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Russia Today
12-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Victory Day and foreign hosts: Putin deepens African ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a series of high-level meetings with African leaders from May 7 to 10, reaffirming Moscow's commitment to deepening political, economic, and military ties with the continent. The talks were held alongside commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Here are the key takeaways from Putin's bilateral engagements and the participation of African states in the Victory Day events, including the May 9 military parade in Red Square and defense talks between Russian officials and African military delegations. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a grand military parade on Red Square that featured thousands of troops and a display of military hardware, including tanks and missile systems. The May 9 Victory Day celebrations were attended by more than two dozen world leaders, among them the heads of state of Burkina Faso, the Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and Egypt. Egypt's military police took part in the parade, marching alongside cadets from the other allied nations. On May 7, Putin met with President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, who said he had traveled to Moscow despite external attempts to dissuade him from honoring the Kremlin's invitation. The leaders discussed enhancing cooperation in areas such as energy, trade, and infrastructure and reaffirmed the strong historical ties between their countries. Putin noted that around 250 scholarships are allocated annually for Congolese students to study at Russian universities and pledged to expand the quota. Putin highlighted the wartime ties and record trade with Egypt during a meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the Kremlin on Friday. He described Cairo as one of Moscow's key partners in Africa, noting that bilateral trade grew by over 30% last year to reach a record $9 billion, and surged by more than 80% in the first two months of 2025. At a meeting held on May 10 with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Russian leader pledged to expand cooperation with the southern African nation in key sectors such as geological exploration, energy, and agriculture, noting the significant potential for trade growth. Putin also announced that 125 government scholarships had been allocated for Zimbabwean students for the 2025–2026 academic year, adding to the 460 Zimbabwean students currently studying in Russia. Later the same day, Burkina Faso's interim president, Ibrahim Traore, was received by Putin for talks focused on security and counter-terrorism in the Sahel region. Putin pledged continued support in restoring constitutional order and combating armed insurgents in Burkina Faso. He also announced ongoing humanitarian assistance, including last year's delivery of 25,000 tons of wheat and a new shipment of food that will arrive in Ouagadougou this month. Traore also expressed a desire to deepen defense and technological cooperation with Russia, describing the growing partnership as a response to shared challenges and shifting global dynamics. The Kremlin also announced a meeting between Putin and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the supreme commander of the Libyan National Army, but no additional information was provided. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held bilateral talks with African defense delegations on the sidelines of the parade. The discussions with Congolese, Nigerien, Malian, Burkinabe, Nigerian, and Libyan officials focused on strengthening military-technical cooperation, conducting joint training exercises, and increasing arms and logistics support. All sides expressed interest in long-term cooperation in the security and defense sectors. In parallel, Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov met with representatives from South Africa, Algeria, and Equatorial Guinea to discuss current military and military-technical cooperation issues.
Russia Today
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
African leaders to attend Russia's Victory Day parade
Seven African heads of state are expected to attend Moscow's Victory Day parade on May 9, Izvestia reported on Wednesday. Commemorative events in the Russian capital will mark 80 years since the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Among the invited leaders are Burkina Faso's interim president, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie. South Africa will also be represented at the military parade by Defense Minister Angie Motshekga, whose participation was confirmed by Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola last month. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of five African states – Congo, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau – according to Kremlin officials. Russian Presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that talks with Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, are scheduled for May 7. The Congolese leader has already flown from Brazzaville to Moscow, the office of the president announced on Tuesday. Following the parade on May 9, President Putin and visiting foreign dignitaries will lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall, before attending a reception at the Kremlin. Ushakov added that after the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders depart Moscow, President Putin will continue bilateral discussions, including talks with the president of Guinea-Bissau. The Russian president will meet with Egyptian leader el-Sisi to discuss key joint projects such as the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian industrial zone. Additional high-level meetings with the leaders of Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso are set for May 10.
