Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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Just 38 people, out of around 190, have survived an horrific attempt to cross by boat from western Africa to the Canary Islands. The survivors disembarked at Nouadhibou, Mauritania, on 18 July, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams assisted them on arrival. The deadly incident highlights the perils of the Atlantic migration route. MSF urges West African governments of countries along the migration route, European states, and regional and international organisations to work collectively to prevent further loss of life, with saving lives at sea an immediate priority.

According to initial testimonies collected from survivors, the boat left The Gambia in late June with around 190 people on board. After spending 25 days at sea, the surviving 38 people were first assisted by fishermen, then by the Mauritanian coastguard, before being brought to the Mauritanian Red Crescent, which requested MSF’s support.

“What our teams saw in Nouadhibou is deeply shocking,” says Fouzia Bara, MSF migration programme manager. “People arrived after weeks spent at sea, exhausted, traumatised and grieving the loss of relatives and other passengers who did not survive the crossing.” 

“One of the survivors our teams cared for said she had seen her sister die before her eyes,” says Bara. “No-one should have to endure such suffering while seeking safety or dignity.”

People attempting to take the Atlantic route from western Africa to the Canary Islands, which is part of Spain, face dangers including long, perilous crossings, at high risk of shipwreck. People also often experience dehydration, violence, severe psychological trauma and loss of life.

In recent weeks, MSF teams in Nouadhibou have supported survivors of three disembarkations, on 14 and 18 July, assisting a total of 387 people. We have provided 66 medical consultations and referred nine people to specialist health facilities in Nouadhibou. On 18 July alone, MSF responded to two successive disembarkations between midnight and 7 p.m., including the boat that had departed from The Gambia. People who reached shore in Nouadhibou were suffering from post-traumatic shock and psychosis, had bone fractures, trauma injuries, and hypothermia.

Survivors described terrifying conditions at sea, as well as the loss of relatives and other passengers during the crossing. 

The Atlantic migration route has become one of the deadliest in the world, with almost 10,000 people were reported dead or missing while attempting the Atlantic crossing in 2024, and more than 3,000 in 2025.1 It is very likely that the actual number of people who have died is higher than the reported figures, as not all sea crossings are reported or lead to rescues. Although arrivals at the Canary Islands have decreased this year, the risks remain extreme. Recent incidents underline the persistent dangers faced by refugees and migrants attempting to reach Europe, many of whom depart from points located more than 2,000 kilometres from their intended destination.

“The deaths of these men, women and children must not be met with silence,” says Bara. “We urge governments and relevant authorities to place the preservation of human life at the centre of their migration policies, to strengthen search and rescue capacities, and to ensure that no person in distress at sea is left without assistance.” 

MSF calls for urgent measures to prevent further deaths on the Atlantic route. Search and rescue mechanisms must be strengthened, adequately resourced, and able to respond effectively to the needs of people in distress at sea, including providing humane and dignified assistance to survivors. At the same time, safe and legal pathways are needed to reduce the risks people are forced to take when seeking protection, safety or a better future.

MSF launched activities in Mauritania following the increase in tragedies at sea. In Nouadhibou, we began providing direct assistance during disembarkations and interceptions in December 2024, before strengthening our response in opening our Centre for Reception, Care and Assistance in April 2025. The centre supports people with different vulnerabilities including migrants, people in transit, or Mauritanians.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has agreed on the need to address growing concerns over rising xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa at the next AU summit.

His commitment came after bilateral talks with President John Dramani Mahama, who reiterated his request on the sidelines of the AU Extraordinary Summit on Universal Health Coverage and ending AIDS, held in Accra.

President Mahama disclosed that the South African President, on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, dispatched a special envoy led by his Foreign Minister to meet with him in Accra over the crisis.

He told the AU Commission Chair that he made Ghana’s position clear to the envoy: that Ghana harbours no ill will toward South Africa but remains deeply concerned about the attacks and the resulting capital losses suffered by foreign nationals forced to abandon their investments and return home. He noted that this development undermines Africa’s solidarity and ongoing efforts toward continental integration.

President Mahama emphasised that “sweeping the matter under the carpet” would not resolve its root causes, hence the need to place it on the agenda for discussion at the summit.

He added that tabling the issue would also give South Africa a formal, constructive platform to present its perspective and work toward a lasting solution.

“This will offer South Africa the opportunity to explain itself, and possibly we can all find a lasting solution to this crisis,” he emphasised.

The AU Commission Chairperson acknowledged that the attacks have affected nationals from several African countries. He revealed that during a recent visit to South Africa, he raised the matter directly with the South African President.

While commending the South African government’s public condemnation of the violence, he expressed concern over the apparent impunity enjoyed by perpetrators.

The escalation of xenophobic violence recently compelled the Ghanaian government to airlift several citizens home on three separate chartered flights, with plans underway for further evacuations.

In response to the crisis, Ghana has officially written to the AU Commission requesting that the matter be formally placed on the agenda for the next summit.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

President John Dramani Mahama has called on African heads of state to significantly increase domestic healthcare funding, warning that the continent’s reliance on foreign aid has become an unsustainable and urgent vulnerability.

Speaking at the opening of the African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on Universal Health Coverage and ending AIDS in Accra, Mahama invoked the 25-year-old Abuja Declaration, in which African nations pledged to allocate at least 15 per cent of national budgets to health. That commitment, he said, has largely gone unmet.

“We must move from promises into measurable actions,” Mahama told delegates. “Let’s not treat healthcare as an expense, but as a high-return economic investment. Prevention repays us ninefold.”

The president cited figures showing global health aid to Africa fell sharply from $49.6 billion to just over $39.1 billion in a single year even as many African nations still depend on external donors to cover nearly half of their health budgets. He described the trend as a direct threat to the continent’s public health stability.

“Let each of us bring the Ministry of Finance to the health table and keep it seated right at that table,” Mahama said, arguing that resilient health systems cannot be built on rhetoric alone but require binding financial commitments.

Mahama pointed to Ghana’s own efforts under the “Accra Reset” Initiative aimed at insulating essential health services from global funding shocks. As an example, he referenced the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares), which is designed to shield families from catastrophic medical expenses through domestic resource mobilisation.

President Mahama argued that true “health sovereignty” requires finance ministries across the continent to become full partners in health investment, ensuring that African resources, not foreign aid, drive African health priorities for the long term.

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

South Africa’s major industrial energy consumers and the broader C&I energy sector will once again share a platform this October, as the EIUG Conference co-locates with the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg on 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton in Johannesburg.

The partnership between the Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa (EIUG) and VUKA Group, now in its third year, brings the demand side and the solution side of South Africa’s energy transition into one room. EIUG members — the mines, smelters, manufacturers and processors that account for a substantial share of the country’s electricity consumption — will meet the developers, financiers, technology providers and policymakers shaping how industrial energy is generated, traded and managed.

The timing is deliberate. South Africa’s industrial sector faces persistent tariff escalation, mounting decarbonisation pressure from mechanisms such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and a rapidly restructuring electricity market — from unbundling and the emergence of a wholesale market to expanding wheeling frameworks. The 2026 programme confronts these pressures directly, opening with a ministerial keynote address and a keynote panel examining the threats and opportunities that will define industrial competitiveness in the coming decade.

Across two days, the EIUG Conference will cover:

• Industrialisation under threat? — a frank examination of whether South Africa’s industrial base is adapting or contracting under energy constraints
• Renewable energy integration for heavy industry — real-world case studies from mining, cement, manufacturing and metals
• Practical masterclasses on  finance for transition — considerations for alternative power generation, grid security, and an end-to-end understanding of the South African Carbon Tax
• Electricity market reform — the practical realities of market readiness as unbundling and wheeling frameworks expand
• A green hydrogen workshop exploring how surplus renewable generation and anchor industrial demand could unlock integrated hydrogen corridors

Co-location gives attendees access to the full C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg programme under a single registration, connecting industrial energy users directly with the storage, generation, trading and financing solutions on the exhibition floor.

For more information visit https://apo-opa.co/44MBR6Z

– on behalf of VUKA Group.

About the EIUG: 
The Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa represents South Africa’s largest industrial electricity consumers, whose members collectively account for a significant portion of the electrical energy consumed in the country.
https://EIUG.org.za/

About C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg: 
In its third year, the C&I Summit is a platform to unlock investment and speed up localisation, helping South Africa’s energy-intensive sectors build resilience through innovation and resource security.  (https://apo-opa.co/3TRlYd1)

About VUKA Group: 
VUKA Group connects people and organisations to information and each other across Africa’s energy, mining, infrastructure, mobility, green economy and technology sectors via events, content and networking. It helps businesses navigate markets, build connections and achieve sustainable success. www.WeAreVUKA.com
 

Source: APO

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Zimbabwe has successfully completed three rounds of synchronized vaccination campaigns using the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) as part of a coordinated Southern African response to prevent the re-establishment of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).

The campaigns build on Zimbabwe’s significant progress in interrupting transmission following the cVDPV2 outbreak declared in October 2023. Through four nationwide vaccination campaigns, strengthened surveillance, and enhanced outbreak response measures, no cVDPV2 has been detected in the country since June 2024. Maintaining this status requires consistently high vaccination coverage and sensitive surveillance, particularly in light of continued regional transmission. However, ongoing cVDPV2 outbreaks in neighbouring countries have highlighted the persistent risk of cross-border virus importation, underscoring the need for a coordinated regional response.

To protect these gains, Zimbabwe joined Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, and Botswana in a synchronized subregional vaccination effort targeting districts identified through detailed risk assessments, particularly border areas and densely populated urban centres at highest risk of virus importation. Three rounds of subnational immunization campaigns were planned across 27 high-risk districts in nine provinces, focusing on children under five years of age.

Led by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Rotary International, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, the response mobilized more than 6,000 personnel, including healthcare workers, village health workers, community volunteers, national and subnational health managers, and partner representatives. Nine national surge consultants were deployed to strengthen surveillance, campaign implementation, community engagement, social mobilization, logistics, cold chain and vaccine management, data analytics, and coordination.

Vaccination services were delivered through a combination of facility-based and community outreach strategies, with door-to-door vaccination serving as the primary approach. By taking vaccines directly to households, vaccination teams were able to reach children who might otherwise have missed immunization, helping sustain high population immunity in targeted districts and reducing the risk of poliovirus re-emergence and transmission across the country.

​“The success of every vaccination campaign depends on teamwork. From activities carried out at health facilities to door-to-door outreach in communities, every health worker plays an important role in ensuring that children are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. Seeing our teams work together to reach families and ensure that no child is missed gives me confidence that we can keep our communities safe from polio,” says Sr. Chipangura, Nurse in Charge at Tariro Clinic in Harare South District.

The first, second, and third nOPV2 vaccination campaigns were conducted from 20–23 April, 2–5 June, and 7–10 July 2026, respectively. Campaign quality and operational performance improved progressively across the three rounds, reflecting stronger planning, supervision, and community engagement. A total of 936,618, 997,941, and 1,025,806 children were vaccinated during the first, second, and third campaigns, respectively. In total, nearly three million doses of nOPV2 were administered across the three rounds, helping sustain high immunity among children living in the country’s highest-risk districts.

Independent monitoring and Lot Quality Assurance Surveys (LQAS) confirmed high vaccination coverage among eligible children during each round. Quality improvement plans were subsequently developed and implemented to strengthen performance, particularly in hard-to-reach communities, enhance social mobilization efforts, and address operational challenges during subsequent rounds.

Beyond vaccination, the response has strengthened acute flaccid paralysis and environmental surveillance, enhanced cross-border collaboration, supported routine immunization services, and reinforced monitoring and supervision systems. Regular coordination meetings at national and subregional levels have ensured alignment of activities and enabled the rapid identification and resolution of operational challenges.

“The fight against polio is a race to reach every child, everywhere, before the virus does,” said Dr Tiruneh Desta, WHO Representative to Zimbabwe. “WHO remains committed to supporting the Government of Zimbabwe and partners through technical expertise, surveillance, operational coordination, and community engagement to ensure that life-saving vaccines reach all eligible children. Zimbabwe’s synchronized vaccination campaign reflects the power of regional solidarity and collective action in stopping poliovirus transmission. By strengthening population immunity and protecting children across communities and borders, Zimbabwe is making a significant contribution to the vision of a polio-free Southern Africa and bringing the world closer to achieving the goal of eradicating polio once and for all.”

The successful implementation has further strengthened Zimbabwe’s population immunity, reducing the risk of re-establishment and spread of type 2 polioviruses. As the synchronized regional response continues, Zimbabwe is intensifying preparedness, surveillance, routine immunization, and community engagement while ensuring full accountability for all nOPV2 vaccine vials, proper waste management, and strengthened laboratory surveillance capacity. The synchronized regional response represents another important step towards securing a polio-free future for children in Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.