Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Wednesday April 29

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Africa had this Wednesday, April 29, 35,371 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 1,534 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Egypt is the only country to have exceeded the 5,000 confirmed cases for the moment. It is followed by Africa, Morocco and Algeria.

Publicity

• Aid of more than three billion dollars for Nigeria

Nigeria is to receive aid of 3.4 billion dollars approved this Tuesday, April 28 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It is the most significant financial assistance given to a country affected by the coronavirus epidemic. The IMF's board of directors has agreed to the rapid credit process. This envelope should help Nigeria to compensate for the loss of its revenues due in particular to the plunge in oil prices. Despite the $ 3.4 billion, the deputy director of the financial institution believes that additional resources will still be needed to help Nigeria turn the corner.

Communication Minister Lai Mohammed also announced yesterday that Donald Trump has promised to send breathing apparatus to Nigeria. Other officials said on Twitter that the President had met with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the fight against coronavirus in the West African country.

President Muhammadu Buhari had a phone conversation with the US President Donald Trump today, the two leaders discussed Nigeria's efforts to defeat the COVID – 19 Pandemic, and President Trump pledged US support and solidarity. # COVID19Nigeria

In addition, the Minister of Health announced that the fifteen Chinese doctors, who arrived on the national territory on April 8, had been tested negative at the end of their fortnight. The Chinese team of experts has been invited by the federal government to share their experience in the fight against Covid-19.

• The implementation of the African continental free trade agreement postponed

The African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf) will not be operational on July 1 as planned. " The priority must be to fight the pandemic and save lives, " said secretary general Wankele Mene. " The political commitment remains, the political will remains to integrate the African market and to implement the agreement as planned, " he added. A new date should be determined in the coming weeks. The ZLECAf must become the largest area without trade barriers in the world, bringing together 1.3 billion consumers.

• First two Covid-19 deaths recorded in Chad

In Chad, the Ministry of Health announces that it recorded the first two coronavirus deaths in the country on Tuesday. A total of 52 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 19, the date of the first known case in the territory. Among them, 19 are declared cured. Chad has not put in place containment, but a curfew has been in effect since April 2. Wearing a mask is recommended in public spaces, but not compulsory.

• In Chad too, a minister publicly apologizes after hitting a gendarme

In Chad, Defense Minister Mahamat Abali Salah was forced to make a public apology on Wednesday after slapping a gendarme who asked him to wash his hands at the entrance to the parliament. A member, outraged by the minister's attitude, demanded that the minister apologize publicly to the institution. Which the minister finally bowed to. 

• 8th case of coronavirus in Mauritania after 20 days without any reported case

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday registered an eighth case of coronavirus in Mauritania. According to the authorities, she is a 68-year-old foreign national. The announcement comes after no cases had been reported in the country since April 9.

• Three ministers tested positive in Guinea-Bissau

Three members of the government of Guinea-Bissau, including Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam, tested positive for the coronavirus. They were reportedly in contact with a senior police officer who died last weekend as a result of the Covid-19. The information was announced by the Minister of Health Antonio Deuna, coordinator of the interministerial commission to fight against the coronavirus.

77 people have tested positive in the country and one death has been recorded. Guinea-Bissau is living for the third week in a row under a state of emergency, which ends on May 11.

• Tunisia announces deconfinement plan

In Tunisia, from May 4, the catering and construction sectors will reopen gradually, and half of the country's civil servants will be able to return to their workplaces. " Tunisia has managed to control the first wave of the epidemic, but the situation remains uncertain regarding a possible second wave, " said Minister of Health Abdellatif el-Mekki on Wednesday.

Public transport will also partially resume on May 4. For clothing stores and shopping centers, however, it will be necessary to wait until May 11.

In parallel with this deconfinement plan, President Kaïs Saïed announced in a press release the extension for another month of the state of emergency, which was to end this evening. To date, Tunisia has recorded 975 cases of coronavirus on its soil and 40 deaths.

• Anti-Covid force accused of violence in Togo

In Togo, the anti-Covid force, created in early April in particular to enforce the curfew in Lomé and Sokodé, is in the crosshairs of the government. Its commander and three assistants were dismissed earlier this week following the increase in cases of violence involving members of this force. After minimizing these acts, Yark Damehane, the Minister of Security, admits today that there have been problems. “ In some places, there have been cases of slippage. The last took place last week, with one dead in a district of Lomé. An investigation is underway but everything suggests that the person was raped by dressed bodies , "he said.

