Embattled Liberian House Speaker Set To Step Down
A group of lawmakers calling themselves the Rule of Law Caucus, which aligns with embattled Speaker Fonati Koffa, has announced that the Speaker will tender his resignation on Monday, May 12, a move intended to bring closure to the longstanding legislative dispute. The group said in a statement that the resignation is in response to what it describes as the continuous defiance of the rule of law by the Executive, “despite a Supreme Court ruling and its reaffirmation”. The caucus also cited the recent loss of a “significant number” of lawmakers who previously supported Koffa and are now no longer willing to sit under his gavel.
Kagame Weighs in On U.S., Qatar-Mediated Peace Efforts On DRC
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has described mediation efforts by Qatar and the United States to end the conflict in eastern DR Congo as an “acknowledged necessity,” while urging countries in the region to also play active roles in finding solution to African problems. The Rwandan President was speaking during a panel discussion at the opening of the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan on Monday, May 12. Kagame said there are several efforts ongoing to end the fighting. Under the Qatar deal, Kinshasa recently began talks with rebels groups which President Felix Tshisekedi previously branded as terrorists.
First Group of White South Africans Granted US Refugee Status Departs
The first group of white South Africans granted refugee status under a program launched by former U.S. President Donald Trump departed Johannesburg aboard a U.S.-funded charter flight carrying 49 passengers. Afrikaners, a white minority descended mainly from Dutch, German, and French settlers, were central to the apartheid regime but remain among the wealthiest and most privileged groups in South Africa. Trump signed an executive order in early February that offers resettlement to “Afrikaner refugees” who face “government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation,” referencing South Africa’s land reform laws aimed at addressing apartheid-era inequalities.
UK to End Care Worker Visa Route, Tightening Immigration Rules
The United Kingdom announced plans to abolish the care worker visa route, a move expected to affect thousands of people seeking employment in the UK’s health and social care sector. The government also introduced stricter deportation rules for foreign criminals. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the visa pathway, heavily used by migrants, would be phased out as part of efforts to curb overall migration. The decision aimed to end what she called a “failed free market experiment” in overseas recruitment. The changes would cut annual arrivals by around 50,000, though she declined to set a specific target for net migration. The government also plans to limit skilled worker visas to graduate-level roles and restrict access to non-graduate visas to strictly time-limited positions linked to industrial needs.
Africans Less Likely to Fault Rich Nations for Climate Change, Study Reveals
A major opinion survey conducted across 39 African countries between 2021 and 2023 revealed that many Africans placed primary responsibility for climate action on their national governments, despite the continent’s minimal contribution to global emissions. The survey was published this week in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. According to the study, 45% of those aware of climate change thought their own governments should lead efforts, while 13% said wealthy countries should lead efforts, and 8% said businesses should lead. The view was strongest in West Africa, with Nigeria, Liberia, and Niger showing particularly high expectations for government action. Around 30% of those surveyed said that ordinary people in their own countries should carry the most responsibility for responding to climate change. This view was most common in Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and Zambia.
DR Congo Floods Kill Over 100
Heavy overnight floods in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed over 100 people and destroyed several villages, local officials reported. Children and the elderly were the most affected. The floodwaters caused extensive damage, while rescue efforts were hampered by disrupted communication lines and limited services, with the Red Cross being the only aid organization present. Such natural disasters are frequent in DR Congo, particularly on the shores of the Great Lakes in the east of the country, as the surrounding hills are weakened by deforestation. In 2023, floods killed 400 people in several communities located on the shores of Lake Kivu, in South Kivu province, while last month, 33 people were killed in flooding in the capital, Kinshasa. Natural disasters like this are common in the region due to deforestation and unstable terrain, with similar floods in 2023 killing 400 people. Meanwhile, the country continued to face armed conflict, including a deadly January offensive in Goma by the M23 rebel group that killed nearly 3,000 people and deepened the displacement crisis affecting over seven million people.
UN Warns of Record Hunger Crisis in West and Central Africa
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that millions of people in West and Central Africa were facing record levels of hunger as conflict, displacement, economic hardship, and repeated extreme weather pushed the region toward a major crisis. From June to August, more than 36 million people struggled to meet their basic food needs, and that number is expected to rise to over 52 million. This included nearly three million people facing emergency conditions and 2,600 in Mali at risk of catastrophic hunger. Margot van der Velden, Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said that without immediate funding, WFP would be forced to further scale down both the number of people it reached and the size of food rations distributed. WFP attributed the deepening hunger crisis in part to ongoing conflict, which had displaced more than 10 million vulnerable people across the region, including over two million refugees and asylum seekers in Chad, Cameroon, Mauritania, and Niger. Nearly eight million more were internally displaced, primarily in Nigeria and Cameroon.
