Wednesday 25 Sep 2024 {HMC} Fifty Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden in late August requesting more humanitarian assistance for Sudan and calling on the U.S. to do more to help end the conflict. Leading the effort is U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, who told VOA in a recent interview that she is concerned that international partners aren’t doing enough to support humanitarian aid delivery to families affected by the conflict.

“Famine has erupted. Deaths are happening every day, and the warring parties are working together, in my opinion, to prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid,” she told VOA. “It is unconscionable. And it is inhumane.”

Without more aggressive leadership by the U.S., she said, the conflict risks international neglect amid the war Ukraine and an expanding conflict in the Middle East.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

VOA: Your colleagues have joined you to raise awareness about Sudan. A lot of Sudanese who spoke to us say the world has forgotten them. How do you feel about their sentiments?

U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove: I am disheartened to hear that, but I understand why they would say it, and that is exactly why I wrote this letter and encouraged my colleagues to sign on. Fifty Democratic members of Congress signed with me, to ask this administration to do more. We want them to raise awareness of this war. Get [U.S.] Secretary [of State Anthony] Blinken out in front. We want to rally our international partners to also take this more seriously and pledge more dollars to help with the support around humanitarian aid delivery. Because if we are not taking the lead on this, then it will signal to the rest of the world that this is not important and of course it is.

VOA: What about international attention? Are you getting that?

Kamlager-Dove: No, we’re not getting [international attention.] I have my own suspicions that people just don’t care, or don’t respect the continent of Africa. I think that is wildly ignorant. And we know with forces like China and Russia working to compete against us [the U.S.], and to dismantle democracies, we know that there are other agents and actors playing in this war as well. That is why it is incumbent upon us to take the lead and call for more aid and call for more discussions.

VOA: What about America’s foreign policy and its resources? Where does it go? I mean, I know that the war in Ukraine and Gaza is shifting attention.

Kamlager-Dove: Thankfully, we have an administration that is trying to engage. They finally got a special envoy, [Former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello], to Sudan. You know, a year too late, but he needs to be supported with more resources and more staff. It is very important that Secretary Blinken shows his face more on the continent and reminds folks that this administration cares.

VOA: The U.N. made an appeal for humanitarian assistance. They were projecting $2.7 billion and only 37% of that was received. What should be done to get pledges from donor countries?

Kamlager-Dove: Well, I do think we have to make a concerted effort to ask the international community to pledge more. It is important to give more, but if those resources are thwarted because you have bad actors keeping humanitarian aid from the people and the civilians that need it the most, then it doesn’t matter.

VOA: The U.S. government slapped sanctions on both sides in Sudan — the Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and some leaders of the Sudan Armed Forces [SAF]. And it appears like these sanctions are not biting hard because the two belligerent forces have decided not to sign any cease-fire. Are there other instruments of diplomacy in the toolbox that is yet to be used to bring pressure on these two groups?

Kamlager-Dove: Well, it is certainly unfortunate that neither party wants to show up to the negotiating table. It’s very hard to come to a resolution when you don’t even sit at the table. The other thing that is unfortunate is even if you have sanctions, you know, if you’re still able to buy guns and get the weapons into the country, then obviously you need different kinds of teeth and authority. I think we should be looking at the folks who are supplying the arms to the forces, because that is as important as sanctioning both SAF and RSF. If you don’t stop the flow of arms, what are you really doing?

VOA: When Perriello testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he mentioned that those aiding the war in Sudan must be held accountable, or the U.S.’s efforts will be in vain. How do you respond to that?

Kamlager-Dove: I wholeheartedly agree. We have an obligation to focus on what is happening in the Sudan. But I want to say I’m grateful that he was actually able to show up. You know, we have not had a full committee hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Africa since the beginning of this term.

VOA: The last time we heard about funding [for Sudan] was 2017. And just a month ago, nongovernmental organizations, international aid agencies are saying Darfur is on the verge of famine, there’s famine already there. … If you are given an opportunity to speak directly to the people who are making decisions on where aid money should go, what would you tell them?

