Tag Archives: Africa
8 July 2014
On 3 July, at a two-day conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana, West African countries and international health organizations adopted a new common strategy to fight the Ebola epidemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus has killed at least 467 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since February 2014. (more…)
Source: Reuters | West African authorities adopt common strategy to fight Ebola
5 March 2014
While the US military involvement in Africa, Niger in particular, seeks to combat Islamist militants, the government does not want to put a lot of soldiers and money into the African region. Therefore, the Obama administration focuses their involvement on training and advising African troops, and providing assistance to European allies that have forces in the region as well. Part of the US mission in Niger is to train African troops to conduct combat patrols and how to foil terrorist ambushes, however, the US also helped organise a medical clinic in a nearby village. The US has spent USD 33 million in the past two years on building Niger’s counterterrorism abilities and providing equipment. Additionally, the US mission also focuses on assisting its European allies in the region, for example, the US has provided intelligence to France, which has soldiers in Mali. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Takes Training Role in Africa as Threats Grow and Budgets Shrink
21 October 2013
The United States has embarked on a new strategy to train and advise indigenous forces to tackle emerging terrorist threats and other security risks. The New York Times reports that US troops will conduct more than 100 missions in Africa over the next year, ranging from small sniper teams to larger teams conducting airborne and humanitarian exercises.
The programme for Africa is the test case for the new programme of regionally aligned brigades that will eventually extend to all of the US commands worldwide, including in Europe and Latin America in 2015. General Ray Odierno, the army chief of staff, said in an interview that the goal was to field an army that could be ‘engaged regionally in all the combatant commands to help them shape their theaters, set their theaters, in order to sustain and execute our national security strategy.’
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Army Hones Antiterror Strategy for Africa, in Kansas
25 September 2013
Chad, Egypt, Libya and Sudan signed a UN backed ‘Strategic Action Programme’, to ensure the equitable use of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, a water resource that lies beneath the four states. The Action Programme envisages improving cooperation among the four arid nations, and strengthening their capacity to manage and monitor the aquifer effectively. It also establishes a new Joint Authority for the Nubian Aquifer System.
Source: UN News Centre | Four African nations agree to improve use of key water resource under UN-backed plan
25 September 2013
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) launched the ‘Multisectoral Action Framework for Malaria’, a comprehensive approach to fight malaria. The Framework calls for increased coordinated action among different development sectors to tackle the disease, which exacts its deadliest toll in sub-Saharan Africa and poses a major challenge to development.
According to UNDP, malaria is costing Africa about 12 billion US dollar in lost productivity every year.
Source: UN News Centre | Multi-level strategy to fight malaria launched by UN development arm and partners