Category: Legal Judicial

South Africa’s state power utility, Eskom, has implemented its highest level of nationwide power cuts to reduce pressure on the grid after two more of its aging power plants broke down.

South Africans will be forced to go up to nine hours a day without electricity, putting a severe strain on Africa’s most industrialized economy.

The energy crisis is so severe that President Cyril Ramaphosa is cutting short his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to return home and try to find solutions to the electricity shortages.

Ramaphosa, who is currently in England for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, had just held an urgent virtual meeting with the concerned ministers to find out what led to so many units tripping, his spokesman Vincent Magwenya told VOA.

“He further wanted to understand what could be done immediately to resolve the current state of loadshedding which is devastating to businesses as well as households,” Magwenya said.

On Sunday, officials from state power utility Eskom warned that the country could be heading for even higher stages of what’s known here as “loadshedding” — scheduled blackouts to save energy.

Stage Six, the worst level seen so far, and which was last implemented in June during South Africa’s winter, allows for some 6,000 megawatts to be cut to avoid total collapse of the national grid.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said loadshedding might have to be ramped up to Stage Eight, but that “total blackout” was not an imminent risk.

“I think we are doing our level best to avoid a total system collapse, that is why we have to impose loadshedding,” de Ruyter said.

For ordinary South Africans, loadshedding makes all aspects of daily life difficult, from having to plan when to cook, to making sure they always have gas lamps or candles available for when homes across the country are plunged into darkness.

And for small businesses that can’t afford to get generators, the cuts are devastating.

Jeanette Mmelwa is a hairdresser at a small Johannesburg salon which was empty on Monday morning. She says there’s no electricity to run the hair dryers, so no clients are coming in. Mmelwa works on commission, so isn’t earning anything.

“I am concerned because of this loadshedding my boss can one day just say, ‘No, I can’t take this anymore. We’re not making enough money, so we have to close.’ I am worried about that,” she said.

Things are even worse at home, said Mmelwa, who has a young son.

“Waking up in the morning and there’s no lights, now you think, ‘What is he going to eat before he goes to school?’ So yes, it’s very stressful,” she said.

The current electricity crisis has been brewing for a decade. The cash-strapped and debt-ridden power utility relies on aging coal plants that are prone to breakdowns.

Corruption has also weakened the utility considerably, said independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga.

“The problem with loadshedding is that ours is self-created, it is about corruption, inability to turn things around and fight against corruption,” Mathekga said.

If South Africa’s energy crisis persists, there will be massive damage to the economy, which has already been badly hit by the pandemic, with the official unemployment currently at 33.9 percent.

Source: Voice of America

VILNIUS— Lithuania on Monday said it had finished building a fence along its border with Belarus to fight illegal immigration which the West accuses Minsk of orchestrating.

Illegal immigration has soared in EU member Lithuania this year, with around 4,200 migrants mainly from the Middle East and Africa crossing the border from neighbouring Belarus.

The West has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of manipulating the migrant flows with its ally Russia as part of “hybrid” warfare, which Minsk denies.

A barrier four metres high and made up of barbed wire stretches across around 550 kilometres of the two countries’ shared border.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced the project’s completion and said it was “technically impossible” to erect physical barriers along the entire frontier, which crosses lakes, rivers and swamps.

Lithuania’s harsh migrant policy has led to accusations that it is carrying out illegal pushbacks.

Simonyte said her government would continue its policy and examine the possibility of legally maintaining it without imposing a state of emergency.

But she acknowledged it would be a challenge with regards to international law, saying her country has “lots of work to do”.

On Saturday, Lithuanian border guards refused entry to 125 migrants, the highest number since the start of the year.

The guards have accused their Belarusian counterparts of helping migrants enter Lithuania illegally and damaging the new fence.

A large build-up of mostly Middle Eastern migrants last winter sparked a tense stand-off between eastern EU member Poland and Belarus.

Poland later constructed a steel wall along its border with Belarus to deter migrants, saying Lukashenko’s regime was “destabilising” the region.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

(Beirut) – Houthi forces, also known as Ansar Allah, should immediately open vital roads in and around Taizz, Yemen’s third-largest city, and restore freedom of movement for all civilians to prevent further deterioration of the already grave humanitarian crisis in Taizz, sixteen human rights groups said today.

The main roads in and out of the city of Taizz have been closed since 2015 by Houthi forces, severely restricting freedom of movement for civilians and impeding the flow of essential goods, medicine, and humanitarian access to the city’s residents.