Other investigations have been opened by the Ministry of Justice. First steps welcomed by the citizen collective Togo Debout, but deemed insufficient by its spokesperson David Dosseh. In connection with human rights organizations, Togo Debout says it has identified since the beginning of April many cases of caning, especially in Grand Lomé.

• Pass of political arms around aid funds in Cameroon

At the start of the week, the Minister of Territorial Administration ordered operators Orange and MTN to close the mobile phone accounts of Operation Cameroon Survival, a fundraising system launched by opponent Maurice Kamto and intended for the fight against coronavirus. For the minister Paul Atanga Nji, this operation is quite simply illegal: according to him, Survie Cameroun does not appear in the register of recognized associations, because any public call for the donation must be authorized by his ministry. " If he has a contribution to make, he only has to do so within the framework of the legal structures put in place by the government. It will not be given any opportunity to act in parallel,  ”said the minister.

But Maurice Kamto's spokesperson, Olivier Bibou Nissack, believes that this fundraising meets a need as the authorities' response to the pandemic is deemed insufficient. " It is nameless cruelty. You cannot refuse that third parties help the people in danger, it is simply unacceptable, "he deplores.

• Restrictions for truck drivers in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has announced new measures for truck drivers crossing the country to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Drivers will no longer have the right to transport passengers or sleep in hotels.

Since last weekend, compulsory tests have been carried out at the borders. The measure has also caused traffic jams of several tens of kilometers on the Kenyan side of the border, as reported by Citizen TV Kenya on Twitter.

The Covid-19 Curve:
Kenya confirms 12 more coronavirus cases
New cases bring total number to 355
NERC direct testing of all truck drivers in the country
Counties urged to prepare for possible malaria outbreaks # SundayLive @ VickyRubadiri @KoinangeJeff pic.twitter.com/ZUCQcw6MNp

20 drivers from Kenya were tested positive for Covid-19. But there is no question of prohibiting trucks from entering the country, road traffic being essential for the transport of food products or medicines. President Museveni also denounced the growing hostility towards truck drivers for the past few weeks. However, he acknowledged that they could be a real threat in the fight against the spread of the virus.

• African Union receives third shipment of donations from billionaire Jack Ma

The third delivery of materials donated by the foundation of the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma to the African Union arrived this Wednesday morning in Addis Ababa. Among the equipment: 4.6 million masks, 500,000 test kits, 300 respiratory devices, 200,000 protective clothing for carers and 500,000 pairs of gloves in particular.

" The equipment will be distributed equitably among all member countries of the African Union to fight the pandemic, " said the AU Center for Disease Prevention and Control on Twitter.

Africa, through @AfricanUnion, @AfricaCDC, is excited to receive today, the 3rd donation of laboratory test kits & other medical equipment from the @JackMa @foundation_Ma to help # COVID19 response in Member States. # FactsNotFear #AfricaResponds # AfricaAgainstCOVID19 pic.twitter .com / gEk8jx8ibJ

• Domestic flights will resume this weekend in Ghana

Aviation Minister Joseph Kofi Adda said domestic flights could resume in Ghana this weekend. Kotoka airport, in the capital Accra, has been disinfected, said the minister. The country's other airports, including Kumasi, the country's second largest, are being cleaned up to be ready for their opening. Joseph Kofi Addad affirms that the social distancing between the passengers, the wearing of the mask and the use of hydroalcoholic gel will be implemented.

Domestic flights have been suspended since March 30 in Ghana. On April 20, President Nana Akufo-Addo lifted the partial containment that was in effect in several regions of the country.

• Over 300 cases of coronavirus in Moroccan prisons

The massive screening campaign operation in penitentiary establishments in Morocco revealed 313 cases positive for coronavirus. Ouarzazate prison registers almost all of these cases: 303 people, detainees and officials, are affected by Covid-19. Two other prisons are affected by the epidemic: those of Oudaya in Marrakech and that of Ksar El-Kébir, in the north-west of the country.

