Musings From Abroad

Ukraine in fresh charm offensive to Africa as FM plans tour of 3 countries

Published

4 months ago

August 5, 2024

Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, will go to three African nations this week to garner support for Kyiv’s stance in its conflict with Russia, his ministry announced on Sunday.

According to a statement from the ministry, Kuleba will visit Malawi, Zambia, and Mauritius from August 4–8, marking his fourth diplomatic trip to Africa in the last two years.

“All meetings will focus on developing bilateral relations based on mutual respect and interests. Among the key topics will be the participation of African states in global efforts to restore a just peace for Ukraine and the world,” it said.

Kuleba’s tour would also cover the supply of Ukrainian grain to the region and the involvement of African companies in the reconstruction of Ukraine, according to the ministry.

Many African countries attended a conference on Ukraine hosted by Switzerland in June, but they have generally been hesitant to join Western efforts to isolate Russia, an important supplier of energy and commodities.

Africa has been caught in the middle of the war between Russia and Ukraine with the two European countries being te continent’s biggest sources of grains. Last year, a delegation made up of leaders from South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, and the Comoros Islands had visited Russia and Ukraine to share their “African Idea” of peace in the crisis, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news media as saying it was “impossible to realize.”

Ukraine has continued to fortify its ties with Africa despite the recent depressing developments surrounding its conflict with Russia. During a visit to Africa in April, Maksym Subkh, the nation’s Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, formally opened new embassies in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, Botswana, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Musings From Abroad

EU withdraws Niger diplomat after junta accuses it of mismanaging aid

Published

3 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

4 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.