Musings From Abroad

Over 2 million children require humanitarian attention in Niger— UNICEF

Published

1 year ago

August 21, 2023

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that more than two million children are “in need of humanitarian aid” in the Niger Republic.

Niger has been at the centre of political instability following the recent coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The organization said in a statement, “More than two million children have been affected by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

“Before the recent civil unrest and political instability in Niger”, UNICEF already estimated in 2023 “at 1.5 million the number of children under 5 suffering from malnutrition, including at least 430,000 suffering from the deadliest form of malnutrition.”

UNICEF warned that the numbers might increase “if food costs rise more and an economic crisis affects families, households, and incomes.”

In addition, “electricity shortages” – already frequent in Niger and multiplied by the sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), in response to the coup – affect the cold chain and can compromise the effectiveness of “infant vaccines” stored in health structures.

UNICEF recalls that it “continues to provide humanitarian assistance to children throughout the country”. However, it warns that its “vital supplies remain blocked at the various entry points of the country”, such as at the border with Benin.

Since gaining independence in the 1960s, many countries in the Sahel have experienced violent extremism due to the confluence of weak and illegitimate governance, economic decline, and the worsening effects of climate change.

The epicentres of violence and humanitarian disaster are in the Liptako-Gourma and Lake Chad Basin subregions, with Niger’s neighbours, Nigeria, Chad and some parts of Cameroon all sharing in the jihadist crisis.

Musings From Abroad

Nigeria, India to strengthen counterterrorism, maritime security cooperation

Published

2 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

During a state visit to Nigeria on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra, Modi reached an agreement, on behalf of his country, to strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, intelligence, and maritime security.

President Bola Tinubu invited Modi to visit Nigeria, the first Indian prime minister to do so in 17 years.

Tinubu is looking for investments from some of the largest economies in the world.

In addition to discussing economic development, defence, healthcare, and food security, Modi and Tinubu met at the presidential mansion on Sunday after arriving in the capital, Abuja, on Saturday night, according to a joint statement.

The two nations decided to work together to protect maritime trade routes and fight piracy in response to the mounting risks in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, is looking to attract more Indian investment and lower-cost credit lines in order to strengthen its economy and generate employment.

Nigeria announced last year that it had obtained about $14 billion in pledges from Indian businesses, including Jindal Steel and Power, which promised to spend $3 billion in Nigeria’s steel industry, during the G20 conference.

Over 200 Indian businesses are present in Nigeria.

Modi was scheduled to go to Brazil for this year’s G20 conference after Nigeria.

Nigeria and India have a long-standing and cordial bilateral relationship. Nigeria, home to more than 200 million people, and India, home to 1.3 billion people, are both sizable emerging nations with multilingual, multiethnic, and multireligious communities.

Musings From Abroad

Military advisors from Russia arrive Equatorial Guinea

Published

22 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Russian military advisors are in Equatorial Guinea training indigenous soldiers.

Anonymous sources cited by Reuters during the week claim that between 100 and 200 Russian instructors are training with elite guards in charge of guarding the President and the first family.

The males had been seen in Malabo, the country’s capital, and Bata, its second city. Reports of Russian forces stationed in the nation initially appeared in August.

Oil-rich Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has maintained close relations with Moscow.

Nguema travelled to Moscow in September to attend the Russian Energy Week International Forum.

Russia has strengthened military connections with African countries, sending advisors and combat soldiers to the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Faced with an Islamist terrorist insurrection, three Sahel countries have turned to Moscow for support, expelling French and American troops.