标签： Africa

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in northern Ethiopia, dormant for millennia, erupted over the weekend, causing widespread disruption and damage. The volcanic activity, which subsided by Tuesday, left nearby villages in the Afdera district of the Afar region blanketed in ash. Residents reported persistent coughing, while livestock struggled to find clean water and grass due to the ash cover. The eruption also led to significant flight cancellations as ash plumes disrupted high-altitude flight paths. Airlines, including India’s Air India and Akasa Air, canceled dozens of flights, particularly those bound for Middle Eastern destinations like Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi. At least seven international flights at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were canceled, with numerous others delayed. Mobile medical teams were dispatched to affected areas to address health concerns, while livestock officials reported severe challenges for animals in accessing clean water and food. Geologists noted that the eruption, the first in 10,000 years, is linked to Ethiopia’s location along an active rift system. The ash cloud, carried by high-altitude winds, is expected to clear Indian skies by 1400 GMT on Tuesday.

In a significant development, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced a unilateral three-month humanitarian truce on Monday, responding to international calls for peace. This decision follows a proposal by the Quad—comprising the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—for a three-month ceasefire followed by peace talks. RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo emphasized that the truce was a response to efforts by US President Donald Trump and other international stakeholders. However, the RSF’s commitment to peace has been questioned, as it launched drone strikes on army territory shortly after accepting the Quad’s plan. Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejected the Quad’s proposal, accusing it of weakening the Sudanese army and favoring the RSF. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 over disagreements on integrating the RSF and the army, has plunged Sudan into famine and resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. The RSF has faced allegations of genocide and brutal attacks on civilians, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan regions. Both Dagalo and Burhan have been sanctioned by the United States for their roles in the violence. The UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, criticized Burhan for obstructing peace efforts. The international community continues to push for a resolution to the crisis, which has caused widespread suffering and instability in Sudan.

Nigeria is facing a deepening security crisis as the government faces accusations of inaction following the abduction of over 250 children from a Catholic boarding school in Niger state. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the region’s leading Catholic cleric, criticized the government for making “no meaningful effort” to rescue the students. However, Niger state’s police chief, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, countered these claims, alleging that the school had failed to cooperate with search and rescue operations. The abductions, attributed to criminal gangs seeking ransom, highlight the widespread insecurity plaguing the country. This incident is the third mass kidnapping in Nigeria within a week, following the abduction of 20 Muslim schoolgirls in Kebbi state and an attack on a church in Kwara state that left two dead and dozens abducted. President Bola Tinubu canceled his attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa to address the crisis, announcing the rescue of 38 worshippers in Kwara state. Meanwhile, the US has threatened military intervention if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population, with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth meeting Nigeria’s National Security Adviser to discuss counterterrorism efforts. The Nigerian government denies allegations of religious persecution, attributing the violence to criminality, extremism, and land disputes. Amid the turmoil, many boarding schools have closed, and authorities in Lagos are enhancing security at schools and places of worship.

In a landmark case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, prosecutors on Tuesday delivered closing arguments against Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, an alleged commander of the Seleka rebel group from the Central African Republic (CAR). Said faces multiple charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including torture, persecution, and enforced disappearances during the 2013 conflict in Bangui, the nation’s capital. The violence erupted between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels, who had overthrown then-President Francois Bozize, and the Christian anti-Balaka militia. Deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang detailed the atrocities, stating that women, children, the elderly, and disabled individuals were subjected to horrific abuse, including rape and torture. Said has pleaded not guilty, with his defense team arguing that the evidence is unreliable and insufficient to link him to the crimes. The defense will present its closing arguments later this week. If convicted, Said could face life imprisonment. This trial marks the conclusion of the last active case at the ICC, which has faced significant challenges, including sanctions from the Trump administration and internal investigations into its leadership. The court has previously convicted two senior anti-Balaka leaders in July for similar crimes, highlighting its ongoing efforts to address impunity in CAR.

A long-dormant volcano in Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region, Hayli Gubbi, has erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC). The eruption, which occurred on Sunday, sent thick plumes of smoke soaring up to 14 kilometers (nine miles) into the sky. Located approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, the volcano lies within the geologically active Rift Valley, where two tectonic plates converge. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program confirmed that Hayli Gubbi had no recorded eruptions during the Holocene epoch, which began around 12,000 years ago. Volcanologist Simon Carn of Michigan Technological University also corroborated this on Bluesky, stating that the volcano has no history of Holocene activity. The eruption produced a significant ash cloud that drifted over Yemen, Oman, India, and northern Pakistan. Environment authorities in Oman and Saudi Arabia have been monitoring the situation but assured the public of no direct impact. The VAAC’s latest update indicates that the eruption has ceased, and the ash cloud is now moving towards China.