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
In search of the Congolese corncrake
In pursuit of the winter homeland of the corncrake in Africa, our problems began in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) capital, Brazzaville. We arrived in the DRC on February 5th, expecting to have our camera equipment checked at the ministry of home affairs the next day. Routine, we thought, given we had secured both film permit and visa requirements before departure, a process that involved two trips to the embassy in London. To our surprise, an official from the ministry, a Monsieur O, came to see us at our hotel. Arriving on the back of a moped wearing a traditional, teal-coloured suit, he pronounced his sole concern was the drone that we had brought with us. He took photos of us and of it, and an undertaking was given we would receive a cert the following day, allowing us to use the device during our seven-day stay. An unanticipated, additional payment was also required: €100. A crew of three – producer, director, and DOP/cameraman – we were in west Africa to film a sequence for Answering the Call, a feature documentary about the corncrake . Our purpose was to discover whether this small migratory bird was faring any better in its (probable) winter home: the DRC. READ MORE The corncrake's call has become a rare sound in Ireland, its rasp only reverberating along Donegal coastlines, on a few habited and uninhabited islands in the west and northwest, and along the Mullet peninsula in Co Mayo. But we are not making a nature documentary – this elusive bird hides in thick banks of weed. Instead, we are examining why Ireland's countryside no longer supports ground-nesting birds like the corncrake, whether its disappearance is symptomatic of the aggressive changes in habitat over the past 50 years. We also wanted to reveal how a small but significant resurgence is now under way, spending time among communities effecting real change, who are creating pocket habitats that could lure more birds down. So, why the DRC? While work is under way to preserve and extend the small number of corncrakes that breed in Ireland (approximately 230 males were heard calling last summer), we wanted to assess whether climate change and increased intensive farming in West Africa could negatively impact the few that stop here on their migration north. Irish people are sentimental about the bird; for many, its arrival heralded the start of summer, reminding people of times past, of sunshine, and of less complicated times. The fact that the males' grating call (to attract a female) is mostly heard at night is conveniently overlooked. My mother, who is in her 80s and who grew up near the Shannon Callows (a location that attracted corncrakes until about 20 years ago), welled up when she heard we were embarking on this documentary. We left Brazzaville and travelled north, stopping off in Oyo where the country's 81-year-old president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has held office for 40 years, has his main residence – and the only industrial farmland that we encountered. From there, we drove west towards the Gabon border, to a town called Ewo – where we were told to introduce ourselves to officials. We planned to hook up with French ornithologists who were camping 40km from Ewo. They had arrived before us; their goal, to confirm that 'Irish' and 'French' corncrakes overwinter there. They had chosen the location based on research carried out by Scottish ecologists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The Scots had tagged 50 corncrakes with geolocators in 2013. 'The birds wintered in savannah areas around a small village, Okongo,' says Ryan Boswarthick, a French conservation ecologist. 'We're trying to figure out what habitats they might be hiding in.' The French analyse the isotope signature found on the feathers of different bird species in the area and, thus, try to determine the presence or otherwise of corncrakes. Boswarthick adds: 'In France, in the 1980s, we had about 2,500 calling males; today, only about 100 call. If we get big results from our research here, it'd be amazing for corncrake ecology. We'd be able to understand where they go, what they do, and where they stop [on their migration]. That is, if they even stop!' Knowing more about the movements of these birds will play a key part in conservation efforts in Ireland and France, perhaps allowing the mitigation of potential threats. The corncrake's flight patterns had to be put on hold, however, our drone hit a snag. Monsieur O told me that the certificate 'was on the minister's desk', but had not yet been signed. Officials in Ewo informed us we would have to sit it out. Our time in the DRC was limited: we had five days of filming, and one of those was now slipping away. The next morning, February 8th, the director and cameraman snuck off. I stayed in Ewo and rang the official at noon for an update. He told me to come to the administrative building to meet a man referred to as 'mon colonel'. A short, three-minute walk in 34-degree heat: I arrived in a sweat. The colonel and the official I'd rung were vexed: 'Where are the others?' In rudimentary French, I tried to explain that they wanted to apologise to the French for not meeting them the night before. My passport was taken and my phone confiscated. The colonel declared we had to find the two 'missing' film-makers. Okongo, and its surroundings, where my colleagues were headed, had no connectivity. My chief concern was that we'd arrive at the campsite and find the drone airborne. We drove 30km along a narrow, deeply furrowed sand track. En route, we met our driver coming in the opposite direction. He was alone. The colonel now knew the director and cameraman were doing more than just 'meeting' the French. Okongo is no more than a scattering of mud-huts and tin shacks in a tiny glade. The colonel greeted the village