Thursday March 28, 2024

NAIROBI, March 26 (Xinhua) — The larger part of the Horn of Africa region is expected to be wetter than usual between April and June, said the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, Tuesday.

The ICPAC said in its latest forecast that wetter-than-usual conditions are expected over most parts of the equatorial and northern sectors of the region.

“High chances of wetter-than-usual conditions are indicated over equatorial and northeastern parts of the region from April to June with few areas in western Ethiopia and western South Sudan expected to be drier than usual,” the ICPAC said.

The rainfall would be a continuation of a period of heavy rains during the March-May season, which has started with the rains already causing deaths and heavy flooding in some countries, including Kenya.

Besides the wetter period, the institution, which is based in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, said the region would also experience warmer-than-normal temperatures during the period.

“Warmer-than-usual temperatures are indicated over the whole region. The highest probabilities are indicated over Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and coastal parts of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania,” the ICPAC said.

The Horn of Africa region has, in the last year, recorded varied climatic conditions that include drought and heavy rains in quick succession as the effects of climate change unfold.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 479 people were killed and more than 5.2 million people affected by flooding caused by El Nino rains between October and December 2023 in Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, and Ethiopia.

Thursday March 28, 2024

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) — UN humanitarians said on Wednesday they are concerned about the spread of cholera in nearly half of the 72 Somalia districts amid a severe shortage in oral vaccine doses.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said almost 4,400 cases and 54 deaths were recorded last week since the start of the year. More than 60 percent of the deaths were among children under 5.

OCHA said 1.4 million doses that the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision allocated for Somalia are expected to arrive shortly.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the number of reported cases in Somalia is three times higher than the previous three-year average. Somalia is already among the countries most severely impacted by cholera and acute watery diarrhea.

“This outbreak is expected to spread further, including to areas where the disease has not been seen in years, during the coming rainy season, which is expected to be heavier than normal,” WHO said.

OCHA said the United Nations and its humanitarian partners are working with Somalia’s health authorities to step up preparation and response efforts, which aligns with a six-month plan of action that will require nearly 6 million U.S. dollars.

“Aid organizations are prepositioning cholera treatment kits and working on surveillance and case management,” the office said. “They are also delivering clean water, testing water quality, and providing water treatment supplies and hygiene kits, as well as training and deploying health workers.”

However, OCHA said that additional funding is urgently needed. This year’s Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan is less than 10 percent funded, with just over 150 million U.S. dollars received of the nearly 1.6 billion dollars required.

Alperen Aktas and Diyar Guldogan
Thursday March 28, 2024

‘National Defense Ministry does not have any activities with Israel, including military training, exercises, and defense industry cooperation,’ says ministry

Türkiye on Tuesday rejected allegations of cooperation with Israel, particularly defense-based cooperation, as this would harm Palestinians.

“It is not possible for the Republic of Türkiye, which has always supported Palestine, to carry out or engage in any activity that would harm Palestinians,” said the country’s National Defense Ministry.

“The National Defense Ministry does not have any activities with Israel, including military training, exercises and defense industry cooperation.”

The statement came after claims by some media outlets that Türkiye continues to export gunpowder, weapons and ammunition to Israel.

The ministry said that Israel’s ongoing acts of violence in the Gaza Strip targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship, refugee camps and civilians unfortunately continue “without discrimination.”

Separately, the Turkish Communications Directorate’s Center for Countering Disinformation also rejected the reports after examining several social media posts.

“The products in the 93rd chapter of the alleged export list are not war weapons and ammunition but ungrooved rifle spare parts and accessories and fishing equipment used for individual purposes such as sports and hunting,” it said on X.

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), there have been no exports of rifles for sports and hunting purposes since May 2023, which already had low figures, it added.

“The products exported under the heading ‘Gunpowder and explosives, pyrotechnic products, matches, pyrophoric alloys, combustible preparations’ in the 36th chapter of the export list were ‘gel fuel and lighter fluid.’

“It has been determined that attempts were made to manipulate public opinion regarding the products included in the chapter headings of the Customs Tariff and exported by private companies,” it added.

Since the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 and long before, Türkiye has been unwavering in its support for Palestine.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Palestinian territories since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 32,400 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 74,800 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Thursday March 28, 2024

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has officially launched the country’s first-ever interest-free commercial Islamic bank.

Salaam Bank Limited, a subsidiary of a Djibouti-based bank, is the first institution to offer Islamic financing in the country.

Mr Museveni said the institution had a potential to significantly contribute to the development of the country’s financial sector and attract more Muslim investors.

“I encourage you to fight poverty and create wealth,” the president said shortly after launching the bank on Wednesday in the capital, Kampala.

In September last year, the Salaam bank was granted its first Islamic banking license after the Ugandan parliament passed legislation authorising Islamic banking, which Mr Museveni signed into law.

It is not allowed to pay and receive interest in Islamic banking, but rather it is based on profit sharing.