Latest news with #SputnikAfrica
Business Insider
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Uganda, South Sudan, and the CAR commit to funding 1,800km cross-border road project
Three African countries - Uganda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR) have embarked on a landmark infrastructure initiative with the launch of a 1,800-kilometre regional road project aimed at enhancing trade, connectivity, and economic integration across East and Central Africa. Three African nations—Uganda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic—are collaborating on an ambitious 1,800-kilometer regional road project. The project is designed to enhance trade, connectivity, and economic integration across East and Central Africa. Financing will be secured from national budgets, international developmental partners, and private-sector investments. Sputnik Africa reports that the ambitious 1,800-kilometre road project connecting Uganda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR) will be executed in phases, with construction moving progressively across borders—from Uganda into South Sudan, and then from South Sudan into CAR. Project Phases Phase I focuses on urgent repairs, gravel road upgrades, and bridge maintenance to quickly make the corridor navigable and secure for trade. Phase II will involve tarmacking gravel roads and rehabilitating paved routes to create a durable, high-capacity corridor that supports growing commercial traffic over time. Together, these phases aim to improve access and boost regional trade. The phased approach enables the three countries to focus on the most critical sections of the corridor first, while gradually mobilizing resources for broader, long-term improvements. To ensure the project's success, Uganda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic will work together to secure financing from a combination of national budgets, international development partners, and private-sector investments. By sequencing the project from Uganda through South Sudan to CAR, the initiative reflects both strategic regional planning and a commitment to boosting intra-African trade, especially for landlocked and infrastructure-challenged areas. Major project routes According to South Sudan's Minister of Roads and Bridges, Simon Mijok Mijak, the three countries have agreed to jointly fund the long-term i mplementation of the corridor, which will stretch from Kampala, Uganda's capital, to Bangui, the capital of CAR, passing through South Sudan. ' This project is a game-changer for regional integration, ' Minister Mijak said. ' The Central African Republic seeks to connect with Uganda through South Sudan, and we have proposed two major routes to achieve this: one via Nimule, Juba, Mundri, Maridi, Yambio, and Tambura, and another through Kaya, Morobo, Yei, Lainya, and Juba. These highways will serve as vital arteries for trade and economic cooperation,' he added. Regional trade corridor to address special trade needs Currently, poor roads and border delays hinder trade, making it costly and slow. This corridor will shorten delivery times, lower logistics expenses, and improve trade reliability for both small and large businesses. The corridor provides an alternative East-West trade route, easing congestion on traditional North-South pathways and enhancing regional trade resilience. It aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area's goal of connecting African economies by facilitating the free movement of goods and people. Importantly, the corridor supports post-conflict recovery in South Sudan and CAR by promoting infrastructure-led growth, improving livelihoods, and fostering stability. It will also serve as a crucial route for humanitarian and security operations in fragile border areas. Overall, this corridor is a transformative project that will strengthen regional integration, reduce trade barriers, and promote inclusive economic growth across East and Central Africa.
Business Insider
23-04-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
Africa denied more support as Russia detaches itself from the idea of sending aid
Russia has said it doesn't wish to disburse aid to Africa, noting that it does not want its relationship with the continent to be based on that. This is in light of the recent cutback in USAID, which has been an interesting conversation for several African countries. Russia does not want to disburse aid to Africa, aiming for a mutually beneficial partnership instead of aid dependency Russia has announced plans to disburse aid to Niger to combat a disease affecting pregnant women The narrative of donor dependency in Africa is being challenged, with a focus on sustainability and self-reliance Very recently, Russia relayed its sentiments on giving aid to Africa, which centered around cutting it off in place of a mutually beneficial partnership rather than a system that creates aid dependency. Russia's recent approach to aid provides a stark contrast to Western support and hints at the future of international collaboration with Africa. In an interview with Sputnik Africa, Anna Popova, the director of Russia's Rospotrebnadzor (the country's human welfare authority), said that Russia's strategy for growing its influence in Africa is founded on mutual benefit and long-term empowerment. 'We share our knowledge, experience, technologies, and laboratories so that each country can recognize threats and learn to take the right steps to protect its people from danger. This is fundamentally important. We work for the host country, [...] unlike those who only act in their own interests,' she told Sputnik. This however, may not be all encompassing, given the fact that Russia very recently announced plans to disburse aid to Niger to help combat a disease that affects pregnant women. The NGO "Ensemble Main dans la Main Niger-Russie" (Together Hand in Hand Niger-Russia) has made a large grant to the National Reference Center for Obstetric Fistula in Niamey. The contribution, which includes drugs, food supplies, blankets, and vaccinations, is intended to improve care for women suffering from obstetric fistulas, a medical ailment that disproportionately affects women in impoverished and neglected communities. In 2023, according to Russia's agriculture minister, Dmitry Patrushev, Russia promised to deliver a free shipment of up to 200,000 tonnes of grain to six African countries, as initiated by President Vladimir Putin. For decades, foreign aid has been considered a lifeline for Africa's development, channeling billions of dollars annually into sectors like health, agriculture, and humanitarian support. However, the long-held narrative of donor dependency is increasingly being challenged, not only by African voices but also by international observers and aid partners themselves. A new era focused on sustainability, self-reliance, and mutual respect is gradually replacing. Recent global developments highlight this shift. On January 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending all USAID disbursements for 90 days. Early speculation warned of severe consequences for African countries, but many experts argue that the actual impact might be less drastic than presumed. Caitlin Burton, in an exclusive interview with Business Insider Africa, emphasized that the importance of U.S. aid has long been overstated. 'US-supported programs, they often cost 2 or 3 times or even 10 times what they should have cost to deliver just to feed the cottage industry of aid contractors around D.C,' she said. More critically, Burton questioned the effectiveness of many aid programs themselves. 'I think many of the programs weren't that effective, so what Africa is losing in terms of potential impact is also not as significant as it appears on paper,' she added.
