Rwanda Receives First Migrants Deported From the U.S.
Seven migrants deported from the United States arrived in Rwanda in mid-August. This marked the first group under a deal made with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The agreement is expected to relocate 250 migrants to Rwanda. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the group had been vetted in Rwanda in mid-August. She gave no details about their nationalities, only explaining that four of them would remain in Rwanda, with three opting to return to their home countries. Rights groups warned that the deportations might violate international law if people are sent to countries where they risk torture or other abuses. Trump has focused on a sweeping mass deportation scheme to remove undocumented migrants from the U.S. since starting his second term in January. So far, at least a dozen nations have agreed to accept deported migrants from other countries. The country had also signed a controversial asylum deal with the UK in 2022 to accept asylum seekers, which was later canceled.
Top Equatorial Guinean Official Convicted in High-Profile Embezzlement Case
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and the former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, received an eight-year prison sentence for embezzlement. He diverted state funds for his personal use. Known as “Bello” for his good looks, Engonga made news last year when leaked sex tapes showed him with multiple women, many connected to powerful families. This scandal broke while he was in detention over secret accounts in the Cayman Islands. He was convicted along with five other officials who falsely claimed travel allowances between $9,000 and $220,000. His arrest and subsequent public humiliation were seen as a move to eliminate any chance of him succeeding his uncle, the world’s longest-serving president. Engonga used to investigate crimes such as money laundering, but found himself at the infamous Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo, after being accused of corruption.
UN Warns of ‘Worsening Crisis’ in Sudan as Malnutrition and Cholera Spread
The United Nations urged more international support for Sudan as conflict, growing malnutrition, and a cholera outbreak worsened one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Edem Wosornu, OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, said during a briefing in New York that over 30 million Sudanese need aid, with 680,000 facing severe food insecurity. On a recent trip to Sudan and Chad, she described El Fasher as being under siege for 500 days and struggling with cholera, while aid convoys from WFP, UNICEF, and WHO remained stuck in Nyala. Other cities, like Kadugli and El Obeid, were also besieged, although UNICEF recently managed to deliver aid to many people in Kadugli. Once the Horn of Africa’s “breadbasket,” Sudan has seen homes, hospitals, and schools destroyed, leaving Khartoum a ghost town. In Chad, Wosornu commended the authorities for keeping the Adre border open, allowing aid to reach Darfur despite long and complicated supply routes. She urged the global community to improve aid access, increase funding by about 55 cents per person per day, and push the warring parties for peace, stressing that recovery needs will last long after the fighting ends.
Nigerian Government Raises Alarm Over ‘Triple Burden’ of Malnutrition
The federal government sounded the alarm over Nigeria’s “triple burden” of malnutrition, undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, at the Nigeria Health Watch Roundtable in Abuja. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director of Nutrition, and Daju Kachollom, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, warned that diets low in nutrients, mainly consisting of staples like maize, cassava, and rice, contribute to stunting in 40% of children under five. There were high rates of wasting, underweight, and widespread deficiencies in vitamin A, zinc, and iron. She said adolescent girls and pregnant women also face dangerously high levels of vitamin A and iron deficiency, threatening maternal and newborn health.
Mauritius-UK Chagos Deal Criticized for Failing to Restore Chagossians’ Rights
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago has been described as a “victory for international law, postcolonial justice, and above all, for the Chagossian people,” but it does not deliver real justice for the people. Over 50 years ago, the UK and US forcibly displaced the entire Chagossian population to establish a military base on Diego Garcia, an act described as a colonial crime against humanity. The new treaty, which recognises Mauritius’s sovereignty over the islands, looks unlikely to end this crime. Some Chagossians have welcomed the treaty, seeing it as a key step in their decades-long struggle to return to their homeland. Its preamble refers to “wrongs of the past” and both governments pledge to support “the welfare of all Chagossians”. The text of the treaty suggests that Chagossians could return to all islands in the archipelago, except for Diego Garcia, the largest island and many people. Critics argue that South Africa, Caribbean nations, and other global anti-colonial voices must advocate at the UN General Assembly to uphold the Chagossians’ right to return, receive reparations, and gain recognition.