“Houthi restrictions have forced civilians to use dangerous and poorly maintained mountain roads that are the only connection between Taizz city’s besieged population and the rest of the world,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Opening the main roads would help immensely to alleviate the suffering of a population that has been in near-total isolation for seven years.”

Taizz is between the capital, Sanaa, controlled by the de facto Houthi authorities, and the port city of Aden. Houthi forces have surrounded Taizz since 2015, isolating the city and blocking access to all major roads connecting Taizz to the rest of the country, while government-backed forces control the city center. The humanitarian crisis in Taizz is particularly severe.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that “the severity of food and water needs is dangerously acute in Taizz.”

Houthi forces should ensure that all civilians can safely leave any area of potential danger and that any restrictions on freedom of movement are only temporary and for reasons of imperative military necessity, considering the ongoing truce, the groups said. The Houthis should ensure free and safe movement for all humanitarian personnel and facilitate the delivery of food, medical supplies, and other essential items and services to the civilians in the city and throughout the governorate.

There has been little progress on opening the roads, despite UN efforts. The UN announced a two-month truce, starting April 2, 2022, which included a provision for its special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to “invite the parties to a meeting to agree on opening roads in Taiz and other governorates to facilitate the movement of civilian men, women, and children.”

Following negotiations in Amman on July 3, the Office of the Special Envoy shared plans for a phased reopening of the roads in Taizz to help alleviate civilian suffering. But the Houthi authorities rejected the proposal, prompting rare criticism by the EU delegation to Yemen, who said that “the EU deeply regrets a rejection by the Houthis of the latest proposal.”

The Houthis have blocked access to the main roads leading northeast, toward the Hawban region, as well as the roads leading north and northwest, linking Taizz city with the rest of Yemen. A trip from Taizz city to the Hawban region would take approximately 10 or 15 minutes before 2015, but now takes 6 to 8 hours. To leave Taizz city, residents have been forced to take the mountainous, unpaved al-Aqrodh road, a more than 60-kilometer detour that circles far around the city. Al-Aqrodh is winding and narrow, with sharp switchbacks and numerous government and Houthi checkpoints.

One resident of Taizz city told the groups, “There are daily casualties and accidents because of the state of the road; it is full of suffering and losses every day.”

The main roads connecting Aden to Taizz are also closed by the Houthis, forcing civilians to take the notoriously treacherous Haigat Al-Abd road to Aden. “Some people call it the death road,” the resident of Taizz city told the groups. “It is full of holes and not in good condition, but the people do not have any substitute.” The Haigat al-Abd road is narrow and unpaved, twisting through steep mountainous terrain. These conditions make it incredibly difficult for large lorries, other trucks, and buses, which carry vital goods and passengers, to navigate the sharp bends and precipitous traverses without accidents.

Residents of rural areas of Taizz governorate have long traveled to Taizz city for essential health care, such as dialysis or chemotherapy. Prior to the Houthi forces’ siege of the city, these routes were manageable. Today, journeys that previously took one hour can now take up to eight hours, causing sick patients to suffer needlessly for hours on rugged mountain roads.

During the rainy season, the danger of these alternative mountain routes increases dramatically because the unpaved dirt roads easily flood and fill with debris.

The road closures severely inhibit the efficient movement of food, medicines, and other essential goods in and out of the governorate.

The Houthi authorities should immediately ensure sustainable and safe access for all Yemeni civilians through the main arteries leading to and from Taizz city, the groups said.

Diego Zorrilla, UN deputy humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, recently told AFP that “the situation in Taiz is particularly serious.” International agencies and humanitarian organizations have also had difficulty taking in food and medicine for the civilian population.

On July 26, hundreds of Yemenis took to the streets in Taizz to protest the Houthi authorities’ refusal to open the main roads.

On August 2, Grundberg, the UN special envoy, announced the second two-month renewal of the UN-mediated truce, promising to intensify his efforts to reach “an expanded truce agreement” that would provide for reaching an agreement on “the opening of roads in Taiz.”

Despite these efforts, progress on opening the roads remains elusive.

Human rights groups have documented Houthi forces restricting food and medical supplies for civilians in Taizz between December 2015 and January 2016. Houthi guards at checkpoints prevented civilians from bringing in essential items such as fruit, vegetables, cooking gas, vaccination doses, dialysis treatment packets, and oxygen cylinders, and unlawfully confiscated some of these items.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Yemen is a party, guarantees the right to freedom of movement. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also guarantees that “everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.” International humanitarian law requires parties to a conflict allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian assistance to civilians in need. They should allow civilians in besieged areas to leave and they must ensure the freedom of movement of authorized humanitarian relief personnel.

“The siege of Taizz has become nothing more than a card on the negotiating table. Civilians are paying a high cost to exercise their right of movement and access basic needs such as food, water and basic materials,” said Radhya Al-Mutwakel Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights. “The Ansar Allah armed group (Houthi) should immediately end undue restrictions on movement by opening major roads and allowing all Yemeni civilians to travel freely throughout their country.”

Signatories:

1 . Abductees’ Mothers Association

2 . Amnesty International

3 . Bridges for Yemen

4 . Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

5 . Campaign Against Arms Trade

6 . Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

7 . Human Rights Watch

8 . Musaala Organization for Human Rights

9 . Mwatana for Human Rights

10 . PAX for Peace

11 . Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

12 . SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties

13 . Sheba Youth Foundation

14 . Saferworld

15 . The Peace Track Initiative – https://www.peacetrackinitiative.org

16 . Watch for Human Rights

Source: Human Rights Watch

ADDIS ABABA— Fighting between forces from Ethiopia’s rebellious northern region of Tigray and central government forces has erupted around the town of Kobo, residents and both sides said, ending a months-long ceasefire.

The fighting is a major blow to hopes for peace talks between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that controls Tigray.

Each side blamed the other for the outbreak of fighting.

“At 5am today (the TPLF) has attacked on the Eastern Front; from Bisober, Zobel and Tekulshe direction … it has effectively broken the ceasefire,” the government’s communications service said in a statement.

A day earlier, as social media lit up with allegations of troops on the move, the military accused the Tigrayan forces of preparing to attack and cover their tracks by spreading fake news of military movements.

“It has become an open secret that they (the TPLF) are campaigning to incriminate our army,” said the statement, accusing the TPLF of mounting “pre-conflict propaganda”.

In turn, the military command of the Tigrayan forces accused the government of violating the ceasefire, saying in a statement it believed the attack near Kobo, to the south of Tigray, was a diversion and its forces expected a major attack from the west.

TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael, in his own statement to the international community, said, “The peace process is being set up to fail” and accused the government of trying to block investigations into war crimes, withhold key services and blockade the region.

Redwan Hussein, national security adviser to the prime minister, said the Ethiopian army had shot down a plane carrying weapons to Tigray which entered Ethiopian airspace from neighbouring Sudan. He did not share the location where the plane was shot down.

TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda in a tweet said the statement was “a blatant lie”. A Sudanese military spokesman was not reachable for comment.

The fighting in Africa’s second most populous nation has displaced millions of people, pushed parts of Tigray into famine and killed thousands of civilians.

War erupted in Tigray in November 2020 and spilled into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara a year ago. Last November, Tigrayan forces marched towards Addis Ababa, but were driven back by a government offensive that month.

A ceasefire was announced in March after both sides fought to a bloody stalemate and the government declared a humanitarian truce, allowing badly needed food aid into the region.

In June, Abiy’s government formed a committee to negotiate with the TPLF, and earlier this month the government said it wanted talks “with no preconditions”. Tigray’s government has called for the restoration of services to civilians before talks begin, a call echoed by diplomats.

Tigray has been without banking and communication services since the military pulled out at the end of June. Imports of fuel are restricted, limiting the distribution of aid.

On Wednesday, the United Nations said Tigrayan forces had seized 12 fuel tankers from a warehouse in Mekelle. The TPLF was not immediately available for comment.

Almost 90 per cent of people in the region need aid, the United Nations said, warning that rates of malnutrition had “skyrocketed” and the situation will worsen until October’s harvest.

On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for a ceasefire, peace talks, full humanitarian access and the reestablishment of public services in Tigray.

The US State Department called on the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to redouble efforts to advance talks for a durable ceasefire.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The Horn of Africa is Facing its Worst Drought in More than Four Decades

Communities in the Horn of Africa are facing the threat of starvation following four consecutive failed rainy seasons in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, a climatic event not seen in at least 40 years. The October-December 2020, March-May 2021, October-December 2021 and March-May 2022 seasons were all marred by below-average rainfall, leaving large swathes of Somalia, southern and south-eastern Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya facing the most prolonged drought in recent history. The March-May 2022 rainy season was the driest on record in the last 70 years—making the 2020-2022 surpass the horrific droughts in both 2010-2011 and 2016-2017 in duration and severity—and forecasts indicate that the October-December 2022 rainy season is also likely to fail.

An Unprecedented Emergency is Ravaging Drought-Affected Communities

Across the Horn of Africa, at least 36.1 million people have now been affected by the drought which began in October 2020, including 24.1 million in Ethiopia, 7.8 million in Somalia and 4.2 million in Kenya. This represents a significant increase from July 2022 (when an estimated 19.4 million people were affected), reflecting the impact of the drought in additional geographic areas of Ethiopia, as well as the rising needs in Somalia.

