Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic Thursday April 16

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Africa counted this Thursday, April 16, 17,701 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 911 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. South Africa, Egypt and Algeria and Morocco have surpassed the 2,000 case mark. Then come Cameroon, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

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►  WHO is concerned about the suspension of American funding for Africa and wants clinical trials on the continent

On Tuesday April 14, President Donald Trump decided to suspend the American contribution to the budget of the World Health Organization . Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, expressed concern this Thursday during a press conference: “ The United States is the main contributor to our budget. For the period 2020-2021, for example, American subsidies for the various WHO programs in Africa were to amount to nearly 300 million dollars, and we have already received, at the beginning of this year, about 50 million dollars from them. So suspending this contribution could have serious consequences, for example for the eradication of polio in Africa . "

According to Michel Yao, the head of WHO's emergency operations on the continent, cases of coronavirus could drop from a few thousand today to 10 million in three to six months, according to a very provisional model. For him, Africa must therefore also participate in research and clinical trials on the virus. “  It is necessary that clinical trials can be done in Africa, but in accordance with the regulations and with the approval of the ethical committees. And if it is done according to standards, it will allow us to understand and know the effectiveness of certain potential drugs or vaccines, effective for Africa  ”, he estimated during this press conference.

► Ten days of confinement in Libya 

The Government of National Unity (GNA) announced in a press release the establishment of a general confinement of ten days in the areas it controls in western Libya, including the capital Tripoli. This measure will come into force on Friday, and according to the press release, the hypermarkets will be closed, but the shops and local shops will remain open between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. UT.
This containment measure will not apply to the east of the country controlled by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, as well as to a large part of the South which escapes the control of the two rival camps.

► G5 Sahel : the coronavirus declared public enemy number 1

The G5 Sahel foreign ministers met by videoconference Wednesday evening for the first time since the start of the pandemic. In the Sahel region, more than 1,200 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded by the various authorities and the health crisis is now the primary concern of the G5 Sahel . Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Mauritanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman-in-Office of the Council of Sahelian Ministers, insisted on their common approach, in particular on "  the purchase of materials, equipment for hospitals and special units  ".

However, the fight against terrorist violence does not stop and the meeting was also an opportunity to take stock of the security situation which has deteriorated in recent days with a series of deadly attacks in Mali and in Burkina Faso.

► The G20 commits to a one-year moratorium on the debt of poor countries

A 6-month renewable moratorium was decided this Wednesday evening by the G20 countries on the debt of the 77 developing states supported by the World Bank, including around 40 from African states. The measure applies from May 1, 2020 so that each country can cope with the consequences of the pandemic.

In all, this represents 14 billion left at the disposal of the 77 developing states out of a total of 32 billion dollars. A sum which is not up to the efforts hoped by several States, in particular in Africa. France, and several African states had declared themselves in favor of outright cancellation of bilateral debts rather than their deferral.

And for Lison Rehbinder, spokesperson for the CCFD (Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development) and the Debt & Development Platform, this is insufficient: "  These States will have to repay these debts in full in a few years while the crisis The economic that is starting is going to be very serious and will put them in difficulty for a long time. It just pushes the problem away . "

All the details to read here

► Support measures for agriculture in Côte d'Ivoire

Faced with the economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic, the government of Côte d'Ivoire will release an envelope of 250 billion CFA francs (380 million euros) to support major agricultural export crops, including cocoa and cashew nut. Cocoa represents a third of Ivorian exports and supports 5 to 6 million people in the country. Crops themselves are not directly affected by the epidemic at present, but exports may fall due to the global economic recession.

► In West and Central Africa, the difficulty of distance education

In the vast majority of countries in the zone, schools have closed their doors to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Distance education has become the rule and in total, according to UNICEF, 128 million pupils in the region no longer have a class. Many initiatives have been put in place: television, radio, social networks ... But teachers have to overcome a major difficulty: ensuring educational continuity for all students, even for children who have no access to the Internet and the fear of a white year without any end-of-year exam is spreading.

The complete dossier on the question can be read here

►  Democratic Republic of the Congo : the economic situation is deteriorating

The Congolese government has revised its growth forecasts downward  : 1.1% against 4.4%. The International World Fund (IMF) expects a negative growth rate of -2.2%. The blame for the coronavirus and the fall in prices, in particular of copper and cobalt. A situation that worries donors in particular.

The World Bank has already contributed 47 million to the fight against the coronavirus. The IMF has canceled 20 million in debt and is reportedly preparing to lend 365 million in budget support. But donors, scalded by embezzlement, among others on the fight against Ebola, promise to monitor more closely the management of these funds on a daily basis.

