With Sudan’s conflict now at the 100-day mark, advocacy groups are calling on Sudan’s neighbor Egypt to ease entry requirements for refugees, saying displaced Sudanese face a dire situation. 

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, have been fighting each other since April 15, triggering a humanitarian crisis inside Sudan and neighboring countries. 

The U.S. State Department said it stands ready to reconvene formal talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to end the fighting — but only if the warring parties demonstrate their commitment to uphold a May 11 Jeddah Declaration to protect Sudanese civilians and subsequent cease-fires. 

The Jeddah talks refer to the U.S.-Saudi-mediated negotiations that started in early May with the goal of stopping the armed conflicts in Sudan. The United States adjourned the talks on June 21 as senior officials acknowledged, “The format is not succeeding.” 

An estimated 3 million Sudanese have been displaced by the fighting, almost 2.5 million internally. The rest have fled to surrounding countries. At least 250,000 people have sought refuge in Egypt, and another 120,000 are stuck on Sudan’s side of the border awaiting entry, according to a report that advocacy organization Refugees International released on Monday. 

“Instead of facilitating their entry, Egypt disregards refugee law and the Four Freedoms Agreement it signed with Sudan and has erected various entry barriers,” said Abdullahi Halakhe, Refugees International’s senior advocate for East and Southern Africa. 

The Four Freedoms Agreement, signed in August 2004 between Egypt and Sudan, covers matters related to freedom of movement along with working, property ownership and living arrangements. 

Halakhe cited new regulations by Egypt on June 10 requiring all Sudanese citizens to obtain visas from the Egyptian consular office in Wadi Halfa or Port Sudan before crossing the border. Previously, women, children, and elderly members of families were allowed to enter Egypt without a visa.  

Egyptian authorities said the move was to counter the forgery of visas and better manage Sudanese refugees’ entry into Egypt.  

Refugees International called on Egypt “to lift requirements currently in place for Sudanese seeking entry, waive requirements for those who remain in Egypt, and expedite granting refugee status to those who wish to have it.” 

The Egyptian Embassy in the United States has not responded to VOA’s request for comment.   

Sudan’s warring parties continue to violate cease-fires as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict through negotiations have not yielded fruit. More Sudanese are predicted to flee to neighboring countries for their safety. 

“The SAF and RSF have not observed their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration, which played a large part in our decision to adjourn the talks in Jeddah,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.   

“We are continuing to closely monitor the conflict and any violations of the Jeddah Declaration throughout Sudan,” said the spokesperson.   

Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for an end to the fighting in Sudan amid serious concerns about the rapidly escalating numbers of displaced people.  

“These figures are staggering; civilians who have nothing to do with this conflict are sadly uprooted from their homes and livelihoods on a daily basis,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “This has to stop. It is time for all parties to this conflict to immediately end this tragic war. Pending this much needed peaceful dialogue, people must be allowed to leave conflict areas to find safety, whether within or outside the country, and be protected from all forms of violence.”  

As more people continue to flee, displacement sites within the country and in neighboring countries are rapidly becoming overcrowded, UNHCR said. 

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations on April 22, and the Department of State ordered the departure of U.S. direct hire employees and eligible family members from the diplomatic mission. 

While Secretary of State Antony Blinken later said the U.S. is exploring ways to return a diplomatic and consular presence to the African country as soon as possible, the State Department has said it cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan due to the current security situation.  

A State Department spokesperson said U.S. Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey and his team, now based in Washington and other African countries, continue their diplomatic engagements with regional and international partners to work toward a cease-fire and humanitarian access. 

The United States remains the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan.   

 

On June 20, Secretary Blinken announced nearly $172 million in additional humanitarian aid for the people of Sudan and those in neighboring countries who suffer from the ongoing humanitarian crisis.  

The U.S. has provided more than $550 million in humanitarian assistance this fiscal year for Sudan and other countries such as Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic to facilitate the needs of refugees and people affected by conflicts in the region. 
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A civilian plane crashed in eastern Sudan Sunday killing nine people, including four soldiers, according to the military.  