At least 20.5 million people are already waking each day to high levels of acute food insecurity and rising malnutrition across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, and this figure could increase to between 23 and 26 million by September 2022, according to the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG). In Somalia, 7.1 million people are now acutely food insecure—including over 213,000 people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5)—and eight areas of the country are at risk of famine between now and September 2022, with Bay and Bakool regions of particular concern. About 9.9 million people in Ethiopia and some 3.5 million people in Kenya are severely food insecure due to the drought.

Over 8.9 million livestock—which pastoralist families rely upon for sustenance and livelihoods—have died across the region, including 3.5 million in Ethiopia, 2.4 million in Kenya and over 3 million in Somalia, according to the latest FSNWG Drought Special Report. Consequently, children have less access to milk, negatively affecting their nutrition. Across the three countries, malnutrition rates are alarming: about 4.6 million children are acutely malnourished, including about 1.3 million who are severely acutely malnourished. In Ethiopia, nearly 2.2 million children under age 5 are acutely malnourished, including nearly 705,000 who are severely malnourished. In Kenya, about 942,500 children aged 6-59 months are affected by acute malnutrition and need treatment, including 229,000 severely malnourished, and in Somalia, an estimated 1.5 million children under age 5 face acute malnutrition, including 386,400 who are likely to be severely malnourished, according to IPC.

Food prices are spiking in many drought-affected areas, due to a combination of macro-economic challenges, below-average harvests and rising prices for food and fuel on international markets, including as a result of the war in Ukraine. In Somalia, staple food prices in drought-hit areas have surpassed the levels recorded during the 2017 drought and the 2011 famine, according to WFP’s price monitoring. In Ethiopia, the cost of the local food basket increased by more than 33 per cent between January and June 2022, according to WFP. Soaring prices are leaving families unable to afford even basic items and forcing them to sell their hard-earned properties and assets in exchange for food and other lifesaving items. There are also repercussions for food for refugee programmes, which are already impacted by reduced rations due to lack of funding support.

More than 16.2 million people cannot access enough water for drinking, cooking and cleaning across the Horn of Africa, including 8.2 million in Ethiopia, 3.9 million in Somalia and 4.1 million in Kenya, according to UNICEF. Many water points have dried up or diminished in quality, heightening the risk of water-borne diseases and increasing the risk of skin and eye infections as families are forced to ration their water use and prioritize drinking and cooking over hygiene. Existing water deficits have been exacerbated by very high temperatures, which are forecast to continue until at least September 2022. In some of the worst affected areas in Somalia, water prices have spiked by up to 72 per cent since November 2021. Women and girls are having to walk longer distances to access water—in many instances up to double or triple the distances they would have to walk during a regular dry season—exacerbating their potential exposure to gender-based violence and dehydration. Water shortages are also impacting infection prevention and control in health facilities and schools. In Ethiopia and Kenya, there are already reports of an increase in pregnant women being exposed to infections—the worst of which have resulted in death—following deliveries both at home and at health facilities due to the limited availability of water.

An Unprecedented Emergency Is Ravaging Drought-Affected Communities “My livestock perished from lack of water and pasture, and could not survive the harsh drought anymore. It is painful”

Zeinaba, speaking with a UN team in Ethiopia.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Source: Damascus, 20 August 2022 – The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Mr. Imran Riza, the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Mr. Muhannad Hadi and the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ms. Adele Khodr express their deep concern about the continuing escalation of hostilities in northern Syria.

The attack on 18 August in Al Hasakeh claimed the lives of four women and girls and injured 11. On 19 August, the attack on a market in Al Bab city reportedly killed 13 civilians, including four boys and one girl, and injured a further 38 people, including nine children.

These terrible tragedies once again show that civilians, many of them women and children, continue to suffer the effects of ongoing hostilities in parts of Syria. We urge all parties to take all feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians and abide by their obligations to protect civilians. The UN in Syria offers its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

The UN is committed to work with all stakeholders towards a peaceful and prosperous Syria, including advocating for a sustainable political solution for all Syrians. Ensuring the protection of civilians is paramount for a future where Syrians can rebuild their lives and live without fear of violence.

Source: UN Children’s Fund

GENEVA – I welcome the announcement by the Prime Minister of Singapore to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises consensual sexual conduct between men. This colonial era law has more broadly impacted and stigmatised the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people as a whole.

Everyone is entitled to the equal protection, respect and fulfilment of their human rights, including LGBTIQ+ people. Repealing Section 377A will help pave the way for constructive dialogue and greater understanding and acceptance of and safety for LGBTIQ+ individuals in Singapore.

With regard to the Government’s announced plans to amend the constitution to ensure the legal definition of marriage be limited to an act between a man and a woman, various UN human rights mechanisms have urged all States to legally recognize same-sex unions – whether by making marriage available to same sex couples or through other arrangements, such as civil partnerships – and have also called for the same benefits and protections for all. It is essential that the law protects the relationships of all consenting partners, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics.

I call on the Government to expedite the repeal process and take measures to protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, including enacting anti-discrimination legislation that covers discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.

Source: United Nations Human Rights

Cluster Overview

According to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) IPC Malawi Acute Food Insecurity analysis report of July, 2022, it is projected that 3.82 million people in Malawi are expected to be in IPC phase 3 (or worse) between November 2022 and March, 2023. The findings include vulnerable populations in both rural areas and urban areas of the 27 districts, excerpt Likoma and the 4 cities namely Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba. The vulnerable population will need food assistance during this period to meet their missing food entitlements. The worst affected districts are in the southern region. The Food Security Cluster therefore aims to address these food needs of the affected population.

Strategic Objectives

The Food Security Cluster lean season response for 2022-2023 has two strategic objectives:

Strategic Objective 1: To provide lifesaving food assistance to women, girls, men and boys of different age groups affected by food insecurity during the lean season period from November 2022 to March 2023. This would target those in IPC Phase 3 or worse.

Strategic Objective 2: To protect livelihoods assets of the food insecurity affected women, girls, men and boys of different ages.

Cluster Expected Results

i. Stabilized or improved food consumption over assistance period for targeted households

ii. Timely food assistance provided equitably to affected women, men, girls and boys in right quantities and quality in shock affected districts.

iii. Reduction in negative coping strategies by targeted beneficiaries

Response Design and Priorities

The response will be led and coordinated by the government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs with support from development partners and other humanitarian actors. Response period is 3 to 5 months from November 2021 to March 2023 with different response periods for different districts depending on severity of food insecurity.

Source: World Food Programme

Nigeria’s broadcasting regulator on Friday announced it will revoke the licenses of 52 media organizations over unpaid fees, in a move the country’s journalist union says is “ill advised.”

The head of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Balarabe Illelah, announced the decision Friday at a news conference in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Friday.

The affected stations owe the commission a combined $6.2 million (2.66 billion naira), the commission said.

In a press release, the NBC said it published a list of media companies owing license fees in May and gave the organizations a grace period to pay the debt and avoid having licenses revoked.

Those who had still not paid were ordered to shut down operations in the next 24 hours.

Included on the list are about 20 state government media outlets, including some belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC party.

Nigeria’s Union of Journalists described the move as “hasty” and “ill advised.”

In a statement, the union president, Chris Isiguzo said the broadcasting commission had failed to take account of the economic reality in Nigeria and noted that some unpaid fees dated back to 2015.

Isiguzo said that the union “regret[s] the inability” of broadcasters to pay their fees and cited “dwindling resources.”

But, he said, “We caution against such large-scale clampdown of broadcast stations in disregard to security issues and the attendant consequence. We cannot afford the unpleasant outcome of such media blackout at this time.

The heads of some of the affected stations requested more time to pay their dues, citing a tough economic climate.

The head of Jos-based Unity Radio and Television Stations, Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, said that although the broadcasting commission has financial reasons for taking such measures, he believes the action is too punitive during an economic downturn.

Shu’aibu Kere Ahmed, director of Zuma FM Radio, said the station was aware of the impending revocation and pleaded with the commission for more time, noting the high costs involved in running a media organization.

The broadcasting commission announcement comes a few weeks after the regulator fined four Nigerian stations in connection with their coverage of insecurity.

The commission fined Trust TV $11,726 (5 million naira) over a documentary on terrorism, which it said was provocative and contained misinformation.

The other outlets were fined the same amount after they aired a BBC documentary, Bandit Warlords of Zamfara.

In a press release shared on social media, the commission said the documentary “glorified” banditry and “undermines national security.”

The commission director, Illelah, on Friday said the demand that media organizations pay their debts is neither retaliatory nor political.

Failure to renew broadcast licenses violates Nigerian law, he said.

Nigeria ranks 129 out of 180 countries and regions on the World Press Freedom Index, where 1 has the best media conditions.

Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the list, notes that the country has a large number of media outlets but “very few are in good economic health.”

Source: Voice of America