MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO – Report:

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The Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commenced a four-day regional workshop to review the draft ECOWAS Civil-Military Coordination Strategy for Humanitarian Action.

The workshop, taking place from 5th to 8th August 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria, brings together technical experts from ECOWAS Member States, Centres of Excellence, Civil Society Organizations, media establishments, and humanitarian partners across West Africa.

During the workshop, participants will review and refine the draft strategy, ensuring that the final version aligns with international best practices. Once finalized, the document is expected to be adopted as a regional policy framework guiding civil-military relations in humanitarian contexts.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, Head of the Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Division, representing the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa-Ugbe, highlighted the increasing complexities of the humanitarian environment in West Africa. He noted that ECOWAS, since the adoption of its Humanitarian Policy in 2012, has acknowledged the importance of a well-coordinated relationship between civilian actors and the military/security operatives.

“Disasters, internal displacement, refugee crises, food insecurity, pandemics — these are all scenarios that often require cooperation between humanitarian actors and security personnel. Unfortunately, we’ve also witnessed instances of misunderstanding between both parties during such operations. This strategy aims to resolve that,” Dr. Ibrahim stated.

The workshop builds on Strategic Objective 7 of the ECOWAS Humanitarian Policy Plan of Action, which mandates the Community and its Member States to “establish and implement standards and guidelines for the use of military assets in emergencies.” This mandate is further reinforced by the ECOWAS Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Peacekeeping, and Security adopted in 1999, which emphasizes the need for multidimensional missions involving civilians, military, and police forces.

The ECOWAS Civil-Military Coordination Strategy is designed to serve as a framework for seamless interaction between civilian humanitarians and military/security actors during emergencies. The initiative acknowledges the increasing involvement of the military in humanitarian settings and seeks to ensure that such participation remains coordinated, respectful of humanitarian principles, and effective.

At the end of the workshop, participants are expected to produce a comprehensive, internationally aligned strategy document that will enhance humanitarian coordination and delivery in West Africa. ECOWAS also anticipates valuable recommendations from the participants to enrich the regional process and further institutionalize civil-military cooperation for humanitarian effectiveness.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO – Report:

The ECOWAS Commission, through its Early Warning Directorate (EWD) and the ECOWAS Peace Fund (EPF), is carrying out a joint technical mission to Ghana and Benin from  July 31 to August 05, 2025, to assess the equipment procured for their National Early Warning and Response Centers. This mission is part of broader regional efforts to ensure that these centers are fully operational and contributing effectively to national and regional mechanisms for anticipating and responding to emerging peace and security threats.

The visit forms part of ECOWAS’ strategic support to Member States under the African Peace and Security Architecture Support Programme (APSA-SP), with funding from the European Union and the African Union Commission. The mission seeks to evaluate the state and use of logistics, IT, and office equipment provided to these centers, identify challenges, and propose enhancements that align with international standards and the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF).

The establishment of National Early Warning and Response Centers is a key regional initiative aimed at bolstering the capacity of Member States to monitor and respond to socio-political, humanitarian and security-related risks. With support from the ECOWAS, five countries: Benin, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Niger and Senegal have received technical and material assistance to enhance their national systems.

This technical assessment will provide valuable insights into the functionality and impact of the support provided, helping to guide future interventions and reinforce the Peace and Security architecture across West Africa.

The delegation used the opportunity to visit Training Institutions and Training Centres of Excellence (TIs/TCEs) that received funding under Phase Two of the support to the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA II) to conduct monitoring and evaluation exercises on funding and equipment procured for the centres.

Through sustained collaboration and regional solidarity, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to supporting Member States in building resilient and responsive institutions for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO – Report:

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• Significant cuts to humanitarian aid are causing a rapid deterioration of the living conditions for refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region.
• This has led to the suspension of nutrition services in four out of seven refugee camps, putting 80,000 children under five at risk of life-threatening malnutrition.
• We urge humanitarian organisations and the Ethiopian authorities to scale up support and strengthen the healthcare system.

Living conditions for refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region are rapidly deteriorating following significant cuts to humanitarian aid in the region. The sharp decline is largely due to global reductions in support from key donors such as USAID, straining basic services such as food distribution, healthcare, access to clean water, and sanitation services.

Located in southwestern Ethiopia near the South Sudanese border, Gambella has hosted a large number of mostly South Sudanese refugees since 2014. Today, more than 395,000 refugees are living in seven camps, including Kule refugee camp, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has provided healthcare services for more than a decade.

Essential services on the brink of collapse

The general decline of humanitarian funding in the region has led to the suspension of nutrition services in four out of the seven refugee camps, leaving around 80,000 children under the age of five at risk of life-threatening malnutrition.

“We receive food once a month—maize, wheat, and sorghum—but it always runs out before the month ends,” says Nyauahial Puoch, a mother who travelled about eight kilometres from Tierkidi refugee camp to seek treatment for her 17-month-old daughter at MSF’s facility in Kule camp. “Since last year, there has been a big decline. Some of the items we used to get are no longer provided at all.” 

Puoch’s daughter was subsequently diagnosed with malnutrition.

Since October 2024, refugees in Kule camp have received as little as 600 calories a day—less than 30 per cent of the recommended daily minimum of 2,100 calories per person. Other refugee camps in the region are also experiencing a similar situation. At times, food distribution has stopped for months, due to international supply chain disruptions and funding shortages.

So far in 2025, MSF has recorded a 55 per cent increase in child admissions to our therapeutic feeding centre compared to the previous year, with half of these children coming from other camps in the region.

“We walked three hours from our home in Akula camp to get to the MSF hospital,” says Kuoth, whose one-year-old child received treatment at MSF’s hospital in Kule. “Our child had cough, diarrhoea, and severe malnutrition, and she had to be hospitalised for 15 days until she recovered.”

Access to healthcare is difficult

MSF’s outpatient department has seen a 58 per cent rise in patient visits compared to the same period last year, with many patients arriving from surrounding camps. The number of women attending antenatal care sessions has also increased by 72 per cent compared to 2024, indicating the growing demand for maternal healthcare services.

“We’re receiving more patients from other camps,” says Armand Dirks, MSF project coordinator in Gambella. “Largely because these services are no longer available locally due to many NGOs withdrawing from the region due to funding cuts. MSF is overwhelmed by the increased patient load, and we fear this number will likely keep rising in the coming months.”

Disease prevention reduced

Funding cuts have also caused disease prevention activities—such as malaria prevention programmes—to be downsized.

As malaria is endemic in the region, our teams are anticipating a sharp increase in the number of malaria patients during the current rainy season, which lasts from May to October.

In July 2025, the number of malaria patients coming to our facility has risen by approximately 125 per cent compared to June 2025. MSF has treated more than 23,800 cases since January, with over half of these patients coming from neighbouring refugee camps.

With key malaria prevention activities such as the distribution of bed nets, indoor and outdoor spraying, and timely access to healthcare services being significantly decreased this year, we fear that the region will have a hard time controlling the spread of the disease, which will potentially increase the burden on the already-fragile health system.

“Cases are expected to rise sharply during this peak transmission period,” says Birhanu Sahile, MSF deputy medical coordinator. “This poses a serious threat to already vulnerable refugees who face heightened exposure to malaria-infected mosquitos due to overcrowded living conditions and limited sanitation.”

To address this situation, we are enhancing our malaria treatment services in the region, and plan to establish a dedicated malaria health post in Tierkidi refugee camp—a large refugee camp in Gambella region, home to more than 74,000 refugees. Our teams are also distributing bed nets, and supporting vector control and other preventive measures for refugees living in Kule camp.

A call for urgent action

“Walking through the camp, you’ll see many empty buildings—spaces once used by NGOs that have now withdrawn,” says Dirks. “Their absence is deeply felt. Services that once supported this community have now disappeared.”

In Kule refugee camp, MSF is providing a range of essential services including basic and specialised healthcare, maternal and child health including comprehensive sexual and gender-based violence care, mental health care, water and sanitation, and health promotion and nutrition programmes.

“MSF is working at full capacity, but the scale of needs in Kule far exceeds what we can address alone,” says Sahile. “Without urgent support and interventions from other organisations, this crisis will continue to escalate, putting thousands of vulnerable lives at even greater risk.”

As NGOs are increasingly unable to meet the healthcare needs within refugee camps, we urge the Government of Ethiopia to take clear and decisive steps in Gambella to advance refugee integration into local services. This includes strengthening the current healthcare system for everyone and enhancing its capacity to withstand future cuts.

– on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO – Report:

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H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, and Ms. Phan Thi Thang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. This meeting took place during the visit of H.E. Luong Cuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to Egypt, where he met with H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

At the beginning of the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat welcomed the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, and highlighted the continuous development of relations between the two countries, which is reflected in the exchange of high-level visits, the meetings between the two countries’ leaders, the convergence of many shared visions and positions, and the announcement by the two presidents to elevate their relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership.

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation explained that since establishing full diplomatic relations in 1963, Egypt and Vietnam have maintained distinguished historical ties. She pointed out that 2025 marks the 62nd anniversary of these diplomatic relations, which have seen close cooperation to achieve development in accordance with shared interests.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat and the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam discussed preparations for the sixth session of the Joint Committee, in implementation of the directives of the two countries’ leaders. They also highlighted the importance of the agreement reached during the current presidential visit to form sub-committees in areas of mutual interest to leverage available potential and open up more avenues for cooperation.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat added that Egypt is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and its most important export market in North Africa. Each country serves as a strategic gateway for the other’s exports—Egypt to the Middle East and Africa, and Vietnam to the Asian market.

The mutual will to strengthen bilateral relations is further demonstrated by two historic presidential visits: H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to Vietnam in September 2017 was the first by an Egyptian president, and the late Vietnamese President H.E. Tran Dai Quang’s state visit to Egypt in August 2018, which was also the first of its kind.

The two sides also touched on the importance of holding a business forum and workshops during the next Joint Committee meeting to exchange knowledge in areas such as economic development strategies, attracting foreign investment, aquaculture, entrepreneurship, green development, and development financing. Cooperation in exchanging expertise on renewable energy was also discussed.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat also reviewed the measures taken by the government to enhance the business and investment environment and implement economic and structural reforms to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Egyptian market for private sector companies from Vietnam. She reiterated Egypt’s appreciation for Vietnam’s development experience and its keenness to strengthen the partnership and benefit from that experience through the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the two countries.

For his part, the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs lauded the development achievements made by Egypt in various sectors, and expressed his welcome to the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership. He also emphasized the necessity of creating an executive plan to finalize the agreements reached during the meeting between the two presidents.

It is worth noting that Egyptian-Vietnamese relations date back to the 1960s. In 1997, an agreement was signed to form a joint ministerial committee, which has held five sessions to date. Vietnam is a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In 2017, H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt visited Vietnam, the first visit by an Egyptian president to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the visit witnessed the signing of numerous joint cooperation documents.

– on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation – Egypt.

Source: APO – Report:

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The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has registered its strong objection and concern regarding circumstances around the recent visit of an eminent South African leader, former South African President Mr Jacob Zuma, who is Leader of Umkhonto We Sizwe Party, visited the Kingdom of Morocco and held a meeting in Rabat on 15 July 2025, with His Excellency Mr Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

Whilst recognition we respect the sovereign right of Morocco to invite individuals and groups, DIRCO, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of South Africa, strongly protests the use of South African national symbols, in this instance the use of the South African National Flag, in the meeting between Mr Jacob Zuma and the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The use of the South African National Flag in a meeting with a member of a political party in opposition, which is a non-state actor, constitutes an abuse of existing protocol and decorum, and undermines official bilateral relations between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Morocco.

South Africa has indicated to the Kingdom Morocco that the display of national symbols inherently conveys official state endorsement and elevates the perception of the encounter to that of a state-to-state engagement. This characterisation is inconsistent with established diplomatic protocol, as the participants did not represent the official positions or engagements of the South African state.

Consequently, this portrayal cannot be recognised as an official bilateral meeting, and the implications drawn from it are firmly rejected.

The Government of the Republic of South Africa holds the firm view that the use of its national symbols in contexts implying official state endorsement of non-governmental engagements is inappropriate, irrespective of setting. In the spirit of fostering and maintaining cordial and friendly bilateral relations, and consistent with the fundamental principles of mutual respect between sovereign states and non-interference in internal affairs, South Africa respectfully encourages the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco to refrain from such actions. Upholding these shared principles is essential for the continued positive development of relations between our two nations.

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Source: APO – Report:

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President Wavel Ramkalawan on Wednesday morning welcomed the newly ordained Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Port Victoria, the Right Reverend Danny Elizabeth, for a courtesy call at State House, following his ordination on Sunday, 3rd August 2025.

The meeting served as an opportunity for President Ramkalawan to extend his congratulations to Bishop Elizabeth as he assumes his new spiritual leadership role within the Anglican Church. The two leaders engaged in a cordial exchange, reflecting on the Church’s enduring contribution to the nation and the values it upholds.

Discussions centred on the long-standing relationship between the Anglican Church and the State, with a shared emphasis on the importance of continued collaboration in key areas such as education, social development, national unity, and moral guidance.

President Ramkalawan reiterated the Government’s commitment to religious freedom and the maintenance of open dialogue with all faith-based institutions. He also underscored the Church’s potential role in strengthening spiritual values within society and expressed openness to increased partnership in social initiatives, particularly those focused on the welfare of children and youth.

Bishop Elizabeth conveyed his gratitude to the President for the warm reception and, on behalf of the Anglican Diocese of Port Victoria, expressed a firm commitment to continued cooperation with Government and other national institutions in the service of the Seychellois people.

In addition to discussions on social engagement, both parties also addressed the upcoming consecration of St Agnes Chapel in Plaisance as a full Anglican Church, as well as the role of the Church in promoting peace and national unity ahead of the forthcoming elections. They agreed on the importance of sustaining a strong Church-State partnership to advance the common good and reinforce the values of tolerance and cohesion throughout the nation.

– on behalf of State House Seychelles.