A child survived the crash of the Antonov plane, the military said

The crash comes as Sudan marks 100 days of conflict between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  The fighting has forced millions of Sudanese to flee.

“It’s been 100 days of war in Sudan, with a devastating toll on lives and infrastructure, but worse lies ahead,” William Carter, Norwegian Refugee Council’s director in Sudan told the Associated Press.  

“It has the potential to destroy the entire region,” said David MacDonald, the country director for international relief agency CARE.

Some information in this report was provided by the Associated Press
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When Nouhaila Benzina steps onto the field for Morocco’s first match of the Women’s World Cup against Germany, she will make history — and not just as a player for the first Arab or North African nation ever in the tournament. 

The 25-year-old defender will be the first player to wear the Islamic headscarf at the senior-level Women’s World Cup. She and the Atlas Lionesses face two-time World Cup champions Germany in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday. 

“Girls will look at Benzina (and think) ‘That could be me,'” said Assmaah Helal, a co-founder of the Muslim Women in Sports Network said of the hijab. “Also the policymakers, the decision-makers, the administrators will say, ‘We need to do more in our country to create these accepting and open and inclusive spaces for women and girls to participate in the game.'” 

Benzina, who plays professional club soccer for the Association’s Sports of Forces Armed Royal — the eight-time defending champions in Morocco’s top women’s league — hasn’t yet been made available to speak to reporters here at the Women’s World Cup. In recent weeks, she has shared social media posts from others about the history-making nature of her World Cup appearance. 

“We are honored to be the first Arab country to take part in the Women’s World Cup,” Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak said on Sunday, “and we feel that we have to shoulder a big responsibility to give a good image, to show the achievements the Moroccan team has made.” 

A choice

Had Morocco qualified for the Women’s World Cup a decade ago, a player who wanted to wear the hijab during a game might have been forced to choose between that and representing her country. 

In 2007, a referee barred an 11-year-old Canadian girl from wearing a hijab during a club match. When the issue reached FIFA, the sport’s global governing body banned head coverings in competitions it sanctioned, except for coverings that exposed the neck. 

FIFA cited “health and safety” concerns, some related to possible choking, with regulations forbidding “equipment that is dangerous to himself or another player.” 

“That really sent a strong message to Muslim women, particularly those who wear hijabs, (that) we don’t belong,” said Helal, an Australia-based operations manager of Creating Chances and Football United. 

Helal was among the social activists, Muslim athletes, and government and soccer officials who worked to overturn the ban. 

In 2012, FIFA granted the Asian Football Confederation a two-year trial period during which players would be allowed to wear head coverings at international competitions. No senior-level World Cups, men’s or women’s, were scheduled during the trial period. 

In 2014, FIFA lifted its ban on head coverings. Two years later, the under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan marked the first time Muslim players wore headscarves during an international FIFA event. 

‘Part of our identities’

Maryan Hagi-Hashi, a Melbourne resident who attended Morocco’s public practice session last week, said she is supporting the Atlas Lionesses alongside tournament co-host Australia. She appreciates the representation that the Moroccan team and Benzina provide, she said. 

“There’s a mixture of (Muslim) women that wear hijab and don’t wear a hijab,” Hagi-Hashi said. “I think the world has realized there is diversity.” 

Helal said that since the ban was lifted, she has seen an increase in Muslim girls and women playing soccer, pursuing coaching pathways and leading their own football clubs. 

“I think it’s key to understand that the hijab is an essential part of a Muslim woman, should she choose to wear it,” Helal said. “It’s actually part of our identities.” 
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At least 80,000 people have been displaced in three months of intercommunal violence in a north central Nigerian state, a local official said, as the army reinforced security to end the clashes.   

Since May, Plateau State has seen a surge of attacks among mostly Muslim nomadic herders and Christian farming communities in violence the local state government says has left around 300 people dead. 

