to mitigate risks and safeguard populations taking into account that urban centers are at greater risk,” Velayudhan said. 

Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. Most people who get dengue get better in one to two weeks. However, some people who develop severe cases can die. 

According to the WHO, prevention is the best protection from dengue. It recommends people avoid mosquito bites, especially during the day, “by covering up.” 

Chikungunya, a virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes, has been reported in 118 countries, with the highest circulation found in Brazil.   

Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, team lead on arboviruses, epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the WHO, notes newborns, elderly and people with pre-existing conditions “have been identified as a risk factor for poor disease outcome.” 

Besides chikungunya, she said Zika and Oropouche, which are spreading widely in the Americas, have symptoms similar to dengue and “can be easily misdiagnosed in areas with co-circulation of multiple arboviruses.”   

To avoid misidentifying those diseases, she said it is critical for countries to strengthen their detection, surveillance, and testing activities and “to make sure populations know which measures to take to protect themselves and their communities.” 

The World Health Organization says the global escalation of arboviral diseases underscores the urgent need for “a robust strategy to mitigate risks and safeguard populations.” 

It urges governments to implement five components of its strategic global plan:  Emergency coordination activities, collaborative detection and surveillance, community protection and prevention measures, safe and scalable care to prevent illness and death, and access to countermeasures, such as the promotion of research for improved treatments and vaccines. 

The WHO estimates $55 million will be required to put the plan into action over the next year.  
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SAN FRANCISCO, California — Cabrel Ngounou’s life in Cameroon quickly unraveled after neighbors caught the teenager with his boyfriend.

A crowd surrounded his boyfriend’s house and beat him. Ngounou’s family learned of the relationship and kicked him out. So Ngounou fled — alone and with little money — on a dangerous, four-year journey through at least five countries. He was sexually assaulted in a Libyan prison, harassed in Tunisia and tried unsuccessfully to take a boat to Europe.

“The worst thing was that they caught us. So, it was not easy for my family,” Ngounou said. “My sisters told me I need to get out of the house because my place is not there. So that’s what really pushed me to leave my country.”

Ngounou’s troubles drew attention after he joined a protest outside the U.N. refugee agency’s Tunisia office. Eventually, he arrived in the United States, landing in San Francisco in March.

Ngounou joined a growing number of LGBTQ+ people accepted into the Welcome Corps, which launched last year and pairs groups of Americans with newly arrived refugees. So far, the resettlement program has connected 3,500 sponsors with 1,800 refugees, and many more want to help: 100,000 people have applied to become sponsors.

President Joe Biden has sought to rebuild the refugee programs Donald Trump largely dismantled as president, working to streamline the process of screening and placing people in America. New refugee resettlement sites have opened across the country, and on Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that it resettled 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, the largest number in more than three decades.

In contrast, Trump has pledged to bar refugees from Gaza, reinstate his Muslim ban and impose “ideological screening” for all immigrants if he regains the presidency. He and running mate JD Vance are laying groundwork for their goal of deporting millions of illegal immigrants by amplifying false claims, such as the accusation that Haitians given temporary protected status to remain in the U.S. legally are eating pets in Ohio.

Under Biden, meanwhile, two human rights officials in the State Department were tasked last year with identifying refugees who face persecution either due to their sexual orientation or human rights advocacy.

“LGBTQ refugees are forced to flee their homes due to persecution and violence, not unlike other people,” said Jeremy Haldeman, deputy executive director of the Community Sponsorship Hub, which implements the Welcome Corps on behalf of the State Department. But they are particularly vulnerable because they’re coming from places “where their identities are criminalized, and they are at risk of imprisonment or even death.”

More than 60 countries have passed anti-LGBTQ laws and thousands of people have fled the Middle East and Africa seeking asylum in Europe. In April, Uganda’s constitutional court on Wednesday upheld an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”

“There are just a lot of people who are really at risk and are not safe in their country, and they’re usually not safe in the neighboring or regional countries either,” Kathryn Hampton, senior adviser for U.S. Strategy at Rainbow Railroad, which helps LGBTQ+ people facing persecution.

The demand far outstrips capacity: Of more than 15,000 requests for help in 2023, the nonprofit group helped resettle 23 refugees through the Welcome Corps program in cities as large as Houston and towns as small as Arlington, Vermont. It has a goal of resettling 50 this year.

“So, we have a lot of urgency as an organization to find and create new pathways that LGBTQI+ people can access to find safety,” Hampton said.

