Musings From Abroad

Niger: Reactions trail French’s decision to end anti-jihadist Barkhane force in the Sahel

Published

1 year ago

November 10, 2022

Following France’s announcement to end its anti-jihadist Barkhane force in the Sahel, there have been mixed reactions trailing the announcement in Niger.

The head of a pan-African NGO in Niger, Seydou Abdoulaye, has welcomed the French’s departure noting that Operation Barkhane “is a force that is at the root of the advent of terrorism in the Sahel… it cannot be a solution”

“We have said in black and white that we do not need the presence of the French Barkhane force in Niger. Because it is a force that is at the root of terrorism in the Sahel, it is at the root of the problem, it cannot be a solution and responsible for the problem,” he added.

Civil societies are not left out in the trail of reactions as coordinator of the NGO Tournons la Page, Maïkoul Zodi, argued that “it’s still the same soldiers who are there, it’s the same bases that will be there, we do not want these bases because until now we have not had convincing results. We wonder why they insist on staying in the Sahel.”

“They (Barkhane soldiers -ed) can be transferred to the Takuba Task Force, they can be… Having a new name, a new operation in the Sahel, so it doesn’t change anything” says Zodi stressed.

There have been recent anti-French protests in some African countries. The government in Gabon was forced to stop planned protests in May. There were also pockets of “anti-French” protests in South Africa in the same month.

One of France’s African allies, Mali under the current military junta of Colonel Goita has also severed diplomatic relations with France which has been helpful with military support in the fight against terrorism.

Perhaps, its growing unpopularity in the region accounts for a new ‘roadmap’ on the African continent which French President Emmanuel Macron hinted at on Tuesday.

What would be France’s new position in Africa? Can African countries really afford to bound France to Philistine as it is currently one of its biggest aid donors? Time will tell. Perhaps in six months Macron hinted.

Musings From Abroad

World Bank supports Kenyan central bank’s interest rate hike

Published

24 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Bank has noted that the decision of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to raise interest rates, and the partial payment of its Eurobond have contributed to the recent stability of the Kenyan Shilling.

Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) Monetary Policy Committee raised the policy rate by 50 basis points to 13.00% at its first meeting of 2024 on February 6, 2024. The policy rate then rose to its highest level in more than ten years. It was a big surprise to most market experts that the rate went up after being raised by 200 basis points in December.

The Central Bank Rate (CBR) was raised twice in a row by CBK in December and February, bringing it up from 10.5% to 13%. The main goal was to support the shilling by getting foreign investors to put their money into local investments like government bonds.

The international lender says that the Central Bank of Kenya’s move to raise the benchmark lending rate has helped protect the local currency. They also say that the demand for shilling has grown because Eurobond notes that mature in June are being partially repaid.

So far this year, the shilling has gained the most value compared to other currencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Zambian Kwacha has also gained some value, but not as much.

“The Kenyan shilling is the best-performing currency in the sub-continent, and it recorded an appreciation of 16% so far this year. After strengthening by 14% in mid-February, the Zambian Kwacha has lost some ground and recorded a year-to-date appreciation of 2.4% as of mid-March. In both cases, the monetary authority hiked interest rates to defend their currencies,” the World Bank notes in a new regional outlook report.

Musings From Abroad

WHO says Nigeria is the first country to use new meningitis vaccine

Published

1 day ago

April 15, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Nigeria is the first country in the world to give out the “revolutionary” new vaccine— Men5CV.

Nigeria is one of the places in Africa where the sickness is doing the most damage. The WHO says that the number of yearly cases rose by 50% in 26 African countries that are considered to have a high risk of meningitis.

Nigeria reported 1686 possible cases of meningitis between October 1, 2022, and April 16, 2023. Of these, 124 people died, giving the country a case fatality rate (CFR) of 7%.

Meningitis is a very bad illness of the meninges, which are the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It is a terrible disease that poses a big threat to public health.

“Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, was quoted as saying in a statement.

The WHO says that from October of last year to the middle of March of this year, there were 1,742 probable cases and 153 deaths in seven states in Nigeria.

The WHO said that the new vaccine will protect against all five major types of the disease that are common in Nigeria. This is different from the first vaccine, which only protected against one strain.