As we close out the week for the Easter holidays, here are the top stories from Africa. Over 200 abducted schoolchildren and staff in Nigeria have been rescued, marking a significant victory against kidnapping. Ethiopia’s largest bank has recovered most funds lost in a system glitch.
South Africa is boosting security at borders ahead of Easter, while Zimbabwe monitors Easter gatherings to curb cholera spread.
South Sudan plans to reopen schools in April as the heatwave eases, signaling progress amidst challenges.
Check out all the top stories below:
OVER 200 ABDUCTED SCHOOLCHILDREN AND STAFF IN NIGERIA RESCUED
Following President Bola Tinubu’s assurance of the safe return of the recently abducted schoolchildren, the president confirmed on Sunday that over 200 of the children were released.
They were abducted by unknown gunmen from their schools in Kaduna, Nigeria, on March 7.
In a statement, Tinubu suggested that the rescue of the abducted students was achieved through a coordinated search and rescue operation involving the military, local authorities, and government agencies.
Gunmen allegedly abducted over 287 students from government schools in Kaduna’s Kuriga town, marking one of Nigeria’s largest school abductions. The government refused ransom demands, pledging to secure the hostages’ release with security agencies’ support.
Tinubu praised all involved for their brave efforts in the successful rescue, emphasizing the importance of urgency, attention to detail, and dedication in such cases.
SOUTH AFRICA: MORE GUARDS DEPLOYED AT BORDERS AHEAD OF EASTER
Ahead of the Easter weekend, South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) announced that additional border guards would be stationed at the country’s ports of entry to bolster law enforcement efforts due to anticipated increases in movements.
BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato revealed during a media briefing in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, that the Border Management Authority (BMA) has extended the operating hours of several vital ports to facilitate travel for passengers.
“We will be deploying 400 additional junior border guards at the selected busiest ports of entry to assist with the delivery of services and the provision of law-enforcement support during this period,” Masiapato said.
Masiapato further stated that preparations have been made by the BMA and other government departments for the arrival of over one million individuals at the country’s ports during the Easter weekend. Their primary focus will be on ensuring the smooth operation of ports and tackling cross-border organized crime and other criminal activities.
ETHIOPIA’S LARGEST BANK RECOVERS MAJORITY OF FUNDS LOST IN SYSTEM GLITCH
Last week Ethiopia’s biggest commercial bank, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, suffered a major setback as customers were able to withdraw more money than they had in their accounts due to a “systems glitch,” prompting the bank to work urgently to recover the lost funds.
In light of recent updates, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has successfully reclaimed nearly three-quarters of the $14 million lost during the glitch incident.
President Abe Sano of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia informed reporters on Tuesday that approximately $14 million was withdrawn or digitally transferred during the error, with transaction values ranging from 9 cents to $5,350, initially reported as $40 million.
The bank stated that nearly 15,000 individuals have voluntarily returned funds that were obtained illegally, but 567 individuals have yet to return the money that does not belong to them, prompting the bank to publicly disclose their names and account details online in an effort to encourage their return.
“The total amount remaining is not significant for the bank, but if this money is not fully recouped, it sends the wrong message,” Abe said.
ZIMBABWE: GOVERNMENT TO MONITOR EASTER GATHERINGS TO CURB SPREAD OF CHOLERA
During the upcoming Easter Holidays, the Ministry of Health and Child Care will oversee and manage gatherings to reduce the spread of cholera in the country.
In a post-Cabinet briefing, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, emphasized the importance of all gatherings obtaining prior clearance and being supervised by health authorities, aligning with the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s directives to minimize the spread of cholera over the upcoming Easter Holidays.
“In light of the impending Easter Holidays, Cabinet has directed the Ministry of Health and Child Care to intensify monitoring and supervision of all gatherings in order to minimise the spread of cholera. Cabinet further directed that going forward, no church gatherings must take place until church leaders install solar-powered boreholes or bush pump boreholes,” he said
Since February last year, Zimbabwe has been contending with a cholera outbreak, with a total of 30,070 suspected cases reported as of Monday.
