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Pro-Democracy Protests Turn Deadly in African Nation

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Pro-democracy protests in Chad turned deadly amid clashes on Thursday between protestors and security forces.

Newly-appointed Prime Minster Saleh Kebzabo said the protests, which took place in the capital of N’Djamena and several other cities, led to 50 deaths and 300 injuries, according to Reuters. The process of compiling casualties remains ongoing.

The protests centered around frustration over the decision of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno to delay a transition to democracy in the African nation, according to Reuters. Thursday was originally supposed to mark the end of the transitional period. . .

The International Federation for Human Rights and associated organizations in Chad outlined reports of violent repression on the part of governmental security forces involving the use of live bullets along with the arbitrary detention and torture of protestors, Reuters reported.

Four people died outside the U.S. embassy in N’Djamena, the BBC reported. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement condemned the violence in Chad and emphasized American support for a peaceful transition to democracy in the country. (Read more from “Pro-Democracy Protests Turn Deadly in African Nation” HERE)

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African Military Government Overthrown Amid Instability

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A group of officers overthrew the military government led by Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba in Burkina Faso on Friday.

The new leader of Burkina Faso is army Captain Ibrahim Traore, who announced the overthrow of his predecessor in a televised statement, according to Reuters. In the statement, Traore also announced the suspension of the constitution and the “all political and civil society activities.”

The coup follows a period of instability in Burkina Faso as Islamist attacks continued to spread with increased frequency, according to the BBC. A July attack in the north of the country left 55 dead while a roadside bombing in early September killed at least 35 and left dozens more injured. The latest attack hit a supply convoy aiming to assist residents in areas besieged by Islamist groups on Monday, leaving 11 soldiers dead and 50 civilians missing.

Traore cited Damiba’s ineffectiveness in combatting the attacks as the primary reason for his removal. Damiba took power in a January 2022 coup citing his predecessor’s inability to address the same problem, the BBC reported.

(Read more from “African Military Government Overthrown Amid Instability” HERE)

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Fear Grows of ‘Killer Lake’ Eruption That Would Release Gas Cloud and Kill Millions

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Researchers are concerned that a ‘killer’ lake in Africa could be fatal to millions, according to studies.

Freshwater experts are warning that Lake Kivu, situated between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is harboring potentially explosive gases.

Kivu is one of Africa’s great ‘rift’ lakes as it has formed over an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust.

Nearby is Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active volcanos, which sends lava towards Lake Kivu whenever it erupts.

Over thousands of years, volcanic activity from Mount Nyiragongo has caused an immense amount of dissolved methane and carbon dioxide to accumulate under Kivu’s surface. (Read more from “Fear Grows of ‘Killer Lake’ Eruption That Would Release Gas Cloud and Kill Millions” HERE)

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Scientists Are Dumbfounded That COVID-19 Barely Exists in Africa

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COVID-19 has faded into the background of daily life in Africa, and scientists are unable to figure out exactly why.

With a population of 1.3 billion people, Africa is the world’s second most-populous continent, trailing only Asia, and it’s also the world’s poorest. But despite the gap in resources — Africa has much less access to vaccines than places like the Americas and Western Europe — the continent has experienced the second-lowest number of deaths from the virus of any of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) six designated regions.

Nearly 152,000 Africans have died of COVID-19 since the global pandemic began, according to the WHO. The Western Pacific region has seen just 136,267 deaths, but otherwise Africa has had the best pandemic outcome in the world. In the Americas, more than 2.3 million people have died from the virus, and in Europe, the number is nearly 1.5 million.

Scientists acknowledge that sparse reporting systems and poor data collections play some part in the low numbers, according to The Associated Press. But the astronomical gap between the region and the rest of the world is too substantial to simply chalk up to poor record-keeping, they say. (Read more from “Scientists Are Dumbfounded That COVID-19 Barely Exists in Africa” HERE)

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SEAL Team Six Rescues American Hostage

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A hostage from the United States was rescued early on Saturday in Nigeria by SEAL Team Six.

While the Pentagon has confirmed the rescue operation, they have not confirmed the name of the hostage. ABC News and Fox News have reported that the rescued man was Philip Wanton, who, according to multiple news outlets, was abducted from his farm in neighboring Niger several days ago. . .

“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men,” Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. “This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S. military personnel were injured during the operation.” (Read more from “SEAL Team Six Rescues American Hostage” HERE)

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Billions of Locusts Invade in New, Larger Wave as Second Swarm Threatens Africa

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A new wave of locusts is threatening Africa with devastation and starvation, even as the COVID-19 pandemic undermines efforts to fight the locust plague.

