One question to wake up to every weekday morning. One story from Africa, for Africa. Alan Kasujja takes a deep dive into the news shaping the continent. Ready b...
Can South Sudan break the cycle of cholera outbreaks?
South Sudan is facing another deadly cholera outbreak, with over 24,500 suspected cases and nearly 500 deaths, according to charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Overcrowding, poor sanitation and a lack of clean water are fuelling the crisis, while political instability and logistical challenges hinder the response.
With a history of recurring outbreaks and 9 million people in need of aid, experts warn the situation could worsen.
Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to Juba-based journalist Nichola Mandil and Dr. Harriet Akello Pasquale from South Sudan’s Ministry of Health.
--------
18:17
What do plans to resume drilling for oil in Ogoniland mean for people there?
This year it will be 30 years since Nigerian author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the Nigerian military government for leading protests against environmental pollution caused by oil exploration. He remains an icon of resistance against environmental degradation beyond Nigeria. The campaigns he led saw the exploration of crude oil stopped in Ogoniland, in the country’s Niger Delta region, after it became clear oil spills had extensively polluted rivers and farmland, destroying the livelihoods of farmers and fishers. A report published by the United Nations Environmental Programme in 2011 said cleaning pollution in Ogoniland could take up to 30 years. Yet president Bola Tinubu recently announced that his government would begin negotiations to resume oil production in Ogoniland. This sparked protests from environmental rights groups who warned that the region was yet to heal from the damage wrought by decades of oil exploration. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja has been speaking to lawyer and leading environmental activist Celestine Akpobari and Niger-Delta-based journalist Ndume Green. Producer: Peter Musembi
--------
20:20
Why are so many countries involved in the DR Congo conflict?
“What is the problem if South African investors invest in Congo? Why should it be Rwanda complaining, not the Congolese?” – Retired SANDF Lieutenant General Maomela Motau
On Sunday the 26th of January 2025, the M23 rebel group took over the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
It followed intense fighting with the country’s main army.
Since then, more than 700 people have been killed, with thousands more forced to seek refuge elsewhere.
This comes as South Africa and Rwanda have been engaged in a war of words over their interests in the DRC conflict.
South Africa says it’s part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission.
Rwanda, however, rejects this and accuses President Cyril Ramaphosa’s nation of getting involved purely to benefit from the mineral-rich country.
But Rwanda’s own involvement in the DRC has raised eyebrows.
Presenter: Alan Kasujja
Guests: Retired SANDF Lieutenant General Maomela Motau and Ugandan journalist and international relations expert Raymond Mujuni
--------
19:35
Ethiopia: what’s at issue in the Somali region of Ogaden?
“Growing up in Ogaden, I was surrounded by war - there was massacres and abuses. At a young age, I recall seeing looting and dead bodies everywhere. At the age of 12, I was arrested by government troops and imprisoned along with my whole family.”Ogaden, or the Somali region, is a remote area of Ethiopia – little known by much of the world.
But in 1970s, Ethiopia and Somalia fought a war over it, and at the start of this century a conflict was waged between rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front and the central government . A peace agreement was finally reached in 2018 with the ONLF agreeing to give up their arms and the government pledging to allow them pursue their aims politically.
But the ONLF now says it’s reassessing the peace agreement, because the government hasn’t fulfilled its side of the bargain.
Today on Africa Daily, Alan gets the thoughts of a former rebel who set up a support group for her fellow female fighters, and from an academic who lays out why this dispute has proved so difficult to resolve. Producer: Mohamed Gabobe.
--------
17:51
Can Africa get rid of rabies?
Rabies is a disease which is known across Africa, killing thousands of people each year through the bite or lick from an infected animal, usually a dog.
However, we have the vaccines to protect dogs against rabies, and we also have the vaccines to protect humans against rabies. So why haven’t we eliminated rabies from Africa yet? With the help of two people who are dedicated to ending rabies, we find out what needs to be done to end this deadly disease.Presenter: Alan Kasujja
Guests: Salima Kadaoui, founder of the SFT Animal Sanctuary in Morocco, and Andre Coetzer, Technical Director of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
One question to wake up to every weekday morning. One story from Africa, for Africa. Alan Kasujja takes a deep dive into the news shaping the continent. Ready by early morning, five days a week, Monday to Friday.