ADF

ADF STAFF Five years after launching as Sub-Saharan Africa’s first light rail system, Addis Ababa’s transit system remains mired in debt to its Chinese lenders and has been penalized millions of dollars in fines for missed payments. According to Ethiopia’s The Reporter, a recent review by the Office of the Auditor General found that, during its first four years, the system took in $11.1 million but cost $154 million to operate. In the report, auditors note the system is falling far short of its original feasibility study, which said it would pay for its construction costs within 10 years through…

ADF STAFF A boat carrying Special Forces Sailors from Ghana sped across the Gulf of Guinea. When it pulled alongside a massive crane ship, the Sailors climbed a ladder and searched the vessel with their guns drawn. The drill performed alongside Sailors from Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands marked the beginning of Obangame Express 2021 (OE21), the largest international maritime military exercise in West Africa. OE21, a 13-day exercise in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, is sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and hosted by the Ghanaian Navy. Last year’s exercise…

BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Formula E auto racing wants to expand its operations in Africa. The series has one race on the continent. Marrakesh, Morocco, hosts one of the season’s 14 rounds, but another could be added within the next two years. The championship has not featured an African driver since it started in 2014, but there also are plans for change. Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship that uses only electric cars. “One of the locations we’re talking to is Cape Town,” founder Alejandro Agag said. “We have some people there working to see if we can make…

ADF STAFF Apopular children’s cartoon by a Nigerian animator is promoting African culture and stories. The Bino & Fino cartoon series, which first aired 10 years ago, is now broadcast in 15 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. The show’s creator, animator Adamu Waziri, said that it made no sense for Africa’s most-populous nation not to have a children’s cartoon show of its own.  He said it was challenging to find skilled animators in Nigeria: “You have to do a lot of training,” he told Voice of America. He said that a cartoon series initially takes two…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour and Grammy-winner Angelique Kidjo of Benin were among a galaxy of talent brought together for a virtual concert to raise awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 artists and celebrities from across the continent and the diaspora took part in the WAN Show broadcast online by the Worldwide Afro Network and carried by 200 African television channels to mark Africa Day. “After COVID-19, Africa will be great, Africa will be strong,” Malian kora star and hip-hop artist Sidiki Diabate said at the launch of the virtual concert. “Together we are unbeatable.” The event…

ADF STAFF At a negotiating table for the conflict in South Sudan, Rita Lopidia Abraham is a rare sight. As a woman, she sits across from mostly male representatives of warring parties. Some of them have questioned why she is there at all.  “You will see that it is mostly those who carry guns that are given space to negotiate,” she said in an interview with One Earth Future. Her group, EVE Organization for Women Development, was formed to speak for women and girls in the crosshairs of violence. Many of these women live in camps for internally displaced people.…

ADF STAFF In an operation in northern Mali, French special forces Soldiers killed the founder of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). At the time of his death, Abdelmalek Droukdel was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. Droukdel was born in Algeria and was one of the main figures responsible for the resurgence of extremism and violence across the Sahel region. He was killed on June 3, 2020, after crossing over from Algeria into Mali.  “This essential fight for peace and stability in the region has just achieved a major success,” French Defense Minister Florence Parly said,…

ADF STAFF The African Union has announced the launch of a one-stop online shop that will help countries buy much-needed medical equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Africa Medical Supplies Platform lists cost-effective testing kits, personal protective equipment, ventilators, patient monitors and disinfectants from certified manufacturers. Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, who helped develop the platform, said the African Union is getting requests “from other parts of the world to license the concept.” “Africa is leading the way with this online solution to ensure all of our governments get access to personal protective equipment and other urgent medical supplies they need,…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE A Malawian court sentenced members of a trafficking ring to a total of 56 years in prison for selling wildlife parts. The nine convicted traffickers were part of the Lin-Zhang crime syndicate and included seven Chinese nationals. Officials arrested the kingpin, Yunhua Lin, in August 2020 after a three-month manhunt. The court found them guilty of trafficking animal parts such as pangolin scales, rhino horn, ivory and hippo teeth. Malawian Director of Parks and Wildlife Brighton Kumchedwa hailed the convictions. “Malawi is no longer a playground for these wildlife criminals,” he said after the verdict. Authorities believe Lin-Zhang…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Ivoirian forces captured an extremist leader and a large number of fighters responsible for an attack on a border post. Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko did not name the suspected terrorist but said he was responsible for a June 11, 2020, attack at the border with Burkina Faso that left 14 military personnel dead and six wounded, according to an Al-Jazeera report. The predawn attack has been attributed to the Group to Support Islam and Muslims. It was the first major attack on Ivoirian soil since 2016 and came shortly after a joint Ivoirian-Burkinabe mission to rid the border…