Author: Maryam Sulaiman

Efforts to contain the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak are being hindered by growing resistance from local communities, according to health officials. Healthcare teams face ongoing obstacles as attacks on medical personnel and emergency vehicles increase. Dr. Thierno Baldé, an incident manager for the World Health Organization, highlighted a recent assault on an ambulance in Bunia, pointing out that these disruptions pose a constant risk to medical operations. “Almost on a daily basis,” Baldé said, health workers face reactions from communities struggling to cope with the disease and its consequences. With the death toll topping 2,300, the current…

In one of the largest arrangements to stem from the Trump administration’s foreign deportation policies, Liberia has agreed to take in up to 1,200 individuals deported from the United States over the next year. Speaking to reporters in Monrovia on Tuesday, Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah announced that the transfers will take place across a 12-month period, with an initial group of 20 people scheduled to land on Thursday. “Those to be transferred from the United States of America to Liberia will include citizens or nationals of African and Western hemisphere countries who are medically authorized to travel,” Piah added.…

Five-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo reached a historic milestone on Tuesday, becoming the very first Black African artist to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 66-year-old Beninese singer celebrated the momentous occasion during a star-studded ceremony along the iconic boulevard, surrounded by palm trees, film stars, and prominent figures from the music industry. “We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world,” Kidjo stated during the ceremony. “Without us, there’s no music possible on this planet.” Following her speeches thanking her family and professional team, she broke into song, captivating the gathered audience. Kidjo’s…

At least 28 individuals, including Imam Aliyu, the Chief Imam of Ungushi Izala Jumu’at Mosque, lost their lives when heavily armed bandits launched a devastating attack on the Ungushi community in Sokoto State’s Kebbe Local Government Area on Monday evening. The assault comes amid heightened anxiety in Kebbe, where local populations have faced persistent threats from armed factions suspected of ties to the Lakurawa terrorist organization. Addressing the incident, DSP Ahmed Rufai, spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, explained that establishing an exact casualty count remains difficult, though recovery efforts yielded dozens of bodies. He, however, said no fewer…

Authorities in South Sudan are ramping up Ebola monitoring strategies along the nation’s boundary with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where high volumes of border traffic and informal crossing paths present significant containment hurdles. Local officials and United Nations representatives emphasize that early preparation and tight coordination are essential to keeping the virus out of the country. A senior United Nations delegation recently traveled to Western Equatoria State to review Ebola readiness protocols and reinforce joint efforts with local authorities concerning public health, relief distribution, and peace initiatives. At the Nabiapai border post connecting to the Democratic Republic of Congo,…

Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, issued an urgent warning on Monday calling for a massive scale-up to contain the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record. The rapid spread of the virus across eastern Congo is outstripping local health authorities’ capacity to manage the crisis. Trish Newport, an MSF emergency coordinator, detailed the immense challenge facing aid workers on the ground. “We should be able to circumscribe the outbreak to go and do preventative activities all around where the outbreak has not yet started. So that zones, health zones, health areas, the Ministry of Health is ready to be able…

Nineteen people were killed in Russia and Ukraine following intense waves of drone and missile strikes targeting civilian infrastructure on both sides of the border, according to official statements released Sunday. With front-line ground combat largely stalled and diplomatic negotiations frozen, both nations have dramatically increased long-range bombardment deep behind enemy lines. This shift has pushed civilian casualties to their highest numbers since the initial months of the invasion in 2022. In southern Russia’s Rostov region, five people died in a residential district during heavy drone attacks, regional governor Yuri Slusar reported. Four additional deaths were recorded across the Belgorod,…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has directed 71 banks and financial institutions to place post-no-debit restrictions on accounts used to store funds from an alleged N1.34 billion fraudulent transfer originating from Access Bank’s internet banking platform, the Access SME App. Justice Akintayo Aluko issued the order on Monday following an ex parte application presented by Ifeoma E. Enyinnaya, legal counsel to Access Bank. The application requested debit restrictions on target accounts and the watchlisting of Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) associated with the recipients of the unauthorized funds. According to court filings submitted on August 13, Access Bank detected…

Two United Nations agencies warned on Friday that hundreds of thousands of refugees in South Sudan are at risk of losing much needed humanitarian assistance due to a lack of funding. WFP (World Food Programme) and the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said in a joint statement that more than 650,000 refugees who fled from neighboring countries are likely to be cut out from aid. “Without immediate funding, assistance for more than 650,000 refugees will be reduced, putting lives and futures at risk. This could mean fewer food rations, reduced nutrition support for children and mothers,” said Adham Effendi, WFP…

Efforts to stop an Ebola outbreak in Mongbwalu, a gold-mining town in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are being severely hampered by a critical lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities. Local residents are finding it difficult to follow basic hygiene practices while attempting to guard against the fatal virus. Residents spend each morning walking several kilometers carrying plastic containers to retrieve water from a natural spring nearby. Public water taps are too expensive for most households, and the area’s groundwater frequently suffers from contamination caused by mine runoff. “Three water jugs cost 1,000…