Category: English

Download logo

African leaders have called on Monday for an urgent review of U.S. tariffs on African exports, urging a shift towards transformative partnerships and investment in Africa’s economic potential.

Addressing more than 2,000 government and business leaders, and other delegates at the U.S.-Africa business summit in the capital Luanda, Angolan President João Lourenço said: “It is time to replace the logic of aid with the logic of investment and trade.”

He urged U.S. companies to diversify beyond traditional oil and mineral extraction and invest in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding, tourism, cement production, and steel production.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, added, “We’re not seeking aid, but building co-created solutions.” He called for the removal of punitive tariffs and visa restrictions, noting that Africa’s 1.3 billion people and abundant resources remain among the world’s most significant untapped economic opportunities.

“This should not just be a summit, but a call to action. Together, let’s walk the pathways to prosperity—with unity, purpose, and Agenda 2063 as our guide,” he told the summit.

In his remarks, African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said, “We should review the high tariffs on African countries. What is needed is more trade between Africa and the U.S., not less.”

African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretary General Wamkele Mene reinforced Africa’s integration agenda, highlighting the importance of open regional markets. “The undertaking of the AfCFTA is an ambitious one—It has to be ambitious,” Mene said. He emphasized that the success of AfCFTA is essential to scale investment, reduce fragmentation, and accelerate industrial development across the continent.

From rhetoric to action: Building real partnerships

The central message was clear: the era of aid dependency is over, and the time for transformative investment partnerships has arrived. The leaders called for bold, strategic investments to unlock Africa’s trillion-dollar potential.

Responding to the call for deeper engagement, U.S. officials acknowledged Africa’s growing economic importance and the need to reset perceptions. Senior State Department Bureau Official Troy Fitrell said, “There are business leaders in the U.S. who need to understand the opportunities that lie in doing business with Africa. Our mission going forward will be to find them—and bring them in.”

The U.S.-Africa Business Summit promotes economic cooperation and investment between the United States and Africa with a focus on fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth. By bringing together leaders from government, business, and civil society, the summit provides a platform to discuss key issues and opportunities in the U.S.–Africa relations, ultimately driving growth and development on both sides.

Adesina pointed to the Lobito corridor as a concrete example of strategic investment already underway.

“That is why the African Development Bank is a key strategic partner with the U.S., Angola, and Zambia on the development of the Lobito corridor,” he said. This critical corridor will link the vast areas of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the port of Angola, improving mineral supplies, unlocking agricultural potential, and creating jobs.

The African Development Fund, the soft loan arm of the Bank Group, will be providing $500 million in support of the development of the Lobito Corridor. Additionally, the African Development Bank will provide $1 billion over five years for complementary investments around the corridor, including agricultural value chains, roads, and energy infrastructure.

Act on the data, not perceptions

The Bank President went further: “As we build transport corridors, let us also build strategic partnership corridors. Strategic partnerships that prioritize capital investments in infrastructure, agriculture, minerals industrialization, and development of digital infrastructure, as well as capital markets.”

He charged U.S. investors: “Act on the data, not perceptions. Think Africa. Think opportunities. Think competition. From the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, as well as institutional investors and capital allocations, invest in Africa. Let’s make America and Africa great again.”

Corporate Council on Africa President Florie Liser challenged summit delegates to embrace true partnership: “Beyond deals, let’s strive for lasting transformation.” As part of the opening ceremony of the Summit, the Corporate Council on Africa honored Dr. Adesina with its Distinguished Economic Leadership Award, recognizing his significant contributions to Africa’s transformation.

Council Deputy Chairman, Mr. Jean Raymond Boulle, conferred the award, describing how the African Development Bank has impacted millions of Africans under Adesina’s leadership, while transforming the Bank to a world-class institution and a partner of choice.

Akinwumi Adesina, who will complete his second and final five-year term as President of the African Development Bank Group on 31 August, has led for the past decade transformative projects across Africa under the Bank’s five strategic priorities, the “High 5s”. They have positively impacted the lives of more than 565 million people on the continent.

Speaking at a high-level event hosted by Africa50, a pioneering infrastructure investment platform dedicated to accelerating project development and delivery across Africa, Adesina emphasized the urgent need to scale local financing solutions—especially in local currencies—to mitigate forex volatility, reduce risk mismatches, and enhance the bankability and stability of infrastructure projects for global investors.