Voice of America
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
False: With Russia's support, CAR significantly succeeded in combating militants
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Russian deputy defense minister and President Vladimir Putin's special envoy to Africa, visited C.A.R. on March 2 to give assurance of continued military and economic support for leader Faustin-Archange Touadera. State-owned news outlet Sputnik Africa reported on Yevkurov's visit, highlighting Russia's military presence in C.A.R. as "significantly" successful in subjugating militant groups opposing the government. Sputnik Africa attributed the quote to an unnamed Russian deputy ambassador to the United Nations. The claim is false. Russian military involvement in C.A.R. formally started in 2018, with the Kremlin-backed mercenary group Wagner, now rebranded Africa Corps, a unit under the command of the Russian Defense Ministry, arriving to provide support to President Touadera. The security situation since the Russian troops' arrival in C.A.R. has seen little improvement, according to multiple reports. Contrary to the Kremlin and its media claims, the Russian forces did not contribute to establishing peace and stability but instead became one of the most violent armed groups in C.A.R. spreading terror and corruption, The Associated Press reported in April 2024. The Africa Corps, the successor of Wagner, continues waging a "campaign of terror" in Central African Republic, the VOA sister organization Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported in February. "Between 2018 and 2024, Russian troops were involved in more than 100 fights and committed more than 362 incidents of violence against civilians. The violence resulted in at least 786 fatalities," RFE/RL reported, citing data by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, a U.S.-based nonprofit. In exchange for military support to president Touadera, the Kremlin gained control over C.A.R. mineral resources, extracting "half a billion dollars a year in gold, timber, and blood diamonds," NBC News reported last May. Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries on Earth, has been engaged in a civil war since 2013, mainly over control of its vast natural resources, including elements vital for modern hi-tech, such as uranium, cobalt and gold. The Touadera administration proposed an internationally sponsored plan to help the rebels transition to a civilian life and signed a peace deal with 14 militia groups in 2019. About 5,000 militants used the opportunity, but at least 15% of them returned to the rebel groups, and some 70% are suspected of either serving simultaneously in the government forces and in militias, or joining the Russian units, the U.N. said in 2024. Most of the millions of dollars the West spent to disarm the rebels and end the violence in C.A.R. are lost to corruption, including the $3.5 million sent by the U.S., and at least six of the 14 groups who signed the 2019 peace agreement with president Touadera letter broke their commitment, the AP reported last April. At least 14 rebel groups continue to control two-thirds of the country, including certain districts in the capital, Bangui, according to the Global Conflict Tracker interactive database produced by the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. analytical institution. The U.N. Security Council said in October, "the situations in the northwest and eastern parts of the country appear to be particularly concerning because of competition among armed groups over control of natural resources and main road axes." "Civilians continue to bear the brunt of continued instability in the country, including the use of explosive ordnance and the involvement of various armed groups in kidnapping for ransom," the U.N. reported. According to Forbidden Stories, an international network of journalists, the Kremlin has been stepping up propaganda efforts to increase its influence in the Central African Republic and other African countries. In its investigation, published in November last year, the outlet said that Russia has been covering the harsh reality on the ground through a network of paid local journalists, whose reports are amplified by the Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik and paid content creators on social media. Russian troops have been involved in "widespread, systematic, and well-planned campaigns of mass killing, torture, and rape throughout the country," the U.S. Department of State said in a report on Russian military and propaganda activities in Africa, published February 2024. The U.S. designated Wagner an international criminal organization in January 2023 for "an ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity, including mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali." Conclusion Russian military activities in the Central African Republic reportedly resulted in increased violence, instead of helping to stop the civil war. Reliable reports show that Russian troops have systematically committed atrocities while profiting from exploiting natural resources. The U.N. noted Russian corrupting influence as one of the reasons for the failure of a peace agreement.
