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Africa

Sudan: ‘Noose of war’ tightens on civilians in El Fasher, UN official warns

Fighting between the Sudanese army and rival military the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been battling for more than year, recently intensified in the North Darfur city.  Civilians are under attack from all sides and the news of reported…

‘Open source’ investigators use satellites to identify burned Darfur villages

Investigators using satellite imagery to document the war in western Sudan’s Darfur region say 72 villages were burned down in April, the most they have seen since the conflict began. Henry Wilkins talks with the people who do this research…

Funding is needed to support Sudanese refugees in Chad: UNHCR

Laura Lo Castro, UNHCR’s representative in Chad, said that expected rains have started in Adre, leaving tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees without shelter suitable for protection. The rains also impede humanitarian access due to catastrophic flooding, she added. “It’s…

UNICEF reports surge in violence against children in Africa’s central Sahel

The agency revealed that in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, cases of recruitment and use of children in armed groups along with killings and maiming increased by more than 130 per cent between the two time periods. Protect the vulnerable…

Cameroon fights period stigma and poverty on World Menstrual Hygiene Day

Yaounde —  Cameroon is observing World Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28) with caravans visiting schools and public spaces to educate people about social taboos that women should not be seen in public during their menstrual periods. Organizations are also donating…

Life expectancy bouncing back globally after COVID pandemic

Life expectancy in Europe has returned to the level it reached before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, while the U.S. is still trying to regain lost ground. Overall, new numbers show life expectancy has increased in most parts of the world,…

Africa’s cholera crisis worse than ever

LILANDA, Zambia —  Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent’s…

Italian museum recreates Tanzanian butterfly forest

TRENTO, Italy —  In a lush greenhouse high in the Alps, butterflies of various species and colors flutter freely while butterfly pupae are suspended in a structure as they grow into adult insects. This is the Butterfly Forest in the…

Sudan: Deteriorating situation in El Fasher, health system collapsing nationwide

The fighting has reportedly forced thousands of people to flee since 10 May and caused hundreds of civilian casualties, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York. “Unfortunately, in El Fasher South Hospital – which is the only functioning…

Scientists: Climate change, rapid urbanization worsen impact of East African rains

NAIROBI, Kenya —  The impact of the calamitous rains that struck East Africa from March to May was intensified by a mix of climate change and rapid growth of urban areas, an international team of climate scientists said in a…