Kamlager-Dove: I would say the world is watching and the world is waiting. And every moment that you do not sit at the table and find a way, using any quiver that you have in your toolbox every day you wait is a day that someone dies in the Sudan. And this is not something that I am willing to keep in my heart. And this is not something that the United States should let happen. So, get off your tuchus (rear end) and find a way to bring about a cease-fire, and to make sure that humanitarian aid is able to get to the Sudan.

SOURCE VOA

Wednesday 25 Sep 2024 {HMC} Botswana is hosting delegates from 33 African elephant range states for talks on the trade in live elephants. They are also seeking a common position as Africa battles increasing elephant populations in some areas, while the numbers decline elsewhere on the continent.

Botswana’s environment and tourism minister, Nnaniki Makwinja, said Africa must speak with one voice despite the peculiar challenges each region faces.

“We are cognizant that the challenges that we face are diverse and there is no silver bullet to address these challenges,” Makwinja said Monday during the opening of the four-day meeting. “We call upon these countries to engage with us before they adopt measures that may undermine our efforts to conserve our wildlife heritage and sustainable development goals.”

In 2022, delegates from Africa attended talks in Panama on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. They were divided over elephant management.

Southern African nations want CITES to relax measures on elephant trade, but some parts of the continent, particularly the eastern and western areas, want stricter controls.

Dan Challender, a conservation scientist on the wildlife trade based at the University of Oxford, said this week’s meeting in Botswana might not address all concerns given the uneven distribution of the animals across the continent.

“The meeting provides an opportunity for African countries to come together and discuss trade in African elephants. I would expect them to find common ground on some issues but not all, recognizing the different status of the species and policy environments across the continent,” Challender said.

The meeting is open to governments, but non-profit conservation organizations are not invited.

Local conservationist Isaac Theophilus of the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association said delegates from countries that oppose trade in elephants should get a chance to see the impact of human-wildlife conflict.

“We have two opposing blocks that will be seated around the same table to look at issues relating to elephant management,” Theophilus said. “My hope and wish is that those states attending would have an opportunity to interact with people in the (wildlife) area and get firsthand information relating to problems associated with living with an increasing elephant population.”

Veterinarian and wildlife management expert Dr. Eric Verreynne said trade in live elephants poses logistical challenges.

“Transporting elephants from one country to another brings with it some challenges. Most of these challenges relate to logistics,” Verreynne said. “They are bulk animals; it’s very, very expensive to transport. When you talk about females and calves, you have to take your family groups in one. The capacity to transport large numbers of elephants is limited.”

Africa’s elephant population is estimated at 415,000, with more than half of the number living in southern Africa.

SOURCE VOA

Wednesday 25 Sep 2024 {HMC} Nigeria has joined the growing calls by Africans leaders for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.

On the sidelines of the 79th U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Nigerian Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru said such a change would promote fairness and inclusivity.

“We have been in 41 different United Nations’ missions to provide security across the world,” Badaru said. “Based on that background and the effort of Africa, we also call on the United Nations to reform the Security Council so that Africa can have a permanent seat. It is time. We deserve it for justice and for equity.”

Other African nations also are clamoring for change.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday said, “Placing the fate of the world’s security in the hands of a select few when it is the vast majority who bear the brunt of these threats is unjust, unfair and unsustainable.”

Similarly, Kenyan President William Ruto criticized the multilateral system, saying, “It has proven inadequate.”

Many African countries were still under colonial rule at the time the Security Council was established. In 2005, the African Union adopted the so-called Ezulwini Consensus in Ethiopia for Africa to have at least two permanent and five nonpermanent seats at the U.N. council.

To date, though, the U.N. General Assembly elects five new members from different geographical zones for two-year terms on the council. Africa has three rotational seats on the 15-member council.

The founder of Security Watch Africa Initiative, Patrick Agbambu, said Africa needs to be united to make a good representation.

“The biggest threat to Africa getting that seat is Africa itself,” Agbambu said. “Africa does not have a united front; they do not have a common voice to be able to push two countries or one country forward. You can’t go for such with a divided house.