Nigeria’s military chief of staff, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja visited Mangu, in Plateau State, on Saturday to mark the start of special operations to “stamp out” the crisis. 

The clashes are just one of the major security challenges facing new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria, where armed forces also battle jihadis, heavily armed bandit gangs and separatist tensions. 

Mangu district has been one of the epicenters of the recent violence with villages ransacked and farmland destroyed. 

“There’s an estimate of 80,000 internally displaced persons, within 11 various camps in the local government area,” said Markus Artu, a top official in the Mangu district.  

About 18,000 of the displaced were being sheltered in one of the camps situated at a primary school in Mangu.  

One of the camp coordinators, Yamput Daniel, gave AFP a similar estimate. 

State emergency response agency officials have delivered aid, but they have yet to give their official report on the number of displaced in the crisis.  

The local cattle herders’ association said some of their communities have also been displaced by attacks. 

Farmland destroyed 

At the school, displaced victims were packed into classrooms, some dilapidated and with broken roofs, surviving on meager supplies and maize donations from local churches. 

“The crisis has rendered us homeless; our farmland has been destroyed and we are left to manage our lives here in this primary school,” said Grace Emmanuel, 70, one of the displaced. “It has not been easy, we have no food to eat, we fetch water from the well to drink, at times the water isn’t enough for [the] thousands of us here.” 

The regional commander of Plateau’s Operation Safe Haven campaign has relocated its headquarters temporarily to Mangu and deployed an extra 300 troops to the district with armored vehicles. 

“Work with the communities. You are the people’s army when they make distress calls you must respond as soon as possible,” army chief of staff General Lagbaja told troops. 

Plateau sits on the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south and has for years been a flashpoint for tensions. 

It was unclear what triggered the most recent flareup of attacks in Plateau. Tensions between herders and farmers over land and resources often spiral into tit-for-tat village raids by armed gangs who kidnap, loot and kill. 

“We are tired of being here, we appreciate the security coming, but it would be best if the government would deploy most of the security to the villages, so that we can get back,” said Mary Ishaya, another displaced woman in Mangu district. “But we are left here, with our children, no food, no medicine and the children are not going to school.” 
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At least 16 people were killed and nearly three dozen injured Sunday when a four-story building collapsed onto a smaller one in Cameroon’s largest city, authorities said. 

“The casualty figures may be higher, said Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of Cameroon’s Littoral region, where the Douala is located. The city is west of the capital, Yaounde. 

The governor said that “rescue workers, assisted by Cameroon government troops, are still digging the wreckage to see if more bodies can be recovered.” 

The military’s fire brigade has been ordered to join the country’s Red Cross and other rescue services in searching for survivors. 

Residents living in the Ndogbon neighborhood where the incident took place said they are in shock. 

“We heard people screaming … and struggled to help some out of the wreckage, but could not do it with our spades and (garden) hoes,” said Gaspard Ndoppo, who lives near the collapsed buildings. 

Building collapses happen often in Douala, sometimes due to natural disasters such as landslides and other times because of poor construction, locals say. 

Douala’s city council is currently demolishing houses in high-risk zones susceptible to floods or landslides. The building that collapsed on Sunday was not marked for demolition. 
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HARARE, Zimbabwe — In a large hall at the headquarters of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party, women responded with roaring cheers when President Emmerson Mnangagwa described them as the party’s “backbone” whose votes are vital to victory in elections scheduled for August.

At a recent opposition rally, women with the face of their male party leader emblazoned on dresses and skirts sang, danced and promised to vote for change — never mind that the election again represents a status quo where women are largely limited to cheerleading.

It appears worse this year because the number of women candidates has plummeted, despite women constituting the majority of the population and, traditionally, the biggest number of voters.

“We have some of the best laws and policies on gender equality and women representation, but that’s just on paper. The reality on the ground is that the role of women in politics is restricted to being fervent supporters and dependable voters,” said Marufu Mandevere, a human rights lawyer in the capital, Harare.

The shortage of women candidates puts Zimbabwe at odds with trends on the continent. According to a report released in March by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the number of women in national parliaments in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 10% in 1995 to about 27% in 2022. The IPU describes itself as a global organization of national parliaments established in 1889.

In Zimbabwe, a patriarchal southern African nation of 15 million people, gender-based biases are still rampant. Men have historically dominated the political, economic, religious and social spheres. The Aug. 23 election suggests that change could be beyond the horizon, despite vigorous local campaigns and global pressure for increased female participation in decision-making.

In the last election, in 2018, there were four female candidates for the presidency, a record. When registration closed on Jun. 21 this year, there were 11 male candidates — and no women.In the end, one woman did manage to qualify for the ballot, but only just. Elisabeth Valerio was one of two women, along with Linda Masarira, who were rejected because they had failed to pay the $20,000 registration fee on time, up from $1,000 in 2018. In July, Valerio successfully challenged the decision in court.

For the National Assembly, there are 70 women candidates against 637 men in 210 constituencies. This represents 11% of candidates, down from 14% in 2018.

Parliamentary candidates must pay $1,000 to register, compared to $50 in the previous election — and that’s before the huge amounts necessary to compete in a country where vote-buying is rampant.

“Women have historically been squeezed out of the economic arena … That deprivation is now being used to elbow us out of the race for public office,” lamented Masarira. “Political leadership is a preserve of rich men.”

Many women chose to stay away rather than try to raise such “exorbitant fees,” she said.

Pressure groups are disappointed, especially after campaigning hard ahead of party primaries.

In February, major political parties signed a “Women Charter”, pledging action to increase the number of women candidates under a #2023LetsGo5050 campaign driven by a coalition of women’s rights groups.

When candidate registration closed, the biggest political parties had fielded less than 12% women candidates each for the National Assembly, said Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence or WALPE, a local non-governmental organization.

WALPE described the numbers as a “slap in the face,” accused the parties of “tokenism” and threatened to campaign against them “as the only way” to demonstrate women’s determination for a seat at the table. The group is now running a campaign urging women voters to elect fellow women where they appear on the ballot.

Those women who do run for public office also endure derogatory stereotypes.

Take Judith Tobaiwa, an opposition politician, and the first female MP for a politically volatile constituency in central Zimbabwe. She is seeking re-election. But for her opponents, gender seems to trump the 35-year-old’s track record.

“What is so special about Judy … How different is she from other girls?” thundered a ruling party campaigner during a recent rally in her constituency. “If it’s about being a prostitute, we also have prostitutes in ZANU-PF,” he said to applause for the comments captured on video and later widely criticized by activists.

Yet, according to Mandevere, the human rights lawyer, females have proven to be effective leaders through many decades of multiple crises in Zimbabwe. These range from the HIV/AIDS pandemic that killed millions, to the coronavirus outbreak that left many women and girls as household heads, and a prolonged and debilitating economic meltdown that catapulted women to the forefront of fending for families.

“That’s the sad part. We are fine with women taking care of us at home during times of crisis, but we frown upon their ambitions when it comes to national politics,” he said.
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Doctors Without Borders in Sudan warned Friday that it may end operations at a hospital in the capital, Khartoum, after 18 of its workers were “aggressively assaulted,” as conflict rages in the country.

The medical aid group, commonly known by its French acronym MSF, said the team was transporting medical supplies to Turkish Hospital in southern Khartoum Thursday when unidentified armed men attacked its staff, “physically beating and whipping them,” the aid organization said in a statement.

The men also threatened to kill an MSF driver before releasing him and taking off with the vehicle.

Christophe Garnier is MSF’s emergency manager for Sudan. Speaking to VOA Friday, he denounced the attack as “unacceptable” and “very concerning.”

He said the aid group may be forced to end services at the hospital in order to protect its staff.

“If an incident like this happens again and if our ability to move supplies continues to be obstructed, then, regrettably, our presence in the Turkish Hospital will soon become untenable,” Garnier said in a statement.

