GEM Sites Bi-Weekly Updates
September 27th to October 10th 2023
Malawi
Five hundred refugees and asylum seekers are expected to be repatriated to their countries of origin next month, Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma has said. This came out Monday when Zikhale Ng’oma addressed the 74th Session of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said Malawi fosters an environment that encourages the voluntary return of asylum seekers and refugees whose circumstances in the country of origin have greatly improved, noting that the 1951 Convention on the Protection of refugees provides that no one is expected to be a refugee for the rest of their life.
“Malawi, in
collaboration with UNHCR, has voluntarily repatriated 38 families, representing
147 individuals, this year with the recent cohort repatriated on October 5, 2023. Additionally, 500 repatriation applicants are expected to be repatriated
in November. It is our call to all member states to work together to help these
applicants,” Zikhale Ng’oma said.
Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima has called upon various stakeholders and partners to consider pumping in more support in the education sector. Wirima made these remarks on Tuesday during the launch of the Back to School Campaign at Kalima Primary School in Chikwawa district.
She said Cyclone Freddy caused huge damage to education infrastructure in the country. According to Wirima, 72 Classrooms, 87 teachers houses and over 980 WASH facilities were fully destroyed, while 460 classrooms, 423 teachers' houses, 542 WASH facilities were partially destroyed, requiring reconstruction and rehabilitation respectively. "For insstance, schools hosted Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as a result, there was too much pressure on the already constrained WASH facilities in schools," adding that other services that were compromised included, but not least to child protection; and school feeding.
Historically, Malawi is one of Africa’s friendliest host nations for refugees fleeing strife in its neighborhood. It is a proud legacy Malawi has rightly earned since independence in 1966. However, recently, Malawi’s reputation for welcoming refugees is unraveling – and that’s dangerous. The Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi is one of one of Africa’s largest. Thousands of vulnerable women, children, and men have found homes inside after having to escape violence in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. Outside the camp, the refugees have established relations and businesses in towns, villages, and cities.
However, under President Lazarus Chakwera, Malawi has ordered all refugees who have settled in out-of-camp communities to herd back to the overcrowded Dzaleka camp. Reports say military force has been used to coerce refugees back into the camp.
Lebanon
The Lebanese army said on Wednesday that it remains committed to preventing illegal sea migration, despite recent proposals by Lebanon's officials that Syrian refugees be permitted to leave for Europe by sea. “The Lebanese army’s policy follows the orders of the Council of Ministers,” said an army official on condition of anonymity. “Right now we remain charged with protecting the sea border and preventing illegal migration.”
Beirut, Lebanon — Palestinian factions in Lebanon are eager to open a second front against Israel if the Shia-backed group Hezbollah leads the charge, fighters and analysts said.
“Wherever [Israel] is ready for [the fight] to happen, it will happen,” said Ahmed Habet, a member of the Palestinian party Fatah in Burj al-Barajneh, a refugee camp in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. “I’m the blood of my homeland. I live for my homeland. I don’t live for the future,” he added. An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah – backed by Palestinian factions – is a possible scenario that could drag Lebanon and the region into a catastrophic conflict.
President Sheikh Mohamed and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati have agreed to reopen the UAE embassy in Beirut. The two leaders met at Al Shati Palace on Thursday. During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed and Mr. Mikati agreed to take the necessary steps to reopen the embassy in Beirut and establish a joint committee to develop a mechanism for the issuance of UAE entry visas to Lebanese citizens. They also discussed ways in which to enhance relations in various fields, including development and economy. President Sheikh Mohamed expressed his wish for Lebanon to enjoy stability, security, and prosperity, and achieve developments that meet the aspirations of its people. Mr Mikati expressed his appreciation for the UAE President for the consistent support provided by the Emirates to Lebanon.
