Day: March 1, 2023

President Emmanuel Macron kicks off a tour of Central Africa on Wednesday in a diplomatic drive to test out a new “responsible relationship” with the continent as anti-French sentiment runs high in some former colonies.

He will first stop in Gabon for an environmental summit, before heading to Angola then the Republic of Congo — also known as Congo-Brazzaville — and finally neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Macron’s trip comes as alarm grows in Paris over Russia’s rising influence in French-speaking African countries, alongside Chinese jockeying for position, which has been visible for some years.

In Gabon, he will attend the One Forest Summit on preserving forests worldwide, including along the vast Congo River basin.

Covering 1.62 million square kilometres, the forests of Central Africa represent the planet’s second-largest carbon sink after the Amazon.

They are also home to huge biodiversity including forest elephants and gorillas, and bear traces of the settlement of early humanity.

But they face threats such as poaching, deforestation for the oil palm and rubber industries, and illegal logging and mineral exploitation.

Macron in a speech on France’s Africa policy on Monday called for a “mutual and responsible relationship” with the continent of more than 50 countries, including on climate issues.

He reiterated a pledge to break with former post-colonial policies.

“To measure our influence through a number of military operations, to rest on exclusive privileged ties with certain leaders, or to consider that certain economic markets are rightfully ours because we were there before — these are things of the past,” he said.

Macron has insisted Africa is a priority of his second term, and in July he went to Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

After Gabon, he heads to the former Portuguese colony of Angola as part of a drive to enhance French ties with English- and Portuguese-speaking parts of Africa.

Stopping in Congo-Brazzaville, another former French colony, he will end his trip in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo — ruled by Belgium during the colonial era — on Friday and Saturday.

Macron’s tour follows disruption in the Sahel region further north.

Paris has fallen out with new military authorities in former colonies Mali and Burkina Faso and withdrew its troops from both countries following years of helping them to battle jihadists.

France and its Western allies accuse Russian mercenary group Wagner, infamous for its activities in Syria and Ukraine, of being active in Mali and the Central African Republic, also once ruled by France.

Paris has also accused Russia of spreading disinformation to undermine French interests on the continent.

Macron on Monday said the military would reduce its footprint on the continent in the coming months, turning French outposts there into training academies or “partner” bases with more African forces.

More than 3,000 French soldiers are deployed in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon and Djibouti, according to official figures. Another 3,000 are in the Sahel, including in Niger and Chad.

Source: Nam News Network

HIGHLIGHTS

Tropical Storm Freddy has led to significant rainfall in Mozambique in recent days, with river levels expected to continue to rise.

The number of people affected by Freddy has risen to 383,300 (226,000 in Madagascar and more than 163,300 in Mozambique), including nearly 47,000 who were temporarily displaced (37,700 in Madagascar and 9,268 in Mozambique).

At least 14 people have died following Freddy’s passage (7 in Madagascar and 7 in Mozambique).

Response to Tropical Cyclone Freddy is underway in both Madagascar and Mozambique.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Tropical Storm Freddy made landfall in Vilankulo district, Inhambane province, of Mozambique on 24 February, where it has led to significant rainfall, with river levels expected to continue rising. Between 23 and 27 February, Dondo (Sofala Province) and Vilankulo (Inhambane Province) both received more than 500 millimetres (mm) of rainfall, while Massinga (Inhambane Province) and Beira (Sofala Province) both received more than 300mm. A further 300mm of rain are expected in Inhambane Province this week, according to Mozambican authorities, and the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) indicates the potential for unprecedented flooding on the Changane River, particularly between Chibuto town and Xai-Xai in Gaza Province. In Zimbabwe, on the other hand, while flooding is still possible in south-eastern Zimbabwe, severe flooding is now unlikely, as Freddy did not extend as far inland as previously forecasted.

In Mozambique, more than 163,300 people had been affected by rainfall and flooding generated by Tropical Storm Freddy across southern and central Mozambique by 28 February, including 9,268 people who were taking shelter in 26 accommodation centres across Inhambane, Gaza, and Sofala, according to Government authorities. Over 27,811 houses were destroyed or damaged, including 13,760 partially destroyed, 1,621 totally destroyed and 12,430 flooded houses. Damage to public infrastructure and services has also been reported, with 408 classrooms destroyed, affecting nearly 20,700 pupils. Some 685 km of road has been damaged, while nearly 26,800 hectares of crops were affected.

In Madagascar, at least 226,000 people were affected by Freddy’s passage, of whom an estimated 148,000 are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the findings of a multi-sectoral assessment carried out by the Government and humanitarian partners. The number of people displaced has increased to 37,700, and more than 28,800 houses have been destroyed or damaged. Following the cyclone’s passage, more than 1,600 classrooms have been destroyed or damaged (including 670 destroyed, 318 partially destroyed and 654 left roofless), leaving more than 70,200 students out of school. Some 16 community health centres and 2 hospitals were partially damaged, most of them in Vatovavy region, according to Government authorities.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) is an established, sound and robust system for reviewing maternal deaths and establishing nationwide enquiries into deaths during pregnancy labour and puerperium. MPDSR is a system that measures and tracks all maternal and perinatal deaths in real time, helps to understand the underlying factors contributing to the deaths, and stimulates and guides actions to prevent future deaths. It is a form of continuous surveillance that links the health information system and quality improvement processes from local to national levels, permits routine identification, notification, quantification, and determination of causes of maternal and perinatal deaths, and is useful information to help respond with actions that will prevent future deaths (World Health Organization, 2021a). MPDSR also supports the delivery of quality maternal and newborn health care (World Health Organization, 2021b).

MPDSR has been identified by multiple global and regional bodies as a priority for ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths. The World Health Organization (WHO) released global technical guidelines on Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) (World Health Organization, 2013) in 2013, and a perinatal death audit in 2016 (World Health Organization, 2016a). In 2020, WHO listed MPDSR among the essential interventions to mitigate the indirect effects of COVID-19 on maternal and perinatal outcomes (World Health Organization, 2020). Operational guidance and tools to support MPDSR implementation were released in September 2021 (World Health Organization, 2021c). Global priority for MPDSR has been demonstrated through inclusion in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health in 2015 (Every Woman Every Child, 2015), and as part of the accountability milestone of the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM): A Renewed Focus for Improving Maternal and Newborn Health and Well-being in 2021 (World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, 2021). In Africa, institutionalizing MPDSR is one of the priorities of the African Union Commission’s action plan towards ending preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality in Africa since 2013 (United Nations Population Fund, 2013).

The joint United Nations (i.e. WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF) regional offices in East and Southern Africa (ESA) have been supporting countries and facilitating south-south learning to strengthen MPDSR in the region. As countries adapt and apply this guidance, implementation gaps and challenges remain in preventing successful MPDSR uptake (Kinney et al., 2021). The United Nations inter-agency partners started to monitor MPDSR in ESA through the standard biennial survey in 2014. A MPDSR regional status report for 2016 and 2018 have been produced and disseminated to enhance the quality and use of MPDSR. This report represents the status of MPDSR in 2021, and documents the progress made since 2016.

Source: United Nations Population Fund