“As it stands, the various blocs in the African Union seem very divided, with each having a very strong opposition to the other. So, the world is just watching Africa,” he said.

Last week, the United States, one of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, said it is open to having two African seats on the council but without the veto power of the original permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S.

Security analyst Senator Iroegbu said African representation on the Security Council is the right call but warned that it wouldn’t solve all problems.

“Nigeria stands in the right mix because it’s one of the most important countries in Africa and it’s the most populous nation in Africa, with huge economic potential,” he said. “But just being a member of [the] U.N. Security Council doesn’t guarantee stability at home if all the factors causing insecurity are not well addressed.”

SOURCE VOA

Wednesday 25 Sep 2024 {HMC} China has said it successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean.

The ICBM was launched at 08:44 local time (04:44 GMT) on Wednesday and “fell into expected sea areas”, Beijing’s defence ministry said, adding that the test launch was “routine” and part of its “annual training”.

The type of missile and its flight path remained unclear, but Chinese state media said Beijing had “informed the countries concerned in advance”.

Japan later said that it received “no notice” of the test launch.

China’s nuclear weapon tests usually take place domestically, and it previously test-fired ICBMs west into the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang region.

This is believed to be the first time since 1980 that it launched an ICBM into international waters.

“Unless I’m missing something, I think this is essentially the first time this has happened – and been announced as such – in a long time,” Ankit Panda, a nuclear weapons specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on X.

He added that Beijing’s description of the test as “routine” and “annual” was odd, “given that they don’t do this sort of thing either routinely or annually”.

The Japanese government said on Wednesday that China had given it no prior notice of the ICBM launch.

“There was no notice from the Chinese side in advance,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

Japan’s defence ministry had earlier said there was no damage to its vessels.

“We will continue to collect and analyse information on the movements of the Chinese military and will take all possible precautions in our vigilance and monitoring,” the ministry said early Wednesday afternoon, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

When China last did such a test – in May 1980 – the ICBM flew 9,070km and landed in the Pacific. That test involved 18 Chinese naval ships and is still considered one of China’s biggest naval missions.

“Timing is everything,” Drew Thompson, a visiting research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, wrote on X.

“[China’s] statement claims the launch does not target any country, but there are high-levels of tension between China and Japan, Philippines, and of course perpetual tension with Taiwan.”

“The launch is a powerful signal intended to intimidate everyone,” he added.

John Ridge, a US-based defence analyst, said China could have conducted the test as a form of “posturing or signalling to the United States”.

While the relationship between Beijing and Washington has improved in the past year, China’s increasing assertiveness in the region remains a sticking point.

Tensions have ramped up between China and the Philippines as their ships have repeatedly collided in disputed waters. Last month, Japan scrambled fighter jets after it accused a Chinese spy plane of breaching its air space, a move that it called “utterly unacceptable”.

Sabina Shoal: The new flashpoint between China and the Philippines
What is Xi Jinping prepared to pay for Putin’s war?
The US is quietly arming Taiwan to the teeth

Beijing’s claims over self-governed Taiwan have been another source of strain.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said earlier on Wednesday that China had been carrying out “intensive” missile firing and other drills recently. In the same statement, the ministry said it had detected 23 Chinese military aircraft operating around Taiwan on “long-range missions”.

Beijing routinely sends ships and aircraft into Taiwanese waters and airspace in what analysts say is a “greyzone warfare” tactic meant to normalise the incursions.

In July this year, China suspended its nuclear arms control talks with Washington, in retaliation for the US’ continued arms sales to Taiwan.

Last year, China replaced two leaders of the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force unit – the elite unit managing its nuclear arsenal – over corruption allegations.

In a report published last year, the Pentagon estimated that China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal, of which approximately 350 are ICBMs.

The report also projected that China will reach over 1,000 warheads by 2030. Still, that is a fraction of the more than 5,000 warheads that the US and Russia each say they possess.

SOURCE BBC