ADF

In response to the crisis of deforestation, Soldiers have planted millions of trees Kenyan environmentalist Francis Muhoho says his country is risking an environmental crisis by cutting down too many trees. “Kenya lost an average of over 200,000 hectares of forests per year between 2000 and 2014,” he said in March 2019, as reported by the Kenya News Agency. “This is both in government and private forests.” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that so far this century, East Africa has lost a total of 6 million hectares of forest, some of it containing plants and animals found nowhere else on…

Female Malawian Peacekeepers Win the Trust of Locals by Attending to Basic Needs CAPT. WILNED KALIZGAMANGWERE CHAWINGA, MALAWI DEFENCE FORCE International peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is entering its third decade after years of regional conflict and two multinational wars. The detritus of this unrest has left behind instability exacerbated by a mix of violent groups, especially in the DRC’s eastern region and neighboring countries. Now the country is home to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), a 21,000-strong multinational peacekeeping force that works to bring peace to the region using “all…

Bintou Keita, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Discusses the Benefits and Challenges of Bringing More Women into Peacekeeping Originally from Guinea, Bintou Keita joined the United Nations in 1989 and is now assistant secretary-general for Africa. She has served in various roles, including deputy special representative for the African Union-U.N. Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and chief of staff and director of operations for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. This interview has been edited to fit this format. ADF: Could you share a bit about yourself with our readers? Was there anything in your personal or professional…

Senegal’s southern Casamance region has long been isolated from the more populous north by a geographic peculiarity: The Gambia, and the namesake river that runs most of its length. In January 2019, the presidents of both nations celebrated the opening of a bridge that spans the river, linking both banks of The Gambia and the two regions of Senegal. The Trans-Gambia Corridor bridge ends years of isolation and difficult travel for people in the two nations along both sides of the river. “Given the geography of The Gambia and Senegal with a river dividing both countries in two halves, I…

As the Stubborn Disease Continues in the DRC, Responders Must Build Trust to Succeed Dr. Jean-Christophe Shako went to Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to fight a fierce and dangerous enemy. But first he needed to make a friend. Shako, Ebola response coordinator in the eastern DRC town, is a veteran of four Ebola outbreaks in Africa. He wrote of his experiences with the current disease crisis in February 2019 for The New Humanitarian, an online news outlet. He recalled his team’s experience in Guinea during the height of the West African pandemic in 2014. It was then…

Institutions Look for New Methods to Produce Better Peacekeepers Peacekeeping is sometimes called a paradox because it requires the ability to use force and the restraint not to use it. Former United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold summed up the challenge when he said: “Peacekeeping is not a job for Soldiers, but only Soldiers can do it.” Modern peacekeepers face daunting tasks. They must deploy to a foreign country where they may not speak the language. They must quickly assess the situation on the ground, where a war has just been fought or is ongoing. They must encourage dialogue between warring…

U.N. Peacekeeping Operations in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia Offer Lessons From Challenges Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia share more than a border. The two West African nations have a recent history of civil war and upheaval. Both also had United Nations peacekeeping missions to help them pick up the pieces after the conflicts. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) began September 19, 2003, immediately after the second Liberian civil war, which started in 1999. The first civil war raged from 1989 to 1996. UNMIL’s job was to support the cease-fire agreement; protect U.N. staff members, civilians and infrastructure; protect humanitarian…

Recurring Weather Events Can Intensify Security Issues On a continent prone to a wide range of environmental disasters, tropical Cyclone Idai stood out. The exceptionally devastating storm plowed into southeastern Africa on March 15, 2019, bringing fury to Mozambique, as well as neighbors Malawi and Zimbabwe. The storm might be the worst disaster to strike the Southern Hemisphere, the United Nations said. A month later, Mercy Corps reported that the cyclone had left an estimated 3 million people needing humanitarian assistance and killed more than 1,000, with hundreds more missing. By April 25, 2019, Cyclone Kenneth was slamming into Mozambican…

From plowing fields to repairing sewage plants, Soldiers are redefining their roles The Vaal River in central South Africa is an environmental disaster, threatening the health of 19 million residents who live downstream. Its fate is in the hands of unlikely environmental warriors — the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). In September 2018, the South African Human Rights Commission inspected the river after allegations that 150 million liters of untreated sewage were spilling into it each day. The commission said, “The site inspection has revealed a prima facie violation of the rights of access to clean water, clean environment…

Cameroon’s top female football star has opened an academy to teach the sport to girls. The academy is the first of its kind in the country, where football is still largely considered a boys’ sport. Gaelle Enganamouit, a 27-year-old football star, never had any formal training. But she said having a football academy for girls will develop Cameroon’s players into world stars. “The foundation has as its objective to promote women’s football so we can see the impact.” she said. “In 2016 here with the African Cup, I was so impressed. I said I have the opportunity to open this…