Several people shot at U.S. Super Bowl victory parade shooting
CHICAGO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Several people have been shot as gunfire erupted during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, U.S. state of Missouri, on Wednesday.
The Chinese Consul General in Chicago contacted the Kansas City Police Department, and confirmed there is no Chinese citizen injured or killed in the shooting. “Shots have been fired around Union Station. Please leave the area,” the Kansas City Police Department said on X, formerly known as Twitter. As many as nine people might have been shot. The police have detained two armed people for more investigation, said Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, evacuated from the rally site, posted on X that she encouraged everyone to follow instructions and updates from the police, local media reported.
Fighting between DRC troops, M23 rebels continues in eastern DRC: UN
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Clashes continue between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces, supported by UN peacekeepers, and the rebel force M23, in eastern North Kivu province, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
“The situation in North Kivu, particularly in the town of Sake, remains tense as clashes persist,” said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, citing reports from the UN mission in the DRC known as MONUSCO. “Yesterday (Tuesday), fighting occurred on the outskirts of Sake, about 20 kms northwest of Goma.” Dujarric said the peacekeeping mission is continuing to support the Congolese armed forces and is doing its utmost to protect civilians, including by maintaining a presence along the Goma-Sake axis,
He said peacekeepers also reinforced their presence in Sake with additional deployment of battalions to support the Congolese armed forces. MONUSCO peacekeepers are also protecting a humanitarian corridor in the Mweso area to facilitate the movement of civilians to safer ground. “We are working on behalf of the Congolese people, protecting them, trying to restore peace in the eastern part of the country … and supporting, in fact, the Congolese armed forces,” said Dujarric. “We would urge all rebel groups to work towards a political solution and to stop piling on the suffering of people in that area.” When asked at a regular briefing who was supporting the M23, the spokesman replied, “It’s not just the M23. There are all sorts of other rebel groups or groups of people with guns who are making life a nightmare for the civilians who are trying to survive in the area.” Sake, on the edge of the volcanic lava plains at the bottom of the Rift Valley, is about 25 km west-northwest of Goma, and Google Maps shows Mweso about 75 km north of Sake.
Int’l pressure mounts on Israel to agree to Gaza truce
JERUSALEM, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Israel is facing mounting calls to agree to a truce in the Gaza Strip as its deadly conflict with Hamas has lasted for more than four months and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza as of Wednesday.
The calls came as Israel was indicating it was set to launch a ground operation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the Israeli relentless bombardments in other parts of the coastal enclave. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him France opposed an Israeli offensive in Rafah. Macron said that such an attack “could only lead to a humanitarian disaster of a new magnitude,” according to a readout released by the Elysee. It would “constitute violations of the international humanitarian law and would pose an additional risk of regional escalation,” he said.
Defying the growing pressure, Netanyahu told Macron that Israel “will fight until a total victory and it includes a powerful operation in Rafah.” He said that the army would allow civilians to flee the city before launching the attack. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was on a visit to Israel, said in a post on X on Saturday that the distress in Rafah “is already unbelievable” and an army attack would be “a humanitarian catastrophe.” The people who seek shelter in Rafah “cannot disappear into thin air,” she wrote. A meeting of Qatari, Egyptian, American, and Israeli negotiators in Cairo on Tuesday ended without a breakthrough, although media reports indicated that the talks were held in a constructive atmosphere.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that Egypt decided to extend the talks for three additional days to continue working out differences. However, Netanyahu did not approve the return of Mossad Chief David Barnea, who attended the talks on Tuesday, to Cairo. Netanyahu downplayed the importance of a deal for releasing the hostages, emphasizing that “the key for the release of the remaining hostages: strong military pressure and assertive negotiation.” Overnight, the Israeli army bombed areas in Rafah and Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, the Israeli army said in a statement.
Hamas, a Palestinian armed group that runs Gaza, is demanding an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages, while Israel agrees only to a time-limited ceasefire. Both sides are willing to include the release of Palestinian prisoners in the deal, but there is also disagreement over the number of prisoners to be released. The military offensive launched by Israel following Hamas’s attack has claimed the lives of 28,576 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 68,291 others, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, according to official Israeli figures.
Türkiye-Egypt reconciliation brings hope for regional stability: analysts
ANKARA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — The reconciliation between Türkiye and Egypt after years of animosity is seen as a potential catalyst for regional stability, especially amidst the ongoing Gaza crisis, analysts say.
In a landmark visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Wednesday, aiming to ease the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through strengthened Turkish-Arab ties. It is Erdogan’s first visit to Egypt in more than 10 years, during which Sisi called for efforts to “open together a new chapter” in bilateral relations. During a press conference following their meeting, both leaders emphasized the urgency of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli military actions have triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. “We will stand united with our Egyptian brothers to end the bloodshed in Gaza,” declared Erdogan, reiterating Türkiye’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause. Sisi, in turn, announced a reciprocal visit to Türkiye in April, underscoring the commitment to this new chapter in relations.
Analysts view the reconciliation as crucial not only for the two countries but also for the wider region. “The rapprochement between two regional powerhouses is mutually beneficial,” said Oytun Orhan, a senior expert at the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies. “Their combined influence can be far more effective in addressing regional challenges.”
Orhan highlighted Türkiye’s recent efforts to mend fences with Gulf states, reversing a period of isolation. He sees Egypt as the most crucial piece of this puzzle, especially considering the delicate balance amid the Gaza conflict. “This reconciliation could be a critical step towards de-escalation,” he said. “Closer cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt can pave the way for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza and potentially defuse the specter of a wider regional war.” “We are currently seeing a period where normalization is perhaps the most needed, in terms of regional tensions,” said Ferhat Pirincci, an expert on the Middle East, and a scholar at Bursa Uludag University. He noted that intensifying cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt would help reduce regional tensions and establish a permanent, sustainable framework for true regional stability.
While Türkiye is a non-arab state, the Palestinian cause has a strong supporter base among the Turkish population and is championed by Erdogan and its ruling party. The Turkish leader has recently vowed that Türkiye’s struggle for the Palestinians will continue until a sovereign Palestine state is created based on 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The improvement of the bilateral ties is also conducive to the two countries’ economies, which are both facing difficulties. Despite their decade-long falling off, trade relations between Ankara and Cairo remained robust. The goal is to increase the trade volume to 15 billion U.S. dollars shortly, Erdogan said in Cairo.
Furthermore, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week that Ankara would sell a batch of its armed drones to Cairo despite lingering regional differences. However, challenges remain, particularly regarding their opposing stances on the Libyan conflict and maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean. Orhan believes the dialogue initiated by the reconciliation could pave the way for constructive discussions on these sensitive issues, potentially leading to a peaceful resolution in Libya.
Businesses in Zimbabwe prefer USD as local currency slides
HARARE, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Amid the depreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar, many informal traders in Zimbabwe are rejecting the local currency in preference for the U.S. dollar.
Zimbabwe, a country that has faced currency instability over the last two decades, uses both the U.S. dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar as legal tender. Businesses’ and individuals’ appetite for the U.S. dollar continues to grow, and the greenback now constitutes over 80 percent of domestic transactions, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT). Mandi Jari, an informal trader, said businesses have lost confidence in the local currency as a store of value. “I need the U.S. dollar to restock. If I sell my products in Zimbabwean dollars, I will still need to buy foreign currency on the black market since the supplier wants forex,” he told Xinhua Wednesday.
The trader said apart from stocking, other expenses associated with running a business including transportation and rentals, are exclusively priced in foreign currency. While some informal traders reject the local dollar or price their goods and services using the black market rates, the Zimbabwean government prescribes retailers using the Zimbabwean dollar exchange rate with up to a 10 percent margin, a scenario which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement Wednesday promotes informality. The IMF noted that local currency instability in the country has intensified over the past few months, with the official exchange rate depreciating by about 95 percent since the beginning of December 2023.”The gap to the parallel market rate remains wide (above 30 percent), and Zimbabwean dollar inflation is still very high. This instability weighs on sentiment, while exchange rate restrictions continue to be a burden on the formal sector,” the IMF said.
The local dollar, which officially traded at 6,192 per 1 U.S. dollar on Jan. 2, is currently trading at 12,093 as of Feb. 14, according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe daily exchange rate updates. On the black market, 1 U.S. dollar is trading at over 15,000 Zimbabwean dollars. Denford Mutashu, president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers, said the local dollar depreciation has been captured by the value chains and supply chains. “So this actually is the reason why you may have seen that products like bread have slightly gone up, and other basics have slightly gone up; it is actually on the back of that particular fluctuation that has happened on the local currency,” Mutashu told Xinhua.