elders, three of whom jumped into the back of the jeep to provide directions. One had a machete. We turned off the track and drove across bushland in a sweeping, uphill curve. There was scrub and savannah as far as the eye could see: ideal vegetation for ground-nesting birds. Fortunately, the men at the campsite had seen our approach, so when we shuddered to a stop, no cameras were operating. The colonel confiscated the drone and ordered me to return with him to Ewo. Whether this amounted to interference or intervention would depend on your viewpoint. Like Goldilocks, the corncrake needs the right balance: excessive mechanisation and detachment from the land mean it will always suffer; less intensive farming and a greater regard for habitat mean the bird and other species prosper. Even without the drone, we got good footage. Also, with the additional days spent in Ewo, I gained the trust of a few locals. One man called Jean Pierre agrees to be interviewed. Quietly, he confirmed there were indeed many corncrakes in the area and – a downside – he describes how they prepared a meal when they caught one. 'We cut off the feet, pluck the feathers, and ... do just what we would with that,' he says, pointing to a hen skittering across the path. 'We call it Tsombo in our language [Lingala is one of two national languages spoken in addition to French]'. He affirms it tastes good. 'We eat it with manioc (a starchy, tuberous root) and with beans, and with a little bread, garlic and spices.' Before leaving Ewo, we collected the drone from the colonel; the French later informed us he had suspected we were spies. Results of the research carried out by the ornithologists will be made available to us in May. It will conclude whether birds near Okongo do indeed migrate to Ireland. We will be filming in Ireland until midsummer and hope to screen the finished documentary at festivals this autumn. Answering the Call is a Red Pepper production directed by Martin Danneels
Daily Maverick
22-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Political promises haven't solved Congo-Brazzaville's illegal medicine trade
The country faces a public health crisis characterised by a poor supply of affordable medicines and too few pharmacies. In August 2024, Congo-Brazzaville President Denis Sassou Nguesso received a World Health Organization (WHO) award for his commitment to promoting health in Africa and his country. His achievements included a decade of work to address the counterfeit medicine trade in Congo-Brazzaville and across the continent. But despite these efforts, the illegal trade in fake medicines and genuine medication not authorised for use in Congo-Brazzaville persists. In major cities like Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, medicine supplies are largely provided by the private sector (59%), with 28% of supply from the illegal trade and the remaining 13% from the public health system. This indicates a public health crisis characterised by the low availability of drugs at health facilities, few pharmacies and their inequitable geographical distribution. Medicines provided by official sources are costly – even generic drugs can be seven times more expensive than their international reference prices. In contrast, bana manganga (which refers to both the sellers and the practice of selling illicit drugs – 'bana' meaning 'the children of' and 'manganga' meaning 'medicine') – provide widespread access to various drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers. Street medicines are cheaper, accessible on credit and available in small quantities if needed. Ray Mankele, pharmacist and president of the Congolese Foundation for Access to Medicines, says the continued use of illicit medication is linked to limited public awareness of the potential harms. Knowledge is also lacking about the availability of alternative generic medications, which can be cheaper than street drugs. Pharmacists often fail to recommend generics because they profit more from selling brand-name medicines. Bana manganga are mostly younger people without health science backgrounds, who act as prescribers, dispensers and wholesalers. Their products are displayed on exposed makeshift stands, where unsanitary conditions can compromise their quality. These medicines escape regulation by health authorities, seriously limiting their efficacy and safety. Other street vendors selling illicit medicines include veterans from the 1997 civil war trying to earn cash when other options are limited. For them, selling street medicine is a form of economic reintegration, a local journalist who requested anonymity said. Organised transnational criminal supply chains and distribution networks facilitate the bana manganga process. A local Congolese police official told the ENACT organised crime project that much of the illicit flow comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Shalina Healthcare, the DRC branch of an Indian firm known for inexpensive medications, produces drugs approved for the DRC but not for Congo-Brazzaville. These medicines enter the country through illicit supply chains, are stored improperly and sold by unqualified vendors. More expensive and unauthorised street medicines are also smuggled from India and China into Nigeria, and then trafficked into Congo-Brazzaville. The country acts as a distribution hub for illicit medicines trafficked into neighbouring countries, specifically Cameroon, Angola and Gabon. In July 2024, about 80,000 counterfeit tablets en route from Congo-Brazzaville were seized in Gabon. ENACT interviews with journalists, pharmacists and police officers reveal the well-established distribution of these medicines. The flows are facilitated by lax border controls and corrupt officials who divert approved medicines from public purchasing centres or pharmacies to sell to bana manganga. Wholesalers smuggle medicines into local towns, supply public