You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Guest host Vincent Makori and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
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Humanitarian workers say the northern Tigray region is too volatile for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of civilians in dire need. There are reports of persistent fighting, looting and lawlessness. Aid agencies warn of a lack of food, medication and body bags in Tigray, where 600,000 people were already receiving food aid before a month of fighting began between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government troops and a rebellious regional force. Abiy declared victory over The Tigray People's Liberation Front after federal troops captured the regional capital Mekelle eight days ago, saying not a single civilian had been killed in the offensive.
However, a doctor reached in the city on Sunday told Reuters that at least 27 people - including a 4-year-old, a 78-year-old and a family of four - had died in the offensive. The doctor also says two others were killed and four were seriously wounded when residents blocked roads to protest looting by government forces in Mekelle. Government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters and VOA have not been able to verify claims from all sides on the state of fighting.
Ghana’s presidential election is underway on Monday as incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo and his main rival, former president John Mahama, are each offering plans to help the economy rebound from its first quarterly reduction in nearly 40 years.
Eyes are on the west African economic powerhouse to see if it can maintain its standing as a bastion of democracy in the unstable region where election disputes this year have fanned fears of a slide back into authoritarianism. There are 12 presidential candidates, but most voters are likely to choose between Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party and Mahama’s National Democratic Congress, which have alternated in power since 1992. The race is expected to be tight, but political observers say Akufo-Addo has a slight lead based on his performance during the pandemic in which his administration provided free water and subsidized electricity to households. A new parliament is also being elected.
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana says her organization is fully prepared to administer free, transparent and credible elections on Monday. Attorney Jean Adukwei Mensa’s remarks follow a meeting with both local and international poll observers at the headquarters of the electoral commission in the capital, Accra, Friday. VOA's Peter Clottey sat down with Jean Mensa chairperson of the commission. In part one of the interview, Mrs. Mensa says the commission is fully prepared for the vote.
Recent deaths from COVID-19 in Kenya of a refugee, a member of parliament and a retired civil servant all happened because emergency help was hours away. Nearly three quarters of Kenya’s Intensive Care Unit beds are in the two largest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa. Yet the new coronavirus is spreading into rural areas where the public health system is creaking and scarce ICU units are full and turning patients away, medics round the nation told Reuters. Christmas travel may worsen the problem - and not just in Kenya. Africa is recording 10,000 to 12,000 cases daily, moving toward a July peak of 14,000, after most governments eased lockdowns that curbed the disease but decimated jobs.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus must be stored at extremely cold temperatures, raising some concerns about the difficult task of moving it across the United States for inoculations. But dry ice companies across the U.S. say they’re up for the challenge.
Republicans and Democrats are working to get the vote out in Georgia’s January 5th runoff election that will decide control of the U.S. senate. But Republicans remain divided about the results of the November 3rd presidential race, with President Donald Trump still asserting widespread voter fraud.
Wood and charcoal burning account for 50 percent of household energy consumption in Senegal, contributing to air pollution and deforestation. To reduce ecological damage, an association called Nebeday, which means "tree" in Wolof, the predominant local language in Senegal, hires villagers to produce biocharcoal.
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