► Difficult collaboration in Burundi between the authorities and the WHO

Burundi is officially one of the countries in the world with the fewest known cases of coronavirus, which the authorities explain by "  divine grace " . A situation that raises many questions when relations between the government and the World Health Organization are marked by great mistrust. So much so that the authorities had recently called for the recall of three senior WHO officials, including the representative in Burundi, Walter Kazadi. According to our sources, it took a letter from the head of the organization for Africa and another from its director general addressed directly to President Pierre Nkurunziza, for the Minister of Health to come back to this requirement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also announced that Burundians living abroad will not be able to vote during the presidential election scheduled for May 20. In a note sent to chancelleries around the world, the authorities explain that the Ceni is today "  unable  " to organize this vote because of the measures to combat the coronavirus adopted by many countries, in particular the containment measures.

► Songs for people healed in Uganda

As everywhere in the world, health workers celebrate the healing of Covid-19 when possible. The Ugandan Minister of Health shared the songs of the caregivers at the Mulago hospital on Twitter, where four people were deemed cured and were able to leave the care unit.

Exciting news from Mulago Hospital today! 4 patients have fully recovered and tested negative twice for COVID-19 and have been discharged.
Thank you our health workers. You are my heroes every day. Keep up the spirit.
Indeed, we shall sing Hallelujah! Praise the Lord. pic.twitter.com/7isC7BFKGm

► The AU will distribute a million screening tests

The African Union Center for Disease Control and Prevention plans to distribute one million tests to screen for Covid-19 from next week, its director Dr John Nkengasong announced on Thursday. hurry.

In many countries, the limited capacity to carry out large-scale tests does not allow the authorities to have an accurate picture of the epidemic on their territory.

This distribution of test kits is part of a new program called the Partnership to speed up the testing of Covid-19 (PACT in English). The program also aims to increase the number of health workers involved in contact tracing of positive coronavirus cases at the community level.

► Senegal extends the suspension of all flights

The Senegalese Minister of Transport Alioune Sarr announces that the suspension of all flights to and from Senegal is extended until May 31 .
The closure of the borders and the suspension of flights was decided in mid-March to contain the Covid-19.

► Ethiopia wants to close Eritrean refugee camp despite epidemic

Ethiopia is preparing to close the Hitsats camp in the northern Tigray region, which is home to more than 13,000 Eritrean refugees, according to the authorities. Refugees from Histats will be able to resettle in two other camps or obtain a permit to live and work independently in Ethiopia. But according to the UN, the two replacement camps are already full and lack water. There are serious fears that such an operation could make these refugees more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

► Detainees released in Botswana and special measures for prisons in Côte d'Ivoire

In Côte d'Ivoire, prison authorities are concerned about a possible outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the country's 34 prisons. Authorities are in the process of releasing 2,000 people at the end of their sentence or who have committed minor offenses. But the problem of prison overcrowding remains: the country has 20,000 prisoners for 7,000 places in prison. Among the measures taken, the prohibition of visits, the confinement for 15 days of new detainees, the creation of isolation cells ... Hygiene equipment to protect the guards was also delivered by the International Committee of the Cross -Red

The President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, pardoned 149 prisoners to help decongest prisons and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

►  Nigeria: 18 people killed by security forces for breach of confinement

The Nigerian National Human Rights Commission has recorded 105 acts of human rights violations "  perpetrated by the security forces  " and "  18 people killed  " in extra-judicial executions, as they were accused not to comply with the containment measures implemented in several states of the country since March 31, according to a report published Wednesday evening.
Videos of police violence posted on social networks, where the police are seen destroying market stalls, or beating the population have caused scandal in the country, where the security forces are regularly accused of abuse of power and of corruption.

► Nurses on strike in Malawi

Nurses at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre are on strike . They feel that there are not enough of them and ask for protective equipment, a reassessment of their wages and complain about too long working days. The government had announced the recruitment of 2,000 health workers, according to local media.

►Lions find space in South Africa

While tourists can no longer visit the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa, nature takes back its rights. The park publishes photos of a whole family of lions napping on a road where you usually never see them.

Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.
📸Section Ranger Richard Sowry pic.twitter.com/jFUBAWvmsA

►  Lesotho Minister of Police arrested for violating health rules

Police have confirmed that the Minister of Police, Lehlohonolo Moramotse, has been arrested and will be brought to justice next Monday. He is accused of having bought alcohol when the purchase of alcohol is prohibited, it is one of the health measures decreed during the confinement of the population in Lesotho, as in neighboring South Africa.

► Lazarus sings against Coronavirus

The albino singer from Malawi, whose story was told in an eponymous documentary produced by Madonna and Bryn Mooser and directed by David Darg and awarded at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, is releasing a song this Thursday. Malawi will enter containment this weekend.

My song about the Corona virus is on my instagram now @lazarus_music. Malawi lockdown starts this weekend. #staysafe # covid19 #albinism pic.twitter.com/gUUVvSG8Nd

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