Updates from Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Alain Tshibanda wrote on the X platform that the government had recalled its ambassadors to Kenya and Tanzania following revelations that an opposition party has been founded in Kenya by Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, one-time head of the National Electoral

Commission in DR Congo. The party is named Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and has a military. According to Jeuneafrique, Nangaa Yobeluo plans to unite with the M23 group to fight against the regime of President Félix Tshisekedi. The government of Kenya denies any association with the AFC. 

Somalia has officially become a member of the East African Community (EAC), becoming the eighth country to join EAC after Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. President Hassan Mohamud of Somalia said that membership in the EAC is a vote of

confidence in his country, and promises a future full of possibilities. Mohamud said his country is proud to participate in the development of the region. The East African Community aims at the economic and political development of its member states. It was founded in 1967, dissolved in 1977, and re-established in 2000.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the rapid spread of Mpox, also known as monkeypox, in DR Congo. WHO has also expressed concern that the outbreak could become international. 

According to news.un.org, from January 1, 2023, to mid-November 2023, DRC health authorities counted more than 13,000 cases of monkeypox, and more than 600 deaths. During the same

period, the monkeypox epidemic was reported in 22 of the 26 provinces of DR Congo. Research has confirmed that the disease can be sexually transmitted, which increases the rate of spread. 

In addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO has received reports showing that Mpox is also in Asia, especially in China, Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam. 

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