He said that the armed men who attacked the aid workers appeared drunk and that it wasn’t clear which of Sudan’s warring parties they belonged to.

Forces from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been battling for control of the country since hostilities erupted on April 15.

Sudanese authorities say over 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

As the humanitarian situation continues to worsen, the United Nations said as of July 14, more than 3 million people have been displaced, including 2.4 million within Sudan.

MSF’s Garnier called on officials to avoid targeting humanitarian workers and civilians. He said they are not a party to the conflict and “shouldn’t be involved in the conflict,” urging all sides to guarantee the safety of aid workers and ensure access to vulnerable populations.

The Turkish Hospital in southern Khartoum is one of the few hospitals still administering medical care in the country. 

This story originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service. 
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The BRICS group of fast-developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has positioned itself as an alternative to the Western-dominated global order. BRICS officials say that spirit has sparked the interest of some 40 countries in joining as the bloc gears up for a summit in August.

Current BRICS chair South Africa is hosting the three-day meeting in Johannesburg next month and says BRICS expansion will be high on the agenda.

Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries looking to join, South Africa’s BRICS ambassador, Anil Sooklal, told journalists, adding that it demonstrated the confidence Global South nations have in the organization. 

“Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There’s an equal number of countries that has been informally asking about becoming BRICS members,” Sooklal said.

BRICS is seen as “a powerful force,” said Sooklal, who added that measured by purchasing power parity it now accounts for 31.7% of global GDP, having overtaken the G-7 — a forum of advanced democracies that includes the U.S. 

But analysts differ in their assessment of what concrete achievements BRICS has made since its inception in 2009.

“The New Development Bank, which has done a substantial amount of lending … is the most prominent achievement. It’s also led to some increased trade between the countries, it’s won some international attention,” said Daniel Bradlow, a University of Pretoria professor who has studied the bloc.

However, he said the group had a “mixed record” and it was yet to be seen whether its potential would be realized in the future.

But Mikatekiso Kubayi, a researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue at the University of South Africa, says he thought BRICS had achieved a fair amount, contrary to expectations.

“You will recall that from the onset BRICS was an outfit that was easily dismissed by many, particularly in the West, seen merely as some concept,” Kubayi said. “It has achieved a lot, you know, in the 15 years that it’s been around.”

He points to the fact the bloc founded an international development finance institution, as well as how it’s been looking at alternative ways of conducting trade and promoting local currencies, as some of those achievements. 

However, Aly-Khan Satchu, an economic analyst, says for a long time the body was indeed primarily conceptual in nature. 

“I think if we’re looking for a silver-bullet type thing that’s come out of it so far, I don’t think that’s clear, but I think in the long run, what we’re seeing is a serious pole develop, and you know the main issue is the increased multi-polarity of the world and I think BRICS continues to represent that,” Satchu said.

Except for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who can’t travel to South Africa because he’s wanted by an international court for war crimes in Ukraine, all the BRICS heads of state will be attending the summit in person next month.  
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The restoration of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Egypt in early July is raising hopes for ending conflicts across the Middle East and Africa. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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African leaders are to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg at the end of this month for a summit, billed as strengthening cooperation in peace, security, and development.

But the second Russia-Africa Summit comes as Moscow continues to wage war against Ukraine. Russia’s invasion has led to higher food and oil prices for many African nations – and prices could rise further after Russia this week pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukrainian food exports to reach international markets.

International summits involve an element of political theater, analysts say, and African attendance will be a measure of success for the St. Peterburg gathering, according to Steven Gruzd, who leads the Africa-Russia project at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg.

“I think there will be a lot of focus on who attends … and last time in 2019, when the world looked very different before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, there were 43 African heads of state that went to Sochi [Russia] for the 2019 summit,” Gruzd told VOA.

Mvemba Dizolele, who directs the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said this will be a high-stakes discussion.

