Metro

35 Ethiopian children die as drought, conflict, escalate – Medical Charity

Published

3 years ago

June 10, 2022

Medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (DWB), has confirmed that at least 35 Ethiopian children have died due to drought and conflicts in the country’s northeastern Afar region in recent weeks.

The DWB made the disclosure on Thursday after a government minister denied that people have died due to food shortages which is gradually leading to a famine.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, Fitsum Assefa, had on Monday, told cabinet members that though millions of people in the South Oromia and Somali regions need food assistance, no one had died due to hunger.

“An additional 5.2 million in Tigray, around 600,000 in Afar and 8.7 million in the Amhara region also need food assistance and are receiving assistance both by the government and donors,” she said, but denied the loss of human lives, calling the efforts a “big success.”

But while countering her, the medical charity said in a statement that “35 children have died in the last eight weeks alone and more than two-thirds of those patients died within 48 hours of admission,” while noting an escalating crisis in the arid region of the country.

The statement which was issued by the group’s emergency coordinator in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Raphael Veicht, added:

“What scares us most at this point is that we are only beginning to see the very tip of the iceberg, and already it is overwhelming.

“The number of malnourished and sick children arriving at hospitals is rising steadily. Hence, the mortality rate among children is also rising

“Our hospital wards are full, so we are using tents. Even that is getting full, so we are treating some of them in the corridors.”

The United Nations had also raised the alarm on Tuesday about the impending famine and hunger induced by drought in the region and appealed for $847 million to help support 4.2 million people, half of them children in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti.

“The nutrition situation in the region is extremely concerning as malnutrition rates are increasing, particularly in Ethiopia, and in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya and Somalia,” the UN had said.

Ethiopia is currently facing one of the worst droughts in the past 40 years following consecutive failed rains in the region with the Afar region also witnessing some of the fiercest fighting in the war between Ethiopia and the Tigray region since November 2020.

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Metro

Zambia: Expert warns of food security threat due to climate change

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A prominent Zambian climate-smart agriculture expert, Oliver Bulaya, has warned of a collapse of the county’s agricultural sector with a potential threat to food security due to the worsening impact of climate change.

Bulaya, who bared his mind in an interview with Zambia Monitor on Friday, warned that ignoring the crisis could lead to severe disruptions in the country’s food supply and economy.

“Unless concerted efforts are made, the country will continue facing dire consequences from climate change,” the expert noted.

He lamented a growing trend of farmers relocating to regions experiencing above-normal rainfall, such as the northern block, as they struggle with losses caused by climate variability.

Bulaya emphasized that the once-reliable rainfall areas like North-Western Zambia are now experiencing lower precipitation, as seen during the 2023/2024 farming season and cautioned that poor farming practices, which had already strained the Southern region, could lead to similar challenges in other parts of the country if proactive measures were not implemented.

Metro

Outrage over murder of Nigerian beaten to death by South Africans inside estate security office

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian community, under the auspices of Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has raised the alarm over the murder of a 37-year-old Nigerian, Julius Chukwunta, who was beaten to death by four South Africans inside an estate.

According to the association, Chukwunta, a native of Aninri Local Government Area in Enugu State, was reportedly attacked on Saturday, December 7, while driving to his residence in Midrand Protea Estate.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the President-General of NICASA, Dr Frank Onyekwelu, Chukwunta was blocked by the four men while approaching his residence.

Onyekwelu stated that information available to the association noted that after attempting to pass through, Chukwunta was met with resistance by the assailants, prompting him to seek help at the security office of the estate.

“At that moment, the four men allegedly attacked him, leaving him severely injured with a head wound,” the PG said.

“His female companion, who was sitting in the car, rushed to the security office and discovered him bleeding on the ground.

“In spite of attempts to call for help, the security office and residents did not assist in calling the police or an ambulance.

“After an hour, Chukwunta’s partner contacted her father, who, along with other family members, took him to Tembisa General Hospital.

“Chukwunta was placed on life support but later succumbed to his injuries and died at the Tembisa General Hospital on December 10, 2024.”

Onyekwelu also confirmed that the case was reported to the police by Chukwunta’s partner at the Midrand Police Station and was registered under file number 262/12/2024.

The NICASA President said the four suspects, aged 20, 24, 27, and 28, were arrested, and the case was presented in Alexandra Magistrate Court on December 13, 2024, where they were charged with murder.

“The court proceedings on December 18, 2024, saw three of the suspects granted bail of R10,000 each, while the fourth had not yet applied for bail. The case was adjourned to February 3, 2025.”

Onyekwelu however, expressed disappointment at the proceedings, wondering why three of the suspects were released on bail and vowed that the Nigerian community would continue to demand justice for Chukwunta and support his family.

He emphasised that the community would not rest until justice was served and the value of Nigerian lives was upheld in South Africa.