Musings From Abroad

Burkina Faso signs nuclear power plant deal with Russia’s Rosatom

Published

1 year ago

October 13, 2023

West African country, Burkina Faso has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Russian state nuclear company, Rosatom for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

The agreement was signed by energy and mines minister, Simon-Pierre Boussim, and Nikolay Spasskiy, Rosatom’s deputy director general on Friday in Moscow. The power plant, according to a statement by Burkina Faso’s energy ministry, will enable the country to meet its energy needs.

There was no mention of the projected nuclear power plant’s funding or construction schedule. The agreement was reached in response to a request made by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the head of the Burkina Faso junta, to Russian President, Vladimir Putin in July at the Russia-Africa meeting in St. Petersburg.

As its relationship with its erstwhile colonial power, France deteriorates, Traore, who took control in a military coup in September 2022, has grown closer to Russia, while Russia has tried to break Western isolation over the Ukrainian crisis and strengthen its influence in Africa.

According to the statement, the agreement will support the development of nuclear technology and infrastructure for Burkina Faso’s medical and agricultural uses, as well as help the country with nuclear safety and security.

Burkina Faso is fighting to curb Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, just like its neighbours, Mali and Niger, which are also bolstering their connections with Russia, notably in terms of military cooperation.

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Musings From Abroad

EU withdraws Niger diplomat after junta accuses it of mismanaging aid

Published

13 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The European External Action Service (EEAS) has announced that the European Union would return its ambassador from Niger after the governing military in the nation questioned how an EU team handled humanitarian supplies intended for flood victims.

In a statement released on Friday, the junta in Niger accused the EU ambassador in the West African nation of distributing a 1.3 million euro flood relief grant to many foreign nongovernmental organisations in an opaque way and without working with the government.

Consequently, it mandated an audit of the fund’s administration.

“The European Union expresses its profound disagreement with the allegations and justifications put forward by the transitional authorities,” the EEAS said.

“Consequently, the EU has decided to recall its ambassador from Niamey for consultations in Brussels.”

Niger has been under military rule since the junta seized power in a 2023 coup.

Musings From Abroad

Mpox remains health emergency, WHO insists

Published

14 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has insisted that the Mpox epidemic remains a public health emergency.

WHO first declared an emergency when a new strain of mpox spread from the severely affected Democratic Republic of the Congo to neighbouring countries in August.

The WHO Director-General has decided that the increase in mpox still qualifies as a public health emergency of worldwide significance after the WHO called a meeting of its Emergency Committee and followed its recommendations.

According to WHO, the decision was made in light of the growing number and ongoing geographic dispersion of cases, field operating difficulties, and the requirement to establish and maintain a coordinated response across nations and partners.

Mpox is a virus that is spread by close contact and usually manifests as pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms. Although it is typically minor, it can be fatal.

More than 1,000 suspected deaths and more than 46,000 suspected cases have been reported this year throughout Africa, primarily in Congo.

The WHO’s highest level of warning, known as a “public health emergency of international concern,” was previously used to describe a worldwide epidemic of a different type of mpox in 2022–2023.

This year’s notice was issued in response to the transmission of a novel viral variation known as clade Ib. Among other nations, cases of this variation have been verified in the UK, Germany, Sweden, and India.

Following criticism for moving too slowly on vaccinations, WHO approved Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine in September and listed Japan’s KM Biologics vaccine for emergency use earlier this month.