Zimbabwe adopted a multicurrency regime in 2009 to tame inflation following years of hyperinflation. Economic analyst Prosper Chitambara sees the demand for the greenback persisting. “The fact that we are in a dual currency framework means that the pressure on the exchange rate will always be there given the fact that a lot of economic agents prefer to hold value, or even to transact in the U.S. dollar, which is fairly stable,” said Chitambara.
Angolan truck drivers suspend strike over RDC high customs fees following negotiations
LUANDA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — The Association of Road Freight Transporters of Angola (ATROMA) on Wednesday announced the suspension of the strike scheduled to take place between Monday and Thursday in the land logistics corridor between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following negotiations with Angolan authorities.
The ports within this logistics corridor are located in Luvo and Noqui, in Zaire Province in northern Angola, which connects to Kongo Central Province in the DRC and extends to Angola’s northern enclave province of Cabinda. The association, in its previous strike declaration, criticized the constant changes and high customs duties practiced by Congolese authorities.
The latest statement stated that road transporters are awaiting concrete and urgent measures to change the current conditions in this logistics corridor, which has seen a “huge disparity in operational costs” in recent years.
ATROMA, in its last Friday’s statement, cited as an example that recently more than 30 Angolan trucks were detained in the DRC, being forced to pay 3,000 U.S. dollars to exit the country, while Congolese trucks in Angola only pay 100 dollars. The association also noted that 90 percent of the supply in Cabinda Province is done by road transport, and 70 percent of goods destined for the DRC pass through Angola. Enio Costa, president of the National Land Transport Agency, in a statement to the country’s national radio station Radio Nacional de Angola, said harmonizing rates between the two countries is among the short-term measures to overcome the difficulties. He added that the goal is to harmonize all cross-border transport rates and make these rates reciprocal.
Ethiopia proposes inclusion of Amharic as AU’s official language
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Taye Atske Selassie has proposed the inclusion of Amharic, a national and widely spoken language in the East African country, as one of the official languages of the African Union (AU).He made the proposal during the opening of the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU that began Wednesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
Addressing the session, Atske Selassie noted that in alignment with the AU’s Agenda 2063, empowering indigenous African languages should be strengthened to contribute to the progress of the African continent. “I wish to propose the inclusion of Amharic as one of the official languages of the African Union,” Atske Selassie said. He said it is worth noting that the charter of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor of the AU, was initially signed in four languages, including Amharic. “Adopting Amharic as one of the official languages of the union would honor Africa’s linguistic diversity and boost our collective identity as Africans,” he added.
The foreign minister also emphasized the collective responsibility of the union to build a resilient educational system across the continent. He also highlighted the need to significantly improve the AU’s working methods, and strengthen the AU Commission and its organs through availing adequate resources. This year’s AU summit is being held under the theme “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.” The 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the AU is set to take place on Feb. 17-18. It is preceded by the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council which runs on Feb. 14-15.
AU, partners call for inclusive education to prevent violence in Africa
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — The African Union (AU) and its partners have called for concerted efforts to promote equitable and inclusive education to prevent violence in Africa.
The joint call was made by the AU and its partners, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the World Bank Group, and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) in a meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing AU Summit, the AU disclosed in a statement issued Wednesday. The meeting, which was held under the theme “Ensuring the right to equitable and inclusive quality education to break and prevent cycles of violence in Africa,” envisaged raising awareness about the pivotal role of education in building resilience, as well as mitigating and preventing recurring and new violent conflict dynamics in Africa.
While addressing the meeting, Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, underscored the critical importance of prioritizing and investing in peace education in Africa. “Education will change the face of the continent, offering unlimited opportunities, especially for the girl child,” an AU statement quoted Adeoye as saying, as he emphasized education as the key enabler to break the cycle of violence in Africa. The AU commissioner also emphasized that access to quality education equips individuals to contribute meaningfully to their communities, engage in constructive dialogue, and seek non-violent solutions to conflicts.
The meeting participants, among other things, underscored the need for comprehensive education and peace education. They identified a series of recommendations targeting the AU and its partners to help achieve major continental peace and development aspirations, and unlock the development and peace potential of African citizens. The recommendations forwarded include the need to invest more in agri-business development, poverty alleviation, and the development of traditional educational systems, according to the statement.They further emphasized the importance of sharing success stories about peace education, strengthening early warning systems, strengthening partnerships with local, regional, and national actors to address the root causes of violent conflict, as well as promoting inter-community dialogue.