hospitals and sell directly to retailers on the streets. This illicit trade undermines health outcomes. Global Health Progress reported that an estimated 170,000 children die annually from pneumonia due to poor-quality and fake medicines in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Globally, the illegal medicine trade generates substantial profits for criminal organisations, reportedly yielding up to 20 times more than heroin trafficking. Fake medicines on Congo-Brazzaville's streets also weaken the rule of law. In 2021, a pharmacy belonging to the head of a pharmacists' association was ransacked following a police crackdown on bana manganga. There were no arrests or prosecutions, leaving pharmacists feeling vulnerable. In 2016, Congo-Brazzaville signed the MEDICRIME Convention to tackle pharmaceutical crime. In 2017, Nguesso urged the global community to prioritise fighting fake medicines and ensured that the country actively participated in the Lomé Initiative against trafficking in substandard and falsified medical products. In June 2023, Congo-Brazzaville adopted the Central African Economic and Monetary Community regional plan to address counterfeit medicines and illicit distribution networks. At the national level, the fight against the trade is a focal point in the country's National Health Policy. However, political intentions have not led to implementation. Scant statistics on the scale, types and effects of illicit drugs lead to scepticism about their risks, and a lack of urgency in addressing the issue. While the government has adopted the WHO's definitions regarding 'substandard', 'unregistered' and 'falsified products', it lacks the capacity for effective quality control. This includes conducting effective post-market controls and bioequivalence studies on all medicines. Good oversight of manufacturing practices for imported medicine is nonexistent, despite Congolese pharmacists advocating for expanded regulations on imported medication, particularly storage and handling conditions. Despite signing the Lomé Initiative, laws against the sale and possession of drugs outside official channels remain unenforced in Congo-Brazzaville, allowing vendors to operate with minimal risk. Sporadic police raids do little to prevent bana manganga from returning afterwards to sell their products. Disagreement among stakeholders about how to define illicit medicines complicates legal frameworks and punitive measures aimed at discouraging and penalising criminal activities related to the trade. While Congo made strides by establishing a central purchasing centre for essential medicines in 2015 and adopting a pharmaceutical policy, challenges remain. More pharmacies, spread over a wider area, are needed. Access to affordable generics and stringent penalties for corruption along the illegal distribution chain are essential. Without these steps, efforts to oversee the import of quality medications, train customs officials to inspect medical products, and impose criminal penalties for illegal trading are unlikely to succeed. A dedicated process to reach consensus on operational definitions of illicit medicine is needed, along with awareness-raising campaigns that highlight the benefits of generics and the health risks associated with illegal drugs. DM
Dubai Eye
09-04-2025
- Business
- Dubai Eye
UAE, Republic of Congo sign trade deal as Presidents hold talks
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to enhancing trade ties with African nations following the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the Republic of Congo. The trade agreement was completed following talks with President Denis Sassou Nguesso in Abu Dhabi's Qasr Al Bahr, where the two sides discussed opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation. In a post on social media, Sheikh Mohamed said the agreement reflects on the two nations' "shared commitment to sustainable development" and "will build upon the growing trade and investment ties between (the) countries". The CEPA supports the UAE's aim to deepen ties with strategic markets around the world as part of efforts to double the size of the UAE economy by 2031. Today, alongside President Denis Sassou Nguesso, I witnessed the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and Republic of the Congo. Reflecting our shared commitment to sustainable development, this agreement will build upon the growing trade and… — محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) April 8, 2025 Nguesso, who is on a working visit to the UAE, joined the UAE President as the agreement was signed by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Christian Yoka, Minister of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio for the Republic of the Congo. Under the CEPA, duties will be eliminated over a period of five years on 99.5 per cent of tariff lines for UAE exports and 98 per cent of tariff lines for Republic of the Congo exports. The deal is projected to boost bilateral non-oil trade from $3.1 billion (AED 11.3 billion) recorded in 2024 to $7.2 billion (AED 26.45 billion) by 2032. The agreement further strengthens the growing ties between the UAE and the Republic of the Congo, with non-oil trade between the two countries rising by 4.2 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, and nearly doubling compared to 2019. It also follows the signing of three strategic agreements between the countries in 2023, including a double taxation avoidance agreement, an investment promotion and protection agreement, and an air transport agreement. Foreign trade remains the cornerstone of the UAE's economic agenda. In 2024, the UAE's non-oil trade in goods reached an all-time high of $817 billion (AED 3 trillion), marking a 14.6 per cent increase on 2023 and 56.8 per cent more than 2021. CEPAs are a critical pillar in reaching the target of $1.1 trillion (AED 4 trillion) in total non-oil trade by 2031.