SOUTH SUDAN TO REOPEN SCHOOLS IN APRIL AS HEATWAVE LESSENS
Following our last report that South Sudan shuts down schools as a heatwave escalates, the country has announced the reopening of schools from 2 April as high temperatures due to heatwaves lessen.
Due to a prolonged heatwave with temperatures soaring between 41 and 45 degrees Celsius, the government indefinitely closed all schools on March 16, a measure expected to last at least two weeks.
Following observations by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry showing a decline in heatwaves, Education Minister Awut Deng Acuil announced the potential reopening of schools as temperatures decrease and the rainy season approaches.
“We are therefore delighted to inform the public that the government has decided to reopen schools from April 2, however because of the unpredictability in the climate, we caution teachers to adhere to the following measures, maintain playground activities to early morning or preferably indoors, ventilate classrooms, provide water for learners during school time and monitor children especially the young ones, for signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and alert medics in case of such cases,” Acuil said in a statement in Juba, South Sudan’s capital.
Acuil further stated that the relevant ministries will continue to closely observe the weather situation and advise accordingly.
THE HOMECOMING FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN LAGOS
The annual Homecoming Festival in Lagos, celebrating streetwear, music, and art, began on Wednesday, March 27th, and will continue until April 1st, 2024.
The Homecoming Festival 2024 will unfold across multiple venues in Lagos, Nigeria, featuring daily activities including performances, pop-ups, basketball games, and other showcases.
See the schedule below:
SOUTH AFRICA: 14,662 CANDIDATES NOMINATED TO CONTEST 887 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS
Ahead of the May elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa announced on Tuesday that 14,662 candidates have been nominated to contest the 887 parliamentary seats.
South Africa is set to hold the national and local government elections on Wednesday, 29 May 2024.
The Electoral Commission shared the lists of candidates sent in by political parties and independent contenders for review on Tuesday.
The IEC mentioned that the largest ballot paper, containing 56 contestants, is for the mixed-member proportional seats in the National Assembly, while in Gauteng Province, the biggest ballot will have 42 political parties and two independent candidates for provincial legislature elections.
NIGERIA TO PLAY BAFANA BAFANA IN UPCOMING 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS IN JUNE
Bafana Bafana will face their rivals, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers set for June 2024.
In Group C, South Africa is joined by Benin, Nigeria, Rwanda, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe, participating in a round-robin format where each team plays home and away matches against the other teams in the group.
See the schedule below:
MALAWI DECLARES DROUGHT DISASTER IN 23 DISTRICTS
President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi has announced a state of disaster in 23 districts affected by a severe dry spell triggered by El Niño. These districts are facing significant crop losses due to the drought.
This announcement was made on Saturday evening during a televised address at the state residence in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, by the Malawian leader.
The “initial estimate is that close to 600,000 metric tonnes of maize valued at 357.6 billion Kwacha (over 13.67 billion U.S. dollars) will be required for humanitarian response programme,” he said.
Chakwera reported that nearly 2 million farming households and 749,113 hectares of maize, accounting for 44.3 percent of the national crop area, have been impacted by the severe conditions, with other vital crops such as rice, soybeans, cowpeas, and groundnuts also suffering.
The president is pleading to both national and international organizations, including the United Nations family, the World Bank, and all other well-wishers, to offer assistance.
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY MATCHES CONCLUDE
The FIFA Series 2024™ concluded with remarkable victories from teams like Central African Republic, Guinea, Croatia, and Guyana, showcasing international talent across five days in five countries.
South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe were among the nations taking advantage of the opportunity to assess their players.
In a separate event, Zimbabwe faced a 3-1 defeat against Kenya in a four-nation tournament involving Malawi and Zambia, while Nigeria suffered a 2-0 loss to Mali following a morale-boosting win over Ghana.
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