Overview: 1 June – 7 June 2019
In this week’s Top of the Blogs we take a look at the Democratic Republic Congo twice: once again, an overloaded boat capsized on Lake Mai Ndombe. And: DRC’s new president is now able to start taking care of the nation’s problems since the appointment of his new (but old-guard) prime minister. In Sudan, the African Union increases pressure to build a transitional government by suspending the country from the organisation. We conclude with the challenge of measuring air pollution in African cities.
DRC’s new president faces fresh challenges with old-guard premier
After four months, the Democratic Republic of Congo finally has a new prime minister: Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba. Ilunga finds himself in a tense situation between President Felix Tshisekedi's Party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, and former president Joseph Kabila’s Party for Reconciliation and Democracy. With the appointment of his prime minister, President Tshisekedi should set a political agenda to solve DRC’s problems, such as poverty and the Ebola outbreak in the north of the country.
Another capsized boat in Congolese waters
Another boat capsized on the Lake Mai Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It seems 30 of the 300 passengers lost their lives. The number of these fatal accidents in Congolese waters has been increasing due to overloaded boats in bad condition as well as non-compliance with safety standards. #AfricaBlogging’s Nsenga Kola sees a lack of transport alternatives for DRC’s population. Authorities have to act, he points out.
Sudan: a chance for the AU to refine support for countries in crisis
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) had excluded Sudan from the organization, until a civilian-led Transitional Authority is established. In April 2019, the military overthrew Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir after months of protests. Until today, Military Council and the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition negotiating on behalf of the protesters, have failed to build a transitional government. After the military took violent action against civilian protests, the African Union increased pressure by suspending Sudan. An inevitable step, as Adem Abebe says: the challenges in Sudan are a chance for the AU to prove itself in supporting African countries in crisis.
How bad air pollution is in Africa
Air pollution is a huge issue in African cities. However, the extent of the problem is not clear since the quality of the air is not even measured in most of the areas. According to a new UNICEF report published to mark World Environment Day at the beginning of June, only six percent of African children live within 50 kilometers of an air quality monitoring station. In her article Yomi Kazeem points out the dangers of the air pollution.