Another refugee in the program, Julieth Luna Garcia, is a transgender woman from El Salvador who settled in Chicago.

Speaking through a translator, the 31-year-old Garcia said she suffered abuse from her family because of her trans identity and couldn’t legally access gender-affirming care until she arrived in the United States.

“I lived with constant fear, even more so at night. I didn’t like to go out. I was really scared that somebody would find me alone and do something,” Garcia said.

Since arriving in February, Garcia has found a place to live and a job as a home health aide and hopes to study to become a lawyer. “Here, I’m not scared to say who I am. I’m not scared to tell anyone,” she said.

Maybe the biggest change was starting hormone treatments, she said: “To see yourself in the mirror and see these changes, I can’t really explain it, but it’s really big. It’s an emotional and exciting thing and something I thought I would never experience.”

Welcome Corps sponsors are expected to help refugees adjust for at least three months after they arrive. Garcia said the five volunteers helped her “adapt to a new life with a little less difficulty,” by accessing benefits, getting a work permit and enrolling in English classes.

Ngounou recalled how his sponsors, a team of seven that included a lesbian couple, Anne Raeff and Lori Ostlund, hosted him and connected him with LGBTQ+ resources and a work training program. They also served as his tour guides to gay life, taking him to the historically gay Castro district, where Ngounou got his first glimpse of the huge rainbow Pride flag and stopped to read every plaque honoring famous gay people.

“Cabrel was just very, very moved by that. Just kind of started crying. We all did,” Raeff recalled.

“I know that feeling like when we were young, when you’d go into a gay bar and you’d feel like this sense of kind of freedom, like this community,” she said. “That was the only place where you could go and actually be open. And that … this is this community of people, and we all have this in common.”

Now the 19-year-old Ngounou works in a coffee shop and takes college courses, with the goal of becoming a social worker. He hopes the boyfriend he met in Tunisia can visit him in San Francisco — and he still finds it hard to believe that they can share their love openly.

“Here I’m really me … I feel free,” he said. “I feel free to have my boyfriend and walk with him in the street. I feel free, you know, to enjoy myself with him wherever we want to enjoy ourselves. But in Tunisia or anywhere else, in Cameroon, you have to hide such things.”
…

Nairobi — Rescuers are searching for more than 100 migrants off the coast of Djibouti after smugglers forced them to jump into the sea, the U.N. migration agency said on Wednesday.

At least 45 bodies have been recovered from Tuesday’s incident, a death toll that makes 2024 the deadliest year on record for sea crossings on the migration route between East Africa and Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said.

Another 154 people have been rescued from the two boats, which left Yemen for Djibouti with a total of 310 passengers, IOM said in a statement.

“Ongoing search and rescue operations are underway by the Djiboutian Coast Guard to locate the missing migrants,” it said.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people leave the Horn of Africa in pursuit of better economic prospects in Gulf nations via the so-called Eastern Route, described by the IOM as one of the world’s busiest and riskiest migration corridors.

Survivors told IOM that they were forced off the two vessels by the boat operators in the open sea off the coast of Obock, a port town in Djibouti.

The survivors included a four-month-old infant whose mother drowned, the agency said.

Many migrants on the Eastern Route end up trapped in violence-wracked Yemen and attempt to return to Djibouti.

 
…

Djibouti — Two vessels carrying migrants from Africa sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti, killing 45 people, the U.N. migration agency said Tuesday.

The boats had departed from Yemen carrying 310 people, the International Organization for Migration said.

Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. Smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe.

The U.N. agency, which was assisting search and rescue efforts, said on the social media platform X that 32 survivors were rescued.

Djibouti’s coast guard said the tragedy struck some 150 meters off a beach near the northwest Khor Angar region. It said a joint rescue effort was under way, which began early Monday. It said 115 survivors were rescued.

“We remain committed to finding the missing persons and ensuring the safety of the survivors,” the agency said in a statement posted on social media, with images of white body bags.
…

Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria Tuesday marked the 64th anniversary of its independence in a generally somber mood. Persistent inflation, widespread insecurity, and unpopular economic reforms have left many Nigerians feeling frustrated and pessimistic.

In comments Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged these challenges but said that ongoing reforms will lead to prosperity.

“As your president, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens,” said Tinubu. “Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

This year’s Independence Day comes amid widespread frustration. Inflation is at a record high, and the naira’s devaluation has eroded purchasing power.

