ADF

BRAND SOUTH AFRICA A former child soldier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been awarded an international environmental prize for his work as a park ranger and conservationist in Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest wildlife park. Rodrigue Katembo won the Goldman Environmental Prize in April 2017 for his work to prevent potentially damaging oil exploration in the park. In addition to mobilizing DRC citizens to protest plans to drill for oil in Virunga, he also worked undercover to expose bribery and corruption of government officials by foreign oil companies. Environmental research has shown that oil exploration in…

ADF STAFF Work is set to begin on a 4,000-kilometer shipping lane that will connect the Mediterranean Sea with Lake Victoria, improving trade for 10 countries. The waterway, which includes using the Nile as a shipping lane, is scheduled for completion by 2024. It will pass through Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Ethiopia was a late arrival to the project, only deciding to join in early 2017. The project will be for small- and medium-size commercial ships to boost trade among the 10 countries. It is one component…

BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Nigerians call the gargantuan traffic jams of cars, trucks and other vehicles in Lagos “go-slows.” Trying to get anywhere is often an exercise in patience and perseverance. But apart from the frustrations of driving in Lagos, there is the serious health impact of air pollution. Many vehicles belch out huge, dark, sulfurous clouds — the effects of diesel fuel with high amounts of sulfur, also known as “dirty” fuel. Now, Nigeria is tackling this major cause of air pollution. In December 2016, Nigeria was among five countries in West Africa that pledged to stop importing dirty…

VOICE OF AMERICA Thousands of HIV-negative Kenyans will for the first time be placed on daily antiretroviral medication in a bid to prevent new infections. The new program seeks to lower the country’s HIV transmission rate for people who face a substantial risk of contracting HIV, such as rape victims and HIV-negative drug users. Martin Sirengo, head of the National AIDS and STI Control Program, said the measure involved the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). “We are introducing PrEP to a selected population, not to everyone, and this selected population includes, for instance, HIV-negative partners in a discordant relationship, where…

AFRICA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES On January 7, 2017, Ghana held its seventh presidential inauguration since 1992. It marked the third time the party in power has changed — an unusual event in Africa, where nearly all countries hold elections, but the parties in power almost always remain the same. Among the continent’s 54 countries, only 19 African incumbent leaders from 11 countries have been voted out of office since the end of colonialism. These two feats alone — holding regular elections and changing the party in power — have helped institutionalize Ghana’s process of political transition through elections. Yet,…

When Janani Luwum, Anglican archbishop of Uganda, stood up to President Idi Amin and his atrocities in 1977, he knew Amin would not tolerate it. Turning to one of his friends, Luwum said, “They are going to kill me. I am not afraid.” His prediction soon came true. ADF STAFF Janani Luwum was born in 1922. He was educated as a schoolteacher, and in 1948 he converted to Christianity. He became a priest in 1956 and studied for a year in Canterbury in England. In 1969, he was consecrated as bishop of Northern Uganda. His country was going through a…

CLUES At 3,415 meters above sea level, this is the highest summit in the Sahara region. The summit has three volcanic craters, two of which overlap. The largest crater is about 19 kilometers wide and more than 1,200 meters deep. There are no historical records of an eruption at this volcano. ANSWER: Emi Koussi, in northern Chad’s Tibesti Mountains

U.S. Africa Command Staff A weak point anywhere can create problems everywhere. This is the lesson of Libya. Since 2011, the North African nation has become a haven for extremists, a thoroughfare for drugs and a launching point for migrants. Some of the profits from these crimes ended up in the hands of ISIS, which “taxes” contraband and human trafficking. Weapons looted from Libya’s depots have spread across the Sahel and fueled conflict. The exploitation of the poor by human traffickers and international crime syndicates contributes to instability, corruption and lawlessness. As Libya tries to restore order, it offers a…

Allow me to commend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, ECOWAS member states and Mauritania, and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for their constructive collaboration that led to the development of two complementary programs. This is a clear indication that there continues to be a close coordination and collaboration between the U.N. and the ECOWAS in the definition of strategic objectives, as well as programming, to assist member states in the fight against illicit trafficking and organized crime. Throughout the development of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan 2016-2020, member states have renewed their commitment…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE South African Michelle Nkamankeng, 7, has become one of the youngest published authors on the continent with a short novel she wrote largely in secret, Waiting for the Waves. Michelle wrote of Titi, a little girl fascinated by the ocean and its huge waves, which Amazon.com bills as “an epic tale” recounting “the inner struggle of love and fear.” “My brother and sisters knew because they always came in my room,” Michelle said. “They are like, ‘What are you doing?’ I told them not to tell Mummy and Daddy. I wanted it to be a surprise.” Her mother,…