“They [Russia] are under a lot of pressure with what’s happening in Ukraine and the ramifications of the conflict there in terms of commodity prices, particularly for Africans — and also what’s happening with Wagner and so on — so this an opportunity for Russia to try to assert its place on the global stage as well,” Dizolele told VOA.

Trade likely will be discussed.

“I think there would be talk about trade … Russia’s trade with Africa is really negligible. China and the EU are by far much bigger trading partners with Africa,” Gruzd noted.

Russia is also looking to get around sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

“No African countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, so it’s a lucrative market,” said Gruzd. “We saw a similar pattern after the invasion of Georgia in 2008, and the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, as Western markets closed to Russia business, they sought markets elsewhere and of course Africa, Latin America, Asia were areas where they did seek to expand.”

The U.N. General Assembly in February passed a resolution demanding that Russia end the war and leave Ukrainian territory. While 141 countries voted in favor, two African countries voted against it and 15 abstained.

“Russia benefited from that in the sense that it showed them they have some friends,” Dizolele said. “It’s simply an awakening on the African part. They are particularly sending a message to the rest of the world, ‘we also have our own foreign policies, and those reflect our national interest.’”

He said the reality is that every country has done what it needed to do.

“The French president went to Russia and tried to negotiate something that was very different than what the Americans were trying to negotiate. We see various leaders of Europe … go to Russia. Italy did not have the same position and France didn’t have the same position as Germany. It’s totally normal that people have different positions. All that is based on their interest. I think we need to accept that of Africans,” Dizolele said.

The United States, Turkey, China, France, and other countries have convened similar summits of African leaders. Dizolele said the optics of one country summoning the leaders of an entire continent undermines Africa’s efforts to assert itself on the global stage.

“Africa is a big place. Africa is a critical component and critical member of the global community. It has a lot to offer from … natural resources, mineral resources but most importantly the youth. It’s the youngest continent with the median age of 19,” he said.

“So, if that’s the case, it’s important that Africans start demanding that people come to them. You can’t be important and going to everyone all the time, it reduces your value,” he notes.
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NAIROBI, KENYA – Kenyans angry over the high cost of living and tax hikes were set to continue protests Thursday, a day after police opened fire on protesters, killing at least two and wounding 26 more.

“The voice of the people must be heard. Our peaceful protest continues,” opposition leader Raila Odinga wrote on Twitter.

Kenyan President William Ruto, meanwhile, has vowed that no protests would take place, saying he would take Odinga “head-on.”

The Wednesday-to-Friday demonstrations are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month.

The Nation newspaper reported that Odinga’s Azimio opposition party had called for its supporters to assemble at Huruma grounds, Kangemi grounds and Central Park in the capital, Nairobi, Thursday.

The Kenyan Interior Ministry said Wednesday that more than 300 people were arrested during the protests and will be charged with crimes that include looting, destroying property and assaulting police.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said the protests have been politically instigated and have been far from peaceful as the opposition has characterized them.

“What we have witnessed are violent protests with those involved carrying all manner of crude weapons,” he said. “We have seen goons destroy our highways with no police around. That is not a peaceful protest.”

Authorities did not comment on the dead and wounded or respond to witness allegations that police officers had at times fired into homes.

The opposition condemned the arrests of seven elected leaders and two close associates of Odinga, describing them in a statement as a “desperate attempt” by the Ruto administration to paralyze the opposition.

The opposition said protests would continue Thursday.

The Media Council of Kenya alleged cases of police masquerading as journalists “with intent to arrest protesters.” In a statement, the council called such behavior “grave unprofessional conduct.”

Businesses and schools in Nairobi were closed as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. Demonstrations were reported in several other parts of the country, including the western counties of Migori and Kisii, where the opposition enjoys huge support.

Police had said the protests were illegal as no permit for them was issued, but the right to peaceful protests is enshrined in the Kenyan constitution.

Wednesday in Nairobi’s Kibera district, Omondi Diatiene said he was ready to protest as long as it takes.

“We are protesting today because the standards (costs) of living in this country have gone drastically up,” he said. “They are going up each and every day. We don’t need Ruto, that’s it. He’s already shown us he’s a very stubborn man, he’s not ready to listen to the people.”

During similar protests last week, at least 10 people were killed, according to watchdogs. A police officer confirmed at least six deaths to the AP. Many others were injured, including 53 children who went into shock after tear gas was thrown inside their school compound.

Religious leaders have called for dialogue between the government and the opposition to end the protests. Catholic bishops Wednesday issued a statement saying, “no further blood should be shed” and urged the president to repeal the finance law that has agitated many Kenyans.

The law has raised the price of fuel to its highest level as the government implements a doubling of value added tax on petroleum products to 16%. The prices have taken effect despite a court order suspending the implementation of the controversial new taxes.

A Nairobi resident, Wycliffe Onyango, said his entire earnings are spent on food. “Right now there is no work going on. We are suffering. I plead with the government to deal with the cost of living,” he said.

The International Monetary Fund this week called the law’s approval a “crucial” step toward reducing Kenya’s debt vulnerabilities.

Western envoys from 13 countries on Tuesday issued a joint statement calling for dialogue and expressed concern over the loss of lives and destruction of property.

The Kenya Medical Association said its members had attended to “hundreds of injured Kenyans and witnessed tens of fatalities” as a result of protests in recent months, and access to health facilities was limited for patients and workers, leading to increased mortality.

Human Rights Watch urged political leaders to stop labelling protesters as “terrorists” and respect the right to peaceful protests. The group also called out the police for using force and live bullets to confront protesters.

VOA’s Mariama Diallo contributed to this report. Some information in this report came from Reuters. 
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Fuel stations in Malawi’s economic capital, Blantyre, are running on empty after a fresh, nationwide fuel shortage this week.

Long lines of motorists are waiting for hours, sometimes overnight, in hopes of fueling their vehicles, while public transport fares have doubled. Malawi’s energy regulator says the country has depleted its fuel reserves, largely due to a lack of foreign currency.

The problem became apparent July 16 when motorists started to scramble for gasoline, though diesel still was readily available.

Now, both products have run out. Long lines, some as long as a kilometer from a pump station, are common, attracting a lot of speculation from motorists such as Labani Chirwa. 

Chirwa has heard there are plans to hike the prices of fuel, leaving many thinking some filling stations are deliberately hoarding the fuel to make huge profits from the old stock.

The government has rejected that speculation.

This is the first time since March the fuel supply situation has reached critical levels.

The fuel scarcity has pushed operators of public transportation vehicles to almost double their fares.

However, the operators say despite the increase in fares they are not making any profits because they are spending a day or two lining up for fuel without doing any business. 

The fuel scarcity is a big blow because many people and their families rely on minibuses, said Calisto Kambani, who runs a minibus business in Blantyre.

Malawi has been facing recurring fuel shortages since August 2022, largely because the country lacks enough foreign currency. The Reserve Bank of Malawi said in June that the government’s foreign exchange reserves were not enough to last a month.

Henry Kachaje, chief executive officer for the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority, told reporters Tuesday that Malawi cannot keep up with rising international prices for petroleum products.

“Previously, the country used to require an average of about $300 million worth of product, but when the prices of petroleum products on the market rose, as a country we needed almost $600 million worth of a product. Unfortunately, our export base did not double as the import bill doubled,” he said.

Kachaje said the energy regulator is working with fuel suppliers to minimize the shortages.

“One way is to engage suppliers that are willing to give product to Malawi in Malawi Kwacha [local currency],” he said, “so we use that as a measure to supply to the main market on a daily basis while we allow our national importer, the National Oil Company of Malawi, to focus on restocking the strategic reserves.”

Kachaje said if all works according to plan, the fuel strategic reserve in Malawi will be restocked by the end of August.

The current fuel shortage is temporary, he added, projecting it will be resolved within three days.  
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