VIF News Digest: International Developments (Africa), 6–12 May, 2019

As elections loom, South Africans call for faster land reform: Reuters, 6 May 2019

Surrounded by a crop of wilting sugar beans, Georginah Sidumo rubs red dust off a folder of documents she says are the only proof her farmers’ cooperative has the right to work on the land it controls. Sidumo, 47, is one of thousands of black South African subsistence farmers frustrated by faltering efforts to reform land policies shaped by centuries of white rule.

Government programmes meant to turn small black-owned operations like hers into sustained, mid-sized agricultural businesses are well-intentioned but too slow, she suggests. Click here to read... [2]

Malawi’s election preparations impacted by Cyclone Idai flooding: VOA, 7 May 2019

As Malawi gears-up for elections this month, candidates and voters say flooding from March’s Cyclone Idai has already negatively impacted the vote. Some registered voters living in evacuation camps lost voting registration certificates in the floodwaters while candidates say they can’t get their message to would-be supporters living in evacuation camps.

Mafulesi Khingi from Manjolo Village is among thousands of eligible voters still living in evacuation camps two months after Cyclone Idai. The tropical storm that hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in March flooded them out of their homes. Click here to read... [3]

Zimbabwean villagers resist a Chinese company's mining project: VOA, 7 May 2019

Zimbabwe has clamored for outside investment in recent years, but villagers north of the capital are resisting a Chinese mining project they say will spoil the environment and fail to bring them much benefit.

The villagers are from Domboshava, a rocky area north of Zimbabwe’s capital, and they are disputing a Chinese company's decision to start quarry mining. Seventy-year-old Florence Nyamande is among those saying no to the proposed project by Aihua Jianye Company. Click here to read... [4]

More than 500,000 at risk in drought-hit Namibia: BBC, 7 May 2019

Namibia is facing a "natural disaster" because of poor rains, President Hage Geingob says. He has declared a state of emergency - the second in three years - over the situation, mobilising all government agencies to respond to the drought. The lack of rain has already left 500,000 people - one in five Namibians - without access to enough food, the government says.

The sparsely-populated country has seen a succession of droughts since 2013. The government had set aside $40m (£30m) to buy food and water tanks, and to transport livestock to and from grazing areas. Click here to read... [5]

Cameroon: hundreds of militants, terrorists surrender: VOA, 8 May 2019

Authorities in Cameroon say 165 Anglophone separatists and Boko Haram terrorists have voluntarily surrendered in the past two months, while hundreds of other separatists have stopped fighting. Cameroon's military and groups loyal to the government have been circulating a video for the past week of an alleged former separatist fighter named Yannick Kawa. Click here to read... [6]

Sudan protest leaders threaten to launch national 'disobedience' campaign: africanews, 8 May 2019

Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday accused the generals of trying to delay the transition from power to civilian life, and threatened to launch a national movement of “disobedience”. The development follows the demands by Sudan’s military rulers, on Tuesday (May 7) that the constitution of the interim government be guided by Sharia law. Though the generals agreed generally on the proposed structure.

“The document we received has omitted the sources of legislation. Our view is that Islamic Sharia and the local norms and traditions in the Republic of Sudan should be the sources of legislation”, said Transitional Military Council (TMC) Spokesperson, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, responding to a draft constitutional document presented by a coalition of protest groups and political parties. Click here to read... [7]

Cyril Ramaphosa's South Africa election win and the economy: Aljazeera, 11 May 2019

South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected this week despite the failure of his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party to get a grip on the economy and corruption. The former union leader turned business magnate has promised to create jobs and continue to fight corruption. He needed a resounding victory to unite a party that has been deeply divided since the ousting of scandal-plagued Jacob Zuma a year ago.

Unemployment is at a 15-year high of 27.1 percent and youth unemployment is at the highest level globally at 54.7 percent. Ramaphosa has pledged to create 275,000 jobs a year but that can only happen if the economy is expanding at a rate of about 5 percent. Click here to read... [8]