Across the 54 Countries in Africa, these are the 5 top stories you may have missed:
West Africa faces worsening food crisis: Experts
Experts have stated that most West African countries are facing a worsening food crisis in 2021 – Africa News reports
According to their findings, nearly 20 million people face a food crisis in West Africa and the Sahel region as the vast area is torn by conflicts and the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts also predict that the situation could worsen between June and August, with as many as 27 million people needing immediate food aid.
Congo: Police fire shots to disperse anti-U.N. protest
Congolese police shot live rounds on Thursday, 8th April, to disband protesters demanding the departure of the United Nations peacekeeping mission from the city of Beni – Reuters Africa reports
Hundreds of youths have been protesting since Monday, 4th April, over the alleged failure of the U.N. mission, known as MONUSCO, in preventing a wave of civilian killings by armed groups.
AU drops AstraZeneca vaccine plan
The African Union (AU) has discarded plans to acquire the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines from the Serum Institute of India because of supply concerns – BBC Africa reports
According to reports, The AU will instead, explore options with the US drugmaker, Johnson & Johnson.
John Nkengasong, The head of Africa’s Centres for Disease Control, said reliable supplies of vaccines were vital – and that Indian restrictions on exports had complicated things for Africa.
Kenya denies death reports from COVID-19 Vaccine
Kenya’s drug authority says no death has been recorded in Kenya from people who have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine – News Central Africa reports
Dr Peter Ikamati, The Pharmacy and Poisons Board’s deputy director added that a deceased health care worker, who had taken the vaccine, is believed to have had a miscarriage and died. He says all reported cases that have had an adverse event after immunisation are under investigation and none of them has resulted in fatal outcomes.
COVID-19: Africa nears 8 million Covid-19 vaccinations
As of April 8, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 4,299,710 while over 7,938,436 vaccinations have been administered across the continent – All Africa reports
Reported deaths in Africa reached 114,586 and 3,866,990 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases – 1,553,609 – and 53,111 people died. Other most-affected countries are Morocco ( 499,688 ), Tunisia ( 264,994 ), Ethiopia ( 221,544 ), Egypt ( 207,293 ) and Libya ( 165,287 ).
