VIF News Digest: International Developments (Africa), 11-17 March, 2019

Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika drops bid for fifth term: BBC, 11 March 2019

President Bouteflika's candidacy had provoked mass protests across Algeria over the past few weeks. He has led Algeria for 20 years but has been rarely seen in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013.

No new date for the election was set. A cabinet reshuffle will happen soon, a statement in Mr Bouteflika's name said. There was no suggestion in the announcement that the president intends to step down before a rescheduled election. Click here to read.... [2]

UN in Nairobi pays respect to Ethiopian crash victims: VOA, 11 March 2019

Delegates at the United Nations Environment Assembly, meeting in Kenya, held a moment of silence Monday for the victims of Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

At least 5,000 delegates, including environment ministers, experts, and activists gathered Monday at the United Nations offices in Nairobi. They paid respects to the 157 people who died in Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash. Click here to read.... [3]

US urges better business in Africa to attract investors, 11 March 2019

The United States has urged African governments to improve their business environments to better attract major American investment. The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, made the comments during a four-nation tour of Africa.

The US diplomat says many American businesses want to invest in Africa. But Tibor Nagy says they first need to first see a more positive investment environment. "Which means, minimum levels of corruption, fair treatment, honoring contract and quite frankly a good governance environment because that's what American businesses want," Nagy said. Click here to read.... [4]

As China prevails, France's Macron shuffles his cards in Djibouti: VOA, 11 March 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday sought to reassert the importance of France in its former colony Djibouti with Paris increasingly fearing China's muscular role in Africa as it expands economic and military influence across the continent.

Djibouti, strategically located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal, hosts France's largest naval base on the continent and is home to some 1,400 personnel used to train African troops as well as to monitor the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Click here to read.... [5]

Governor election counting halted in southern Nigeria oil state: Reuters 12 March 2019

Voters went the polls on Saturday to choose governors in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states, two weeks after a presidential vote in which Muhammadu Buhari won a second term at the helm of Africa’s top oil producer and biggest economy.

The Governors are among the most influential politicians in Nigeria and many control budgets larger than those of small countries. Rivers is typically keenly contested because it is in the Niger Delta region that produces most of Nigeria’s crude oil, which accounts for two-thirds of government revenue. Click here to read.... [6]

Malawi flooding death toll rises to 56, braced for Cyclone Idai: Reuters, 13 March 2019

The number of people killed in floods in southern Malawi has risen to 56, an official said on Wednesday, with the country now also on alert for an approaching tropical cyclone.

Almost 83,000 people have been displaced by since storms that began more than a week ago caused rivers to break their banks, leaving villages underwater, and knocked out power and water supplies in some areas. Chipiliro Khamula, spokesman for Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management, said 56 deaths had been recorded as of Tuesday, as well as 577 injuries. Click here to read.... [7]

In Kenya push, France seals business deals worth over 2 bln euros: Reuters, 14 March 2019

French firms signed contracts in Kenya worth some 2 billion euros ($2.26 billion) during a visit on Thursday by President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to deepen France’s economic ties with Anglophobe East Africa.

Macron’s visit to Nairobi is the first by a French president since Kenya won independence from Britain in 1963 and follows stopovers in Ethiopia and Djibouti - all countries where China has moved in aggressively and presents stiff competition. Click here to read.... [8]

Mozambique's Beira takes a direct hit from Cyclone Idai: Aljazeera, 15 March 2019

Tropical cyclone Idai, the biggest to hit Mozambique in over a decade, made landfall on Thursday evening just north of the port city of Beira. The strongest winds around the eye were about 160 km an hour, blowing from the south across the city.
The winds caused structural damage and power outage during the afternoon, well before landfall which happened after dark. Flights were cancelled before the landfall, but as is usually the case with cyclones, the wind was only a temporary inconvenience – water. Click here to read.... [9]

Cyclone Idai batters Zimbabwe, at least 31 people dead: Reuters, 16 March 2019

At least 31 people have died in eastern Zimbabwe while dozens were missing as homes and bridges were swept away by a tropical storm, state television reported on Saturday. Cyclone Idai, which brought floodwater and destruction to areas of Mozambique and Malawi, hit Zimbabwe on Friday, cutting off power and communications.

Pictures shared on Twitter and television footage showed roads, houses and bridges that were washed away while communication towers were knocked down and electricity cables blocked roads in Chimanimani district, 410 kilometres (255 miles) east of the capital Harare. Click here to read.... [10]

Ebola Epidemic in Congo could last another year, C.D.C. Director warns: The New York Times, 16 March 2019

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not under control and could continue for another year, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview on Friday. “Let’s not underestimate this outbreak,” he said.

His outlook was less optimistic than that of the director general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said at a news conference on Thursday that his goal was to end the outbreak in six months. Click here to read.... [11]