The event, titled “Unlocking Capital for Africa’s Infrastructure through Innovative Finance,” featured a high-level panel discussion on asset recycling, moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest, with insights from Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50; Brook Taye, Director General of Ethiopia Investment Holdings; and Armando Manuel, Chairman of Fundo Soberano de Angola.

Together, they explored how innovative models, such as asset recycling, can unlock capital and accelerate infrastructure development across Africa.

Alain Ebobissé stated that the asset recycling model has been successfully implemented in many countries worldwide.

“In implementing this initiative in Africa, we are pursuing three objectives. First, monetizing assets—ensuring that, instead of owning only a bridge, you receive cash that you can reinvest in your assets. Second, improving the efficiency of the asset by bringing in first-class operators to help us manage those assets. Third, and most importantly, we aim to bring pension funds and other investors interested in cash flow-generating assets to finance these projects,” Ebobissé explained.

Adesina said over the past decade, the African Development Bank Group has invested over $55 billion in infrastructure, including regional projects, making the Bank the largest financier of infrastructure in Africa.

The African Development Bank established Africa50 as a private equity infrastructure platform, comprising a project development company and a project finance company, to support the development of infrastructure with market-rate returns.

Africa’s missing share of a $2.9 trillion opportunity

The Bank President informed the audience that, in the past eight years since its establishment, Africa50 has invested in a portfolio of infrastructure projects worth over $8 billion.

“But more is needed, especially from private sector investors,” stated Adesina. “Africa should be well positioned to attract some of the $2.9 trillion global green bonds. However, the continent represents less than 1% of global green bond issuance. Because most of Africa’s infrastructure is yet to be built, this represents a huge opportunity for green bond issuances to build green infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, and build climate resilience.”

The African Development Bank launched the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA) to mobilize $500 million for project preparation and development, as well as $10 billion for green infrastructure investments. Africa50 is the General Partner for the AGIA-Project Development Fund, with several Limited Partners, including the G7 countries.

To mitigate risks at scale across Africa, the African Development Bank is establishing the Africa Risk Mitigation Agency, which will consolidate all banks’ guarantee instruments into a single entity. The entity will support guarantees for equity risk, climate risk, refinancing risk, and political risk.

He emphasized that Africa50 is also pioneering asset recycling, enabling governments to recover their investment in infrastructure by transferring brownfield assets to the private sector. This can help to reduce debt burdens and provide liquidity for governments.

“The Senegambia bridge, which the African Development Bank financed with $104 million, was the first to be used for the asset recycling program. It worked successfully, as Gambia received $104 million it spent back through Africa50,” he added. “Following this, several asset recycling initiatives are being proposed for many infrastructure projects financed for governments by the African Development Bank Group.”

The renewed momentum for U.S.-Africa business partnerships received strong political backing, with the participation of seven Heads of State, several Prime Ministers, and leaders of key regional organizations.

Attending dignitaries included Presidents Denis Sassou Nguesso (Republic of the Congo), Faustin-Archange Touadéra (Central African Republic), Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Taye Aske Selassie (Ethiopia), Duma Gideon Boko (Botswana), Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (Namibia), and Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema (Gabon); Prime Ministers Gervais Ndirakobuca (Burundi), Robert Beugré Mambé (Côte d’Ivoire), Russell Mmiso Dlamini (Eswatini), Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua (Equatorial Guinea), Christian Louis Ntsay (Madagascar), and Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Justina Majara (Lesotho); as well as Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo, Chairperson of the Economic Community of Central African States, and Elias M. Magosi, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contact:
Emeka Anuforo
Communication and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany together with First Ladies of Africa who are also their Ambassadors, Ministries of Health, Education, Communication & Gender, mark ‘International Women’s Day 2025’, through their impactful development programs, continuing their 13-year legacy of empowering women and girls. 

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of the Most Influential African Women for Six Consecutive Years (2019 – 2024) expressed, “Happy International Women’s Day to all the remarkable women and girls around the world!  

Empowering girls and women is at the core of all our initiatives and programs at Merck Foundation. I recognize the immense potential of women to thrive, succeed and excel in any domain they choose, yet they often lack the conducive environment to fully realize their capabilities, especially in underserved communities.  

Therefore, together with our Ambassadors, The First Ladies of Africa, we mark International Women’s Day every day since the last 13 years through our development programs and initiatives such as ‘More Than a Mother’, ‘Merck Foundation Capacity Advancement’, ‘Educating Linda’, and ‘STEM Program’.” 

“Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile and childless women through access to information, education and change of mindset.  

“I am thrilled to share that out of the 2,282 scholarships awarded across 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties, 1063 scholarships, that is nearly 50% have been granted to female medical graduates, empowering them to become future healthcare experts and leaders. 

I am especially proud that we have awarded over 716 scholarships to young doctors, dedicated to advancing women’s health by strengthening reproductive, sexual health, and fertility care capacity.” 

Merck Foundation CEO strongly believes that Education is one of the most critical areas of women empowerment.  

“I am happy to share that through our “Educating Linda” Program, together with my dear sisters, our Ambassadors, we are supporting the education by providing over 950 scholarships for high performance and underprivileged African schoolgirls, empowering them to complete their studies and reach their full potential and also providing essential school items for thousands of schoolgirls in many African countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, The Gambia, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cabo Verde and more. 

Moreover, we have benefitted thousands of girls through our awareness campaign through many initiates like the release of inspiring songs, children’s storybooks, animation films, TV Program and awards for best media, song, film & fashion designs, all aimed at promoting girl education today for women’s empowerment tomorrow”, emphasized Senator Rasha Kelej. 

Merck Foundation also actively empowers women in Science and Technology through its STEM Program and the annual Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit (MARS) Awards that recognize and celebrate the Best African Women Researchers and Best Young African Researchers, fostering research excellence.  

“Our goal is to empower women and young African researchers, enhance their research capacity, and promote their contributions to STEM,” emphasized Dr. Kelej.  

Watch the Episodes of “Our Africa by Merck Foundation” TV program on Supporting Girl Education:  

Episode 2: https://apo-opa.co/3TJnIlf

Episode 11: https://apo-opa.co/3T5CQcE

Episode 14: https://apo-opa.co/4kUtgFA

Listen to Merck Foundation song about Supporting Girl Education here:  

1. Watch, share & subscribe to the “Girl Can” song here, sung by two famous singers, Irene and Cwezi from Liberia and Ghana respectively: https://apo-opa.co/407Ntj9

2. Watch, share & subscribe the “Like Them” song here, sung by Kenneth, a famous singer from Uganda: https://apo-opa.co/4kV21e5

3. Watch, share & subscribe “Take me to School” song here, sung by Wezi, Afro-soul singer from Zambia, to support girls’ education: https://apo-opa.co/3ZGPClx

4. Watch share & subscribe “Tu Podes Sim” Portuguese song, which means “Yes, You Can” in English by Blaze and Tamyris Moiane, singers from Mozambique in English here: https://apo-opa.co/4lhKJaL 

5. Watch, share & subscribe “Brighter day” song by Sean K and Cwesi Oteng from Namibia and Ghana respectively: https://apo-opa.co/3HWDu9W

Watch the Merck Foundation Animation Films to Support Girl Education : 

Ride into to Future: https://apo-opa.co/4lhKTin

Jackeline’s Rescue: https://apo-opa.co/3ZKEFzv

Read the Merck Foundation storybook addressing the importance of Girl Education: 

1. To read Educating Linda Storybook, pls visit: https://apo-opa.co/44lkNEv

2. To read Jackline’s Rescue Storybook, pls visit: https://apo-opa.co/4nhP6Ve

3. To read Ride into the Future Storybook, pls visit: https://apo-opa.co/4k3zAJO

4. To read Not Who You Are Storybook, pls visit: https://apo-opa.co/4k3zFNC

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.

Contact:
Mehak Handa
Community Awareness Program Manager
+91 9310087613
+91 9319606669
mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com

Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard!
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/40mEwlR
X: https://apo-opa.co/4ngMjLO
YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/4lkw0Mb
Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/3HVBxui
Threads: https://apo-opa.co/4k8LPF5
Flickr: https://apo-opa.co/3FU9QSe
Website: www.Merck-Foundation.com

About Merck Foundation:  
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.  Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/40mEwlR), X (https://apo-opa.co/4ngMjLO), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3HVBxui), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4lkw0Mb), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/4k8LPF5) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/3FU9QSe). 

The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors. 

Download logo

To address gaps in sexual and reproductive healthcare access, widened by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing humanitarian crises, Ethiopia is reinforcing its health system, making these vital services more accessible for women and adolescents in remote and crisis-affected areas.

A key part of this effort is promoting self-care, by giving people the knowledge and tools to manage their own sexual and reproductive health through safe, simple and affordable practices for family planning, HIV prevention, cervical cancer prevention, nutrition, and maternal, adolescent and youth health. Practical examples range from access to contraceptives, pregnancy tests, and HIV self-test kits, all supported by educational guidance. This also includes self-management of medical abortion in line with national legislation, which permits the procedure under certain conditions.  

With support from World Health Organization (WHO), health authorities have developed the National Self-Care Intervention Guideline, focusing on interventions for women, adolescent and child health. They have also integrated self-care and expanded sexual and reproductive health services into key national policy guidelines, including those related to family planning, safe abortion care, teenage pregnancy reduction, and sexual and reproductive health responses in humanitarian settings.

Across the country, health workers are being trained to teach people how to promote these self-care tools. This started with a workshop for 38 public health officials from the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus and other institutions in June 2024. The initiative was then expanded to the sub-national level, equipping 67 health providers and managers with skills, in October 2024.  

“The recommendations and action plan we developed will help us integrate self-care into our existing health services effectively,” said Daniel Nadew, Maternal Child Health desk team lead from Addis Ababa City Health Bureau.

Following the scaling up self-care training, at Kolfe Health Centre in Addis Ababa, one of the pilot facilities, the introduction of self-care services contributed to a significant increase in access to services. In 2024, as part of the family planning service delivery, more than 800 women received over-the-counter combined oral contraceptives, compared with 280 in 2022.

Additionally, 84 women were trained to self-administer a safe and effective injectable contraceptive, known as DMPA, and more than 1000 adolescents were provided condoms after training on correct use.

Moreover, 50 women received self-management of medical abortion services, which included comprehensive training on how and when to use the medication, the correct dose, side effects, possible complications, and guidance on when to get medical help.

“The self-care training has significantly improved my knowledge and skills in providing comprehensive family planning and abortion care. The practical sessions were particularly helpful, and I feel more confident in my ability to support women in my community,” said Fatima Belay*, a health worker from Addis Ababa.

Belay * also highlighted the benefits of self-administered injectable contraceptives: “I appreciate the ease and convenience of the self-administering contraceptive, which I am able to use at home, at my usual workplace, or wherever I am.”

Amid the humanitarian crises in the northern region of Amhara, WHO and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute trained 30 healthcare providers from 13 health facilities in conflict-affected districts on self-care intervention guidelines.

Following the training, nine facilities provided onsite selfcare orientation for their staff which resulted in over 100 women and adolescents being educated on selfcare for family planning, antenatal care, pregnancy danger signs, nutrition, and safe abortion.  

Gish Abay Health Centre empowered 120 adolescents with skills for correct condom use and provided safe abortion care for 35 adolescent girls. Tilili Health Centre broadened the scope of self-care to include HIV self-testing, breast self-examination, pregnancy self-testing, and condom and emergency contraceptive use.

“These interventions significantly benefited the community and contributed to the efforts towards reducing preventable maternal and perinatal deaths. It will enable us to reach every mother, newborn, child, and adolescent in our community who are critically in need of health services,” said Nadew.

“Ethiopia’s commitment for self-care integration is empowering individuals, especially women and adolescents, with the knowledge and tools for proactive health management, offering considerable community convenience and cost savings,” said Dr Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative in Ethiopia. “WHO is proud to support this effort, which significantly improves health outcomes by expanding access to critical sexual and reproductive health services, particularly crucial in conflict-affected areas.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Ethiopia.

Download logo

An armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) has ramped up abductions of children in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, Human Rights Watch said today. Most of the abducted children are being used for transporting looted goods, forced labor, forced marriages, and taking part in the fighting.

National civil society groups and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report that such kidnappings are on the rise. While the armed group, locally known as Al-Shabab, released some of the children they abducted earlier this year, a number of children remain missing; those who have returned to their communities struggle with reintegration. 

“The surge in abductions of children in Cabo Delgado adds to the horrors of Mozambique’s conflict,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Al-Shabab needs to spare children from the conflict and immediately release those who have been abducted.”

In May and June 2025, Human Rights Watch interviewed nine people in Mozambique, including residents of Cabo Delgado, journalists, civil society activists, and a UN official, all of whom expressed concern about the resurgence of kidnappings. “In recent days, 120 or more children have been abducted,” said Abudo Gafuro, executive director at Kwendeleya, a national organization that monitors attacks and provides support to victims. 