The 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU began Wednesday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. African leaders are set to meet on Feb. 17-18 for the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government under the AU’s theme of the year for 2024: “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
Tanzanian gov’t told to increase budget for construction of rural roads to boost economy
DODOMA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — The Tanzanian parliament on Tuesday urged the government to increase the budget for the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads to enable them to contribute toward economic growth.
The parliamentary standing committee on local government affairs said the budget should be increased from the current 710 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 280 million U.S. dollars) to 1.64 trillion shillings annually for the next four consecutive years. Dennis Londo, chairperson of the committee, told the House in the national capital of Dodoma that only 3,224.12 km of rural roads out of 144,429.77 km under the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) have been constructed to tarmac level. “This situation has led to continuous deterioration of many roads managed by TARURA, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall,” he said. Londo, a member of parliament for the Mikumi Constituency in the Morogoro Region, said most of the roads in rural areas have been damaged by ongoing heavy rains and needed urgent repair.
Kenya says 12 mln of its children affected by climate shocks
NAIROBI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Kenya said Wednesday that more than 12 million children in the country are affected by risks associated with climate shocks and stressors.
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry said out of the number, 2.4 million of them live in arid and semi-arid counties where the impact of climate change is extremely high. “These children’s survival, therefore, faces an imminent threat from climate change impacts,” the ministry said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Some of the severe effects of climate change that affect children include diseases like cholera caused by flooding and malnutrition due to drought. There is also displacement from their homes due to both drought and flooding caused by heavy rainfall, with the two weather events having become common in Kenya in the past years.”The dire situation calls for urgent and targeted interventions by every part of society to secure the future of Kenyan children,” the ministry said.It added that Kenya and its development partners are working on a children’s disaster risk model that would also recommend ways to protect the little ones from the impacts of climate change.
According to the National Drought Management Authority, about 1 million children suffer from malnutrition in Kenya due to frequent drought, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Kenya is among the countries in the Horn of Africa that are worst hit by climate change, with the others being Somalia and Ethiopia. According to the UN, in 2023 during the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa, some 23.4 million people faced hunger, out of whom 5.1 million were children and were malnourished.
UNECA chief calls for more attention to education for Africa’s development
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Claver Gatete called for accelerating digital education in Africa to help the continent achieve its future development agendas.
Speaking at the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), Gatete said Africa needs to accelerate digital connectivity, accessibility, and affordability to bridge the digital divide on the continent. Noting that education is a basic human right and a key enabler for achieving Africa’s collective socioeconomic development objectives, the UNECA chief said the AU should commit to transforming the continent’s education system into one that is “fit for purpose” in today’s world. The session, which comprises foreign affairs ministers from AU members and runs on Feb. 14-15, is being held under the AU’s theme for the year 2024: “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”He urged countries in the continent to make the necessary investments in infrastructure, mobilize resources, and develop the right curricula that will allow them to leverage their natural and human capital and demographic dividends. “By 2030, nearly one in two young people globally will be African. But the evolving population dynamics is not matched with vital skills for Africans to fully participate in a changing workforce,” Gatete said.
Recalling that African leaders in the 1960s questioned the relevance of the colonial education system in meeting the continent’s development needs, the executive secretary urged African countries to prepare their youth for the future job market. He also urged African governments to put more emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to create more wealth and improve the continent’s competitiveness. “Without a doubt, it makes good business sense to scale up investments in Africa’s education system toward areas that enhance productivity and boost global competitiveness,” Gatete said.According to the Gatete, inadequate resources, lack of education, and absence of basic numeracy are limiting Africa’s STEM landscape. He also urged African leaders to promote cross-continental educational networks and intra-African knowledge sharing and narrow the digital gender divide to deliver better education in the continent.
South Sudan, Global Fund sign deal to fight diseases
JUBA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — South Sudan and the Global Fund on Wednesday signed a funding agreement totaling 167 million U.S. dollars to fight tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria over the next three years.
Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, South Sudan’s vice president in charge of the service cluster, said the grant from the Global Fund will cover the cost of treating the three diseases.”This significant grant provided by the Global Fund represents a vital step forward in our collective efforts to combat tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria,” Akol said during the signing ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.”This grant comes as a result of our partnership to accelerate progress toward our vision of a world free of the burden of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria with better and equitable health for all,” said Boniface Njenga, senior fund portfolio manager for the Global Fund. Jane Alphonse, chairperson for the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), which partners with the South Sudanese Ministry of Health, said there is a need to mobilize more resources to support the national response to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. “The gap is still huge; it is not enough to cover the three diseases; there is still a need for more resources.”
African leaders urged to champion foundational learning
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF, Human Capital Africa and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) have urged African heads of state and government to commit to and champion foundational learning ahead of the African Union (AU) Year of Education.
This came after the latest report on the state of global education issued by the World Bank, UNICEF and other partners, which revealed that nearly nine in 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. “The foundational level of education among African children is so weak and that has resulted in a human capital deficit in the continent,” said founder and chief executive officer of the Human Capital Africa Obiageli Ezekwesili Tuesday in a joint briefing in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. According to Ezekwesili, leaders of the continent should recognize the scale of the learning crisis confronting the continent and commit to a continental strategy to address it through effective policies and interventions.She said failing to address the learning crisis will have catastrophic results for the continent’s education outcomes across secondary, and tertiary schools, significantly restricting future employment opportunities. “Agenda 2063 of the African Union will go nowhere until our leaders react now on crisis related to foundational learning,” Ezekwesili said.
Lieke Van de Wiel, UNICEF’s education adviser, said children who were out of school failed to learn what they were supposed to and that means investments in education have not been generating the right return. “African leaders must feel a sense of urgency to solve the problem,” said Wiel, further noting that nine out of every 10 children in Africa are in school but not learning. Albert Nsengiyumva, the executive secretary of ADEA, warned that failing to react to the existing learning crisis in the continent will prevent the achievement of the African Union’s vision for the “Africa we want” by 2063. “We must now ensure that our concerns are shared as widely as possible and that heads of state and government hear our message in the context of all the challenges facing the continent,” Nsengiyumva said.
At the Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit in July 2023, 43 African leaders signed the Dar es Salaam Declaration and pledged to increase accessibility, affordability, and quality education, and improve literacy rates to 75 percent by 2030. The officials gave the briefing upon the conclusion of a two-day summit on Human Capital Africa that dwelt on foundational learning in the African continent. The summit, co-convened by UNICEF, called for increased investment in technology to enhance foundational learning such as access to digital resources, creating e-learning platforms, and ensuring that both teachers and students have the necessary skills to use technology effectively.
Ghanaian president replaces finance minister, others in cabinet reshuffle
ACCRA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday announced changes to his cabinet, replacing the finance minister and some other ministers in the latest reshuffle.
In a statement by the presidency, the president named Mohammed Amin Adams, a minister of State at the Finance Ministry, to replace Ken Ofori-Atta as the new finance minister.”The president personally expressed his sincere appreciation directly to each of the ministers and deputy ministers, who have exited government, for their commitment, competence, dedication and hard work in office,” the statement said. Ghana has been grappling with a severe economic crisis in recent years, marked by high inflation and living costs. Last May, the government secured a loan of 3 billion U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund to support its economic reforms, which have started yielding some positive results.
Feature: Rwandan village puts Rwanda on map for endangered grey-crowned crane conservation
KIGALI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Umusambi had been an average village on the outskirts of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, until 2020 when a sanctuary was launched for birds with handicaps as a result of captivity.
Umusambi village has shot to stardom globally by providing a conducive environment for more than 50 grey-crowned cranes. The sanctuary, with an area of roughly 21 hectares, has become a popular destination that draws tourists from Europe, Africa, and Asia who enjoy learning about conservation work and the importance of protecting natural environments. Winnie Kyamujara, the village’s head guide, said they were inspired to restore the area to conserve the majestic birds. “They were endangered, and their population was declining in the country. We thought of a place where they can reproduce and allow them to be in their natural environment,” Kyamujara told Xinhua. About seven years ago, the grey-crowned cranes were almost driven to the edge of extinction by illegal bird hunters in Rwanda. As of 2017, there were fewer than 500 cranes of the species in the East African country.
