Category Archives: África

EU to train Mozambique army against IS-linked jihadists

Via: Africa News

The European Union formally established a military mission for Mozambique on Monday (12/07) to help train its armed forces battling IS-linked jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado Province. A deadly insurgency by militants linked to the Islamic State group has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since late 2017, claiming some 3,000 lives and displacing 800,000 people. Former colonial power Portugal is already providing training for Mozambican troops. Lisbon’s military instructors on the ground are expected to make up some half of the new EU mission, which will be headed by a Portuguese commander. “The aim of the mission is to train and support the Mozambican armed forces in protecting the civilian population and restoring safety and security in the Cabo Delgado province,” an EU statement said, without giving details on the overall size of the deployment.

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EU to train Mozambique army against IS-linked jihadists

DR Congo announces end of Ebola outbreak

Via: RFI

The Ebola outbreak, the DRC’s 12th since the disease was first identified in 1976, was rolled back thanks to a campaign to vaccinate hundreds of people, according to the new health minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani. The latest outbreak of the disease was first detected on 7 February in the eastern province of North Kivu, where a 22-month epidemic ended last June, leaving a death toll of 2,287, the worst in the DRC’s history. Mbungani urged the population to remain vigilant, and said surveillance teams will continue to work with the local health authorities to identify any further cases.

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Cape Town fire: Satellite images show the destruction caused by the blaze

Via: The South African

Satellite images from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-2 Earth observation mission add a new perspective to the widespread destruction caused by the Cape Town fire, which broke out on Sunday, 18 April and burned for three days. An area of approximately 622 hectares (6.22 square kilometres), which is represented by an ugly fire scar in the images, was destroyed by the Cape Town fire. The Cape Town fire was reportedly started by a vagrant near Table Mountain National Park and spread quickly. There was significant damage to buildings at the upper campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT) — where students were evacuated — and invaluable works housed in the special collections library were lost.

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