On January 23, 2025, Al-Shabab attacked the village of Mumu, in Mocímboa da Praia district, and abducted four girls and three boys. During Al-Shabab’s subsequent retreat, two children were released, but five remain missing. In March, the armed group abducted six children in Chibau to carry looted goods; four were released the following day. On May 3, Al-Shabab abducted a girl in the village of Ntotwe, Mocímboa da Praia district; on May 11, they kidnapped six girls and two boys near Magaia village in Muidumbe district. 

When Al-Shabab fighters “enter or attack certain areas, they tend to abduct children,” said Augusta Iaquite, coordinator at the Association of Women in Legal Careers in Cabo Delgado. “They take them to train them and later turn them into their own fighters.” 

When children who have been abducted return to the community, there are few resources to help them reintegrate, Human Rights Watch said. “The country needs a clear strategy on what to do when a child, especially one that has been rescued, returns,” said Benilde Nhalivilo, executive director at the Civil Society Forum for Children’s Rights. 

Civil society organizations have called on Mozambique’s government to fulfill the country’s obligations under domestic and international law to protect the nation’s children. 

Mozambique’s Constitution and the 2008 Law for the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights enshrine the state’s duty to protect children from all forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse. Additionally, Mozambique is a party to various international and regional instruments that guarantee children’s rights, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Both explicitly prohibit the abduction, recruitment, and exploitation of children. The UN Optional Protocol to the Child Rights Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict, ratified by Mozambique in 2004, prohibits non-state armed groups from recruiting or using children under 18. 

Under customary international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, children are entitled to special respect and protection, and recruiting or using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities is a war crime. 

Mozambican authorities should seek to prevent further abductions, investigate existing cases and fairly prosecute those responsible, and ensure proper support for victims, Human Rights Watch said. Rescued children need medical care, psychosocial assistance, and reintegration mechanisms that provide for their protection and well-being.

“Mozambique’s government needs to take concrete actions to safeguard children and prevent armed groups from using them as tools of conflict,” Budoo-Scholtz said. “There is a need to ensure that there are robust reintegration measures so that the children are not further ostracized when they come back to the community.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Download logo

Eritrean nationals in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, the United States, Russian Federation, South Sudan, Austria, and Finland have commemorated Martyrs Day with pride.

Eritrean communities in the Swiss cities of Geneva, Lausanne, Valais, Bern, Zurich, Chur, St. Gallen, Solothurn, Basel, Zug, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, and Ticino; Abu Dhabi and its environs in the UAE; Gothenburg, Sweden; Ohio, USA; Moscow, Russian Federation; Vienna, Austria; Aweil and Wau, South Sudan; as well as the Finnish cities of Helsinki, Jyvaskyla, Lahti, and Oulu commemorated Martyrs Day with patriotic zeal. Participants pledged to strengthen their engagement in supporting the Martyrs Trust Fund and the families of martyrs.

Nationals in Aweil, South Sudan, assumed responsibility for supporting 130 families of martyrs and contributed 3,500 US dollars. Nationals in Abu Dhabi and its environs contributed 5,150 Dirhams, while nationals in Finland contributed 2,830 Euros toward augmenting the Martyrs Trust Fund.

Nationals in Switzerland who had previously taken on the responsibility of supporting families of martyrs reaffirmed their commitment. Nationals in Canton Geneva and Canton Bern contributed 4,184 Swiss francs; Canton Schaffhausen, 1,320 Swiss francs; Canton St. Gallen, 2,920 Swiss francs; Canton Lausanne, 3,360 Swiss francs; Canton Lucerne, 5,000 Swiss francs; Canton Zurich, 5,565 Swiss francs; Canton Valais, 515 Swiss francs; and Canton Aargau, 500 Swiss francs. The Eritrean community in Biel/Bienne contributed 10,000 Swiss francs to the Martyrs Trust Fund.

Similarly, nationals in Bern contributed 5,000 Swiss francs in support of seven families of martyrs; nationals in Graubünden contributed 3,600 Swiss francs for five families; and nationals in St. Gallen contributed 10,800 Swiss francs in support of 15 families of martyrs.

Likewise, nationals residing in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, have pledged to assume responsibility for supporting 11 families of martyrs.

Events in all cities featured candlelight vigils and walkathon programs.

In related news, 114,000 Nakfa contributed by staff members of the Northern Red Sea Region administration and Foro sub-zone has been distributed to families of martyrs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.