The plight has driven conservation efforts by the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, a non-governmental organization (NGO), to restore a wetland area at Umusambi village to safeguard the endangered birds, after Olivier Nsengimana, a Rwandan veterinary doctor, designed a unique conservation project to combat the illegal trade of the endangered bird species in Rwanda. The organization started the restoration work in 2018 and brought in the birds at the end of 2019. “We restored this place because cranes love to be in native trees. That is why we focused on restoring the place and bringing the grey-crowned cranes saved from the illegal pet trade so that they can thrive and live freely like they used to be in the wild before,” Kyamujara said.
Cranes do not like to live in captivity or any enclosure or home. The organization, however, rescued many cranes that were disabled due to their capture and transportation or because people had cut their wings to stop them from flying away. Restoration of the place involved knowing the kinds of trees and plants that needed to be planted. The organization marked trees that were exotic and invasive. It hired community members to help remove invasive and exotic trees. It then sourced seedlings for indigenous trees and planted more than 10,000 trees with the help of casual laborers. “In the 2017 census, we had less than 500 cranes in the country, but by last year, we had 1,216, so the population of cranes doubled, and we are proud of that,” said Kyamujara. She believed that the establishment of the sanctuary at the Umusambi village impacted the community and surrounding areas beyond conservation. “We employed more than 200 people daily during restoration. Besides casual workers, we hired permanent workers. We are working here because this place was restored. It is a nice place that everyone would wish to visit,” she said.She said besides cranes, Umusambi village sanctuary is now also home to many other bird species and wildlife.
The village has more than 130 bird species, according to her. Other wildlife, including butterflies and lizards meant to be in the wild, can be found there. “We hope that in the years to come, Umusambi village will have more animals compared to cranes,” she said. About 10 tourists from China have signed up for an annual pass to the village, and they are its good supporters, according to Kyamujara. “The feedback they give us is that we are doing a great job, we are making a change; they are supportive of us,” Kyamujara said. To ensure the safety of the birds, the conservation area is fenced off with an electric fence.
Besides, guides monitor the birds every morning and evening to ensure they are healthy. “We have a team of veterinary doctors who treat sick birds. We also have a clinic for wildlife which treats birds and small mammals,” she said, adding that the safety of the cranes is guaranteed. The Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association started with campaigns on various media platforms, teaching people the dangers of keeping cranes in their homes. It carries out education campaigns in schools and communities about conservation. It also hosts schools to teach students about the importance of conserving cranes.
Kyamujara said the campaign helped combat poaching of the cranes for petty trade.Umusambi village is just one of the six places the NGO has since restored for conservation. Kyamujara thought that the lessons learned from the Umusambi village project to save cranes could help to protect other wildlife under threat. “Many people now understand the importance of conserving the environment. But conservation requires collective efforts,” said Kyamujara.
ECA chief calls for reform of global financial architecture to help Africa
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Claver Gatete has called for action to reform the global financial architecture to help African countries achieve sustainable development.
The call came on Monday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, as the executive secretary briefed journalists alongside Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on the UNECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (CoM2024) to be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from Feb. 28 to March 5. Gatete noted that based on the current allocation formula, the resources directed to the African continent by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and others are not commensurate with its financing needs. “The ECA believes that the international financial architecture needs to be reformed and its governance improved. Unless it is reformed, African countries will face challenges in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as most of their resources are used to pay loans,” Gatete said. He said the international financial institutions need to provide long-term and concessional loans to middle- and low-income countries to help them invest in major development sectors, achieve better economic growth, and deal with their debt burdens. “The international financial institutions are no longer fit for purpose; they should make changes about the way they function.”
Gatete said previous pledges to mobilize 100 billion U.S. dollars for Africa have not been met. He called for more financial innovation to facilitate access to critical resources needed to invest in green economic development across the continent.Noting that the financial institutions should mobilize resources, Gatete said the money held by those financial institutions is significantly shrinking. He further called for improving domestic resource mobilization, tax collection, and expanding capital markets as other alternatives to finance investment in Africa. He also urged African countries to expand and promote green economic development as global warming, drought, and climate change are on the rise.For his part, Ncube said African countries need to maximize the benefits of exporting natural resources through value addition and tax revenues by expanding digitization.
Ncube said the upcoming conference will discuss debt resolutions, governance of international financial institutions, and possible ways to finance green energy development across Africa.
CoM2024 will be held under the theme “Financing the transition to inclusive green economies in Africa: imperatives, opportunities and policy options.”According to officials, the conference will discuss reform of the global financial architecture, green economic development, and mobilizing resources to combat the effects of climate change in Africa, among other issues.