Parts of the continent already experienced the biggest locust outbreak in 70 years, just weeks before the coronavirus hit. Now a second wave is on its way, with some locust swarms 20 times the size of the first.

Billions of young desert locusts are coming, threatening plants and crops. This second invasion includes more developed locusts known as “young adults,” which are especially voracious eaters.

Some Africans view the locust swarms as more destructive than the coronavirus. And there are predictions that the locust plague might cause the coronavirus to spread even further as people band together, trying to fight off the swarms of locusts from eating all their food.

“Everyone is talking about” the locusts, said Yoweri Aboket, a farmer in Uganda. “Once they land in your garden they do total destruction. Some people will even tell you that the locusts are more destructive than the coronavirus. There are even some who don’t believe that the virus will reach here.” (Read more from “Billions of Locusts Invade in New, Larger Wave as Second Swarm Threatens Africa” HERE)

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Locust Swarm: UN Warns of Food Crisis in Africa

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The East African region could be on the verge of a food crisis if huge swarms of locusts devouring crops and pasture are not brought under control, a top UN official has told the BBC.

A massive food assistance may be required, Dominique Burgeon, director of emergencies for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said.

Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are affected.

Efforts to control the infestation have so far not been effective.

Aerial spraying of pesticides is the most effective way of fighting the swarms but countries in the region do not have the right resources. (Read more from “Locust Swarm: UN Warns of Food Crisis in Africa” HERE)

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Shocking Video of Python, Honey Badger and Jackals Fighting Each Other Goes Viral

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A shocking video of a python, honey badger and two jackals fighting each other has gone viral after a group of tourists recorded it on safari in Africa.

In the first few seconds, the honey badger and the jackals can be seen fighting over the python, dragging it along the ground in Chobe Park in Botswana. The jackals initially saved the life of the honey badger, but the honey badger quickly turns on the jackals. In the clip, the honey badger is seen chasing the two jackals away from the python before ultimately coming out on top in the showdown.

According to Chobe Park’s website, it is “home to Africa’s largest elephant population,” at approximately 120,000. “Buffalo can be easily found in equally large herds, while the river is home to a great number of hippos. Sticking with the bigger mammals, there are plenty of giraffe around, too,” the park wrote on its website.

The park, which offers a wide range of tours and safaris to explore, has a “considerable” lion population, in addition to the lion’s archenemy, the spotted hyena.

(Read more from “Shocking Video of Python, Honey Badger and Jackals Fighting Each Other Goes Viral” HERE)

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Expert: U.S. Invests More in Africa Under Trump Than Any Other President

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The United States has poured more investment into Africa under President Donald Trump than under any previous administration. . .

The Daily Maverick reported on Thursday:

Aubrey Hruby, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center and co-author of the book The Next Africa, has told Al Jazeera that the US DFC [Development Finance Corporation] with its larger investment cap, provides an opportunity for the US to reframe the way it does development in Africa.

She said it was “utterly surprising” that this was happening under President Donald Trump, who has been criticised for derogatory comments about Africa and who previously proposed scrapping funding for Opic, which provided US companies with investment guarantees. She said in many ways, more resources had been put into Africa and US companies in Africa under the Trump administration than any other.

Critics once complained that President Trump lacked interest in Africa (at least outside of South Africa, where he has drawn attention to the plight of white farmers, who are often the targets of brutal crime). They also accused him of referring to some African nations as “sh*thole countries” (though he and others present denied the accusation). (Read more from “Expert: U.S. Invests More in Africa Under Trump Than Any Other President” HERE)

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Rhino Poacher Trampled by Elephant, Then Eaten by Lion

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Conservation officers in South Africa found the body of a suspected poacher that they now think was killed by an elephant who trampled him. But, to add another layer to the man’s death, his body was also partially eaten by a lion.

Officials of the South African National Parks Service told reporters of the body discovered at the Kruger National Park. Authorities said that the man’s family reported that he had been killed, according to the Daily News.

Four fellow poachers reportedly fled the scene as the man was being trampled and reported the death to the man’s family. The family then contacted park officials and a search party for the remains was organized.

“Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers, and this incident is evidence of that,” Kruger National Park Managing Executive Glenn Phillips said. “It is very sad to see the daughters of the diseased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains.” (Read more from “Rhino Poacher Trampled by Elephant, Then Eaten by Lion” HERE)

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