Kenya
President William Ruto on Monday, October 9, commissioned the MV Uhuru II, a Sh2.4 billion cargo ship that was locally constructed and assembled at the Kenya Shipyards in Kisumu. The ship, which is the first of its kind in Kenya, is expected to boost trade and transport in the region by ferrying goods and oil across Lake Victoria.
The President hailed the project as a milestone in the development of the blue economy and the realization of the Vision 2030 goals. The MV Uhuru II is a 100-metre vessel that can carry up to 22 wagons and an estimated capacity of 2 million litres of crude oil per trip.
President William Ruto's
Cabinet approved the National Assembly resolution to cancel loans and tax
arrears owed by public sugar millers. The Cabinet said the decision to write
off KSh 117 billion is part of Kenya Kwanza's administration to revive the
ailing sector. The government also approved a
plan that will see sugarcane farmers paid within 90 days. The Cabinet approved
the National Assembly resolution to waive loans and taxes worth KSh 117 billion
by national sugar millers. Ruto's Cabinet said the move was part of Kenya
Kwanza's administration to address challenges that have bedeviled the sector
and sugarcane farmers for decades.
The U.N. Security Council
voted on Monday to authorize a multinational military intervention against the
gang lords of Haiti, led by Kenya, which volunteered to take point in July. The
resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador at the request of Haiti’s
government, passed with 13 votes in favor, zero against, and two unsurprising
abstentions: Russia and China. “Russia and China’s abstentions suggested
that neither country endorsed the resolution but they were not going to block
it. Diplomats said that negotiations had been tense with the two countries for
several weeks, with the text being rewritten multiple times, but that,
ultimately, a consensus was reached,” the New York Times (NYT)
reported on Monday.
Rwanda
Kagame inaugurates surgical research, training center IRCAD Africa
President
Paul Kagame on Monday, October 9, met US Senator Mike Rounds and Congressman
Ron Estes. They had a discussion on US-Rwanda bilateral relations, as well as
regional and global issues, according to the President’s Office. The American
legislators also visited Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) headquarters in Kimihurura,
where they met Minister of Defence Juvenal Marizamunda and RDF’s Head of
International Military Cooperation Brig Gen Patrick Karuretwa.
Rwanda and Japan have signed a grant agreement worth $14.6 million to establish a new transport control system aimed to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobility in Kigali. The agreement was signed between the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Uzziel Ndagijimana, Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda, Isao Fukushima, and Minako Shiotsuka, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on October 5.
Dubbed “Intelligent Transport System”, the project consists of developing a traffic control system and signal control system together with intersection improvements, which will be centred in the City of Kigali and Rwanda National Police Traffic Department.
South Africa
These Western Cape hiking trails are closed this season
Hiking
enthusiasts take note! The City of Cape Town has had to make a tough decision
this year.
The beloved Steenbras River Gorge and Crystal Pools hiking trails
will remain closed for the entire hiking season. Why? The recent storm
during the long weekend in September caused extensive damage, leading to severe
flooding in the Steenbras Nature Reserve and along Clarence Drive near Gordon’s
Bay.
Five students from the
University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape are expected to appear at the Alice
magistrate's court on Monday. Eastern Cape police spokesperson W/O Majola
Nkohli confirmed the five were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder
of a fellow student at the institution on Saturday. “The deceased person
was a 21-year-old male student at the institution. The circumstances
surrounding the incident are forming part of the investigation,” he said. The
suspects are aged between 22 and 25. Fort Hare University spokesperson JP
Roodt confirmed the student’s death which occurred at about 3.20am on
Saturday.
A South African cabinet minister and three other lawmakers from the ruling African National Congress party were cleared of corruption Tuesday by a parliamentary ethics committee.
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi and lawmakers Cedric Frolick, Mosebenzi Zwane and Winnie Ngwenya were implicated following a commission of inquiry into allegations of large-scale corruption under former President Jacob Zuma, who was South Africa's leader from 2009-18. The four lawmakers had been under investigation since last year over separate allegations.
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