The latest NAD news from September 29th is distressing, including the following:
The northern Malian historic UN World Heritage city of Timbuktu was shelled by “terrorists,” leaving 2 dead and 5 injured. In recent weeks, the army blamed jihadists for besieging the city, causing serious food shortages.
The Burkina Faso military junta, which took power in 2022, has now suspended the French news magazine Jeune Afrique for “untrue” articles about alleged discontent in the military.
The second round of talks between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) remained inconclusive, though talks will continue. A fair solution must be sought, as Sudan and Egypt rely heavily on the Nile watercourse downstream for agriculture, drinking water, and livelihoods. The UN fears Egypt could be waterless by 2025. Climate change threatens Sudan with droughts.
Tanzania has killed 5,000,000 Quelea birds, which has caused losses in 1,000 hectares of rice-growing land in Mayara. These birds destroy $50,000,000 worth of lost crops annually, especially south of the Sahara, according to a 2021 FAO report.
King Mswati III is in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), above the law. On September 29, about 585,000 non-partisan voters elected the lower house, which advises the king. Mswati directly appoints 10 members and can veto any law.
That is why one news item was pleasing, presenting an astonishing record: a 5-year-old from Serbia became the youngest climber to fulfill his wish, after good preparation, to reach the summit of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro!