You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
Many Ghanaians are still coming to terms with the news that former President Jerry John Rawlings has died at age 73. Shock and sadness swept over Ghana on Thursday, when citizens first learned that the man viewed by some as divisive and by others as a hero, had passed away. Rawlings seized power twice in military coups but went on to bring democratic rule to the country. He founded a major ruling party in Ghana, the national democratic congress, and became the first president of the Ghana’s 4th republic, serving two terms as the democratically elected leader from January of 1993 to January of 2001.
Long a bedrock of stability in the Horn of Africa, analysts fear a destabilized Ethiopia could have repercussions beyond its borders. VOA's Salem Solomon has this story looking at how instability in the country threatens to engulf the region.
As the fighting in the Tigray region rages on, the Ethiopian government has launched a civilian blood drive Addis Ababa. Hundreds of volunteers waving flags lined up at a stadium to donate blood on Thursday for injured armed forces members. Scores and hundreds of laborers were stabbed and hacked to death in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to the human rights group amnesty international, as federal troops claimed major advances in their offensive against local forces. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on Thursday accused his foes of committing atrocities during a week of fighting. Reuters says air strikes and ground combat have killed hundreds, sent refugees flooding into Sudan, stirred Ethiopia’s ethnic divisions and raised questions over the credentials of Abiy, 44, Africa’s youngest leader and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
Seven international peacekeepers -- five Americans, one French and one Czech were killed Thursday when a U.S. army black hawk helicopter crashed during a routine mission in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, according to Israeli and Egyptian officials. The multinational force and observers, a group that monitors the 1979 Israeli Egyptian peace accord, owned the aircraft. The m-f-o declined to release the names of the dead, pending the notification of their families. An eighth crew member, also an American, was badly injured in the crash, and was airlifted to an Israeli hospital. Israeli and Egyptian officials say the crash appears to have been an accident and that there were no signs of the aircraft being attacked. The Czech Republic’s military has attributed the black hawk crash to technical malfunction.
It appears that Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and main opposition leader Henri Konan Bedie are moving forward toward peace after a face-to-face meeting.
Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu is in Belgium after fleeing Tanzania because he believed his life was in danger. Lissu lost his presidential bid to incumbent President John Magufuli in the October 28th elections. VOA's BMJ Muriithi reached out to Lissu and asked him why he chose to return to Belgium.
The balance of power in the U.S. congress will come down to just two senate races in one southern state – Georgia -- where the presidential contest remains too close to call. As VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, those two senate seats will determine if there is a divided government during president-elect Joe Biden’s first two years.
U.S.-Russian relations have been at a low ebb over the past four years — lasting damage from charges of Russian interference in the 2016 us presidential elections. But with Joe Biden’s projected victory in the 2020 race, debate in Russia now centers on what, if anything, will change.
Masaka Kids Africana Children’s home supports orphans in Uganda in a multitude of ways. It provides safe living environments, education, and a music and dance program that delights millions of YouTube audiences around the world. The latest dance video, "This is Africa" - which premiered Sept 11th, announces the release of the group's new music album let's praise.
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