Citizens such as Felix Chukwuemeka and Kenneth Ugwu question whether it is appropriate for the country to celebrate.

“I feel like it is not worth celebrating because of the hardship of the economy, of the country, because everybody, most of us businessmen, we are not finding it easy,” said Chukwuemeka.

“Sixty-fourth independence means that we are supposed to have been full grown, but as it stands today, we are just crawling,” said Ugwu. “What a shame.”

Many Nigerians see the economic hardships as a result of reforms championed by Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira.

Tinubu said Tuesday that the reforms are essential for Nigeria’s long-term economic stability.

Amid frayed nerves, the government toned down the usual holiday parades and displays in Abuja, holding only a small ceremony that was closed to the public.

Economist Isaac Botti said a low-key celebration is justified.

“What would be the basis for celebrating independence?” asked Botti. “I think in the best interest of the president is to even shelve any form of celebration completely because Nigerians are angry, and if it continues with this, there’s going to be a public outburst that he may not be able to control.”

Nigerians are also anxious about general insecurity in many parts of the country, especially in the northeast, where suspected Boko Haram militants opened fire at a market in the town of Yobe in September and killed close to 40 people.

The president said his government is making progress against extremists.

“We have restored peace to hundreds of communities in the North, and thousands of our people have been able to return home,” said Tinubu. “It is an unfinished business, which our security agencies are committed to ending as quickly as possible. As soon as we can restore peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, our farmers can return to their farms.”

The president maintained that stability is on the horizon, and despite the current challenges, he said, the government believes Nigeria can still forge a path to a better future.
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Abuja — Hundreds gathered in Abuja, Nigeria for the 2024 Childhood Cancer Awareness Walk, raising awareness and support for pediatric cancer. Despite progress in cancer care, Nigerian children face high costs and delayed diagnoses, which the walk aims to address.

Titilayo Adewumi joined the walk with her 13-year-old son Shittu, diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. With support from the Okapi Children Cancer Foundation, Shittu is now cancer-free.

Adewumi recounts the toll her son’s cancer diagnosis took on her family.

“I had to stop working for like 4 – 5 years so I could concentrate on him,” she said. “We went out of cash, we didn’t have money, that is when the Okapi visited us … I was so excited when the doctor told me that he was free of cancer, I felt like jumping into the roof and back I was so happy because it was not easy.”

Among the walkers was Izuyor Tobi. He brought his daughter Hope, who battled neuroblastoma. Treatment costs nearly drained the family’s finances until Okapi intervened. Today, Hope is healthy.

Tobi believes that spreading awareness about pediatric cancer will save lives.

“If not for Okapi Children Cancer Foundation, I don’t think my daughter will be alive today… What I do is to create more awareness by telling people what Okapi Children Cancer Foundation has done for my daughter,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of childhood cancers occur in low-income countries like Nigeria, where many cases go undiagnosed or are detected late.

Pediatric oncologist Ifeoma Ezeukwu from the Federal Medical Center explained barriers to care.

“Ignorance is also another barrier,” she said. “I have come across so many people who will tell you, I never knew children could have cancer. … Early detection is key to survival in childhood cancer unlike the adult cancers; children, the prognosis are better in them when they are seen early, once you capture cancer early, you know that cure is what is expected.”

Kemi Adekanye founded the Okapi Children Cancer Foundation in 2017 and has been mobilizing community awareness and support. Funded by friends and family, the foundation has helped over 200 children access treatment, despite costs starting at $180.

Adekanye says they’re focused on influencing government action for pediatric cancer.

“As of today, there’s currently no supports being provided to children battling cancer, so we expect the government to intervene in terms of subsidizing treatment costs for children battling cancer, as well as equipping our hospitals more so people don’t have to travel far and wide to access oncology centers,” she said.

Health policy analyst Ejike Oji called for systemic reforms across Nigeria to ease the burden on families.

“The government should establish dedicated pediatric oncology wards across the country to provide grounds for training health care professionals to ensure their skills are good in diagnosing and treating childhood cancer,” he said. “If you look at the cancer from diagnosis to treatment, it’s a lot of money. Radiotherapy is one of the most expensive; most families cannot afford.”

The large turnout at the 8th Childhood Cancer Awareness Walk — ‘Bridge The Gap’ —showed the power of community mobilization.

Nigerians are advocating for better health care, early diagnosis and family support, ensuring no child faces cancer alone.
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