The authorities indicate that all the positive cases have been isolated and the guards equipped with protective equipment. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) ensures that no other penal institution is currently affected by the pandemic.

• Amnesty International rebels against eviction operations in Addis Ababa

In Ethiopia, Amnesty International protests operations to evict at least a thousand people in precarious situations in the capital, Addis Ababa. Most are unemployed, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization stresses, and are even more exposed to the risk of contagion by being thrown into the street.

The expellees lived in makeshift shelters, on land bought from farmers but whose title deeds are not recognized by the authorities. And police routinely confiscate plastic sheeting under which families protect themselves from the cold and heavy rain that is currently affecting Ethiopia, Amnesty says. The NGO describes the behavior of the police as " cruel and inhuman ". " The authorities must immediately end these forced evictions and ensure that an alternative accommodation is urgently offered to the people concerned, " concludes the organization.

In a heartless move, Ethiopian authorities have rendered 1,000+ people, many of whom lost their jobs due to # COVID19, homeless.https: //t.co/bPSuhgDmlM

• In Côte d'Ivoire, difficulties in accessing running water

At least five million people in Côte d'Ivoire experience difficulties in accessing drinking water. The NGO Eau et Vie works to help all those who are not connected to the water networks, so that they can respect barrier gestures.

In the Yopougon district of Abidjan, emergency solutions had to be found, explains Sikidi Coulibaly, community agent for the organization. " When you come with your can, it's six 25 liter cans at 50 francs, before the crisis it was 3 cans at 50 francs, but given the situation it was imperative for Eau et Vie to lower prices by 50 % to allow all households to get their supplies at a lower cost, ”he says.

Find here the report of our correspondent  : Ivory Coast: in Yopougon, "we want water at home"

• Entry and exit prohibited in two refugee camps in Kenya

As of this Wednesday in Kenya, entry and exit will be prohibited in the Dadaab refugee camps in the east and Kakuma in the northwest, which house 217,000 and 190,000 people respectively. Interior Minister Fred Matiangi announced it yesterday on Twitter. Deliveries of essential aid remain authorized, however, and association movements will be permitted on a case-by-case basis.

No cases of coronavirus have been reported in these camps so far, but aid agencies say the epidemic could take their toll due to overcrowding.

Following the meeting, and in furtherance of directives to curb the communal spread of COVID-19 across the country, the Government has ordered for the cessation of movement into and out of both Kakuma and Dadaab Refugee Camps effective tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29, 2020 pic.twitter.com/bTHI5EPLFk

• President of Malawi launches aid program for the most vulnerable

In Malawi, President Peter Mutharika announced Tuesday evening the establishment of an emergency financial assistance program for the poorest people in the country. 172,000 households are affected: beneficiaries must receive from Friday, a monthly payment of 47 dollars (about 43 euros).

A few hours before this announcement, a court referred to the Constitutional Court the decision to authorize or not the implementation of containment in the country to fight against the spread of coronavirus. Because the containment of 21 days decided by the government had been suspended by the courts on April 17, one day before its establishment. At issue: an appeal filed by the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, to request aid for the most disadvantaged before any measure to restrict movement.

• With the state of emergency, the increase in environmental crimes in Madagascar

The Voahary Gasy Alliance, which brings together biodiversity protection organizations, published a press release on Tuesday to alert about the intensification of environmental crime since the start of the state of health emergency in Madagascar a month ago .

Coal mining, cutting and trafficking of precious woods, sales of endangered turtles, mining in protected areas, etc. For the Minister of the Environment, Baomiavotse Raharinirina, there are two reasons for the increase in these plagues in the territory . “ There are a lot of people who are in a very precarious situation. There is more than 75% of rural population and these people have easy access to the resources that are available nearby and therefore they go directly to the protected areas. In parallel, there is also a temptation for traffickers to evacuate stocks of precious woods which they had hitherto hidden because prohibited. He has the feeling that the state will be more focused on the health crisis , ”she explains on the microphone of our correspondent, Laetitia Bezain.

The toll-free number 512 has been set up to allow citizens to report environmental crimes they witness. Since the start of the health emergency, 120 people have been prosecuted for such acts in Madagascar.

More details here: Resurgence of environmental crimes in Madagascar

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