“What’s Going On” Tallies Notable News Headlines From Across The Continent — The Good, The Bad, And The Horrible — As A Way Of Ensuring That We All Become A More Sagacious African Generation. With This Column, We’re Hoping To Disseminate The Latest Happenings In Our Socio-Political Climate From Across The Continent, Whilst Starting A Conversation About What’s Important For Us To All Discuss. From Political Affairs To Socio-Economic Issues, ‘What’s Going On’ Will Discuss Just That.

SUDAN CALLS 72-HOUR TRUCE

Over in South Eastern Africa Sudan, one of the continent’s largest countries has experienced unrest resulting from a vicious power struggle within the country’s military rule. Following the coup in 2021, Sudan has been ruled by a council of military generals led by two men, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and president as well as his deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti. The clashes are a result of a disagreement between the country’s army and the paramilitary force called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – led by the aforementioned parties- over the direction of the country and whether or not to proceed with civilian rule.

The shooting, which started on April 15 swiftly spread across several parts of the country as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports over 450 civilian casualties with several failed ceasefires attempts. Amidst the unrest, several Nigerians have made moves to flee to neighbouring countries like Chad, Egypt and Eritrea without the government’s approval but to no avail as they were denied entry into countries like Ethiopia.

Speaking on the issue, Dr Onimode Bandele, the director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and committee chairman for the evacuation of stranded Nigerians shares, “The Nigerian Ambassador in Egypt, Nura Rimi, confirmed to me that the ambassador in Ethiopia is working on that, and hopefully they should be able to get a passage. In our own humanitarian assignment, self-evacuation is at the risk of the person that is involved.” Though there’s still significant unrest, the warring parties in an attempt to dissolve the situation have agreed to a 72-hour truce after 48 hours of negotiations.

The government is working round the clock to evacuate Nigerians in Sudan, says Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. He adds that the only means to evacuate them is via road which is still unsafe. #CTVTweets#SundayPolitics pic.twitter.com/oSE8w0rZ7u

— Channels Television (@channelstv) April 23, 2023

ARMED MEN IN UNIFORM KILL 60 CIVILIANS IN BURKINA FASO

In Karma, located in the northern Yatenga province of Burkina Faso, about 60 people were killed by people wearing the uniforms of the national armed forces. The village located near the Malian border is known to attract a plethora of illegal gold miners and serves as a motive for the perpetrators of violence, suspected to be jihadists. Following the attack on Thursday, survivors in the village of Karma shared that over 100 armed men in motorbikes and pick-up trucks raided the area, killing dozens of men and young people.

Since Capt. Ibrahim Traore seized power in September during the second coup, extrajudicial killings of civilians have increased according to rights groups and residents. Regarding the issue, Burkina Faso’s military group declared a “general mobilisation” to combat all the attacks and bloodshed blamed on the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. This would involve the recruitment of over 5000 more soldiers to battle the insurgency that has gripped the country since 2015.

MARBURG VIRUS KILLS 12 PATIENTS IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA

As described by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Marburg virus is a “rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and non-human primates.” The epidemic has been raging for over three months in Equatorial Guinea, with comparisons made to Ebola fever and an ever-increasing provisional death toll. According to the Ministry of Health in a report presenting the epidemiological data of the Marburg virus disease, “there have been 17 cases and 12 deaths since the beginning of the epidemic,” as of April 21st, 2023. 

Nearly a month ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on Equatorial Guinea to report cases of the Marburg virus because of fears of more widespread contamination to neighbouring countries, Gabon and Cameroon. With a fatality rate as high as 88%, there is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for the virus. However, supportive care – oral or intravenous rehydration – and treatment of specific symptoms increase the chances of survival.

Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE