Latest news with #sub-SaharanAfricans
Morocco World
26-03-2025
- Morocco World
Two Arrested for Promoting Irregular Migration on Social Media
Rabat – Moroccan law enforcement arrested two suspects on Tuesday in Tetouan for allegedly spreading false information and digital content that encourages irregular migration near the border with Spain. Moroccan police have intensified their crackdown on people who disseminate digital content online to encourage and teach others how to cross illegally. After detecting online posts that planned to storm the security fence between Fnideq and Ceuta, police from Tetouan, Chefchaouen, and Fez worked with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) to carry out an operation that resulted in the arrest of the two suspects involved. To identify the two perpetrators, investigators used technical analysis and ground research. Converging reports stated that upon thorough investigation, police arrested the first suspect in the rural area of Bouzat near Bab Taza, a town near Chefchaouen, and the second in Fez. The two suspects are now in custody for a judicial investigation under the supervision of the prosecutor's office to uncover the circumstances and motivations behind the perpetrator's digital campaign. Read also: Report: Morocco Leverages Position to Control Migration Routes to Europe The operation is part of Morocco's broader efforts to combat irregular migration and human trafficking networks. This incident recalls what happened in September 2025, when some social media users launched a large campaign inciting people to perform an unauthorized entry into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on September 15. The viral campaign effectively gained traction and encouraged hundreds of young people to commit the act, including Moroccans, sub-Saharan Africans, and other nationalities. The crossing attempt turned into scenes of riot, vandalism, and clashes with security forces who were trying to foil the operation. Moroccan authorities said back then that 152 individuals had been prosecuted for inciting irregular migration. The North African country is continuing to take proactive steps to address irregular migration, especially because of its position as a crossing point to Europe. Tags: False informationirregular migrationSuspect arrested
Morocco World
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Report: Morocco Leverages Position to Control Migration Routes to Europe
Doha – A new report by Mixed Migration Centre released this month reveals how Morocco has significantly strengthened enforcement mechanisms along migration routes to Europe, successfully preventing tens of thousands of 'illegal crossings' since early 2023. The study, titled 'Beyond restrictions: how migration and smuggling adapt to changing policies across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the English Channel,' examines how Morocco's strategic position has allowed it to negotiate favorable agreements with both Spain and the European Union. 'Morocco's ongoing role as both a transit and destination country for migrants has created significant opportunities for it to leverage its position in 'managing migration' between mainland Europe and Africa,' the report states, detailing how this has resulted in multiple deals signed over the past two decades. In July 2022, the EU launched an Anti-smuggling Operational Partnership with Morocco, ostensibly to 'tackle criminal networks, address irregular migration and save lives.' This partnership exists alongside broader EU support worth €1.4 billion for 'reforms and increased resilience' until 2027. According to the report, the diplomatic relationship between Spain and Morocco has also substantially improved since 2022, following an incident in 2021 when approximately 10,000 people entered Ceuta in a single day. The two countries have subsequently repaired and strengthened their 'strategic partnership' on migration through a series of agreements on 'migration management' in 2023. The research indicates that Morocco's enforcement actions have made the Western Mediterranean Route (WMR) 'increasingly inaccessible to sub-Saharan Africans.' Following the 2022 tragedy at Melilla, where 23 migrants were killed, the report notes there has been 'racial profiling that prevents Sub-Saharan Africans from being in the area near the enclave.' 'The Moroccan authorities treat people differently according to whether they are North African or Sub-Saharan. People from Sub-Saharan Africa know that Morocco is not safe for them,' one interviewee told researchers. Morocco holds the line Data from the report shows that since numbers along this route spiked in 2018 with 60,000 crossings, they have steadily reduced and then remained relatively stable at around 17,000 crossings per year. In 2024, arrivals to Spain via the WMR stood at 17,475, comparable to the 17,208 recorded in 2023. This stability in numbers reflects Morocco's consistent enforcement efforts. According to Frontex data cited in the report, numbers along this route in 2024 (between January and October) reduced by 5% compared to the same period in 2023. Despite decreased movement along the WMR, smuggling networks remain active, operating as 'poly criminal networks in order to sustain revenue in times of slowed movement' with diversified income sources across various avenues including illicit drugs and other goods trafficking. This suggests smuggler networks 'could easily be ready to return to, or expand migrant smuggling if demand returns.' The study places Morocco's tight command over migration flows in a wider European context, noting that in March 2025, Frontex reported a 25% drop in irregular migration during January–February compared to the same period in 2024. The report wraps up by applauding Morocco's firm grip on migration flows. As one interviewee noted: 'Spain and the EU have paid Morocco a lot of money for migrant control, so that has reduced the numbers coming through that route.' Read also: Morocco Halts Over 78,000 Irregular Migration Attempts in 2024 Tags: irregular immigration
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Health
- Voice of America
Africa faces diabetes crisis, study finds
Researchers warn that type 2 diabetes could affect millions more people in the coming decades after a study published this month revealed the disease is rising far faster among people in sub-Saharan Africa than previously thought. Take 51-year-old security guard Sibusiso Sithole, for example. Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes came as a shock, he said, because he walked six miles to and from work every day and never thought his weight was a problem. Then his wife noticed changes in his health. Since his diagnosis 13 years ago, Sithole has been on a rigorous treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure. 'I have to take six ... medications every day,' he said. Diabetes is a condition in which the body struggles to turn food into energy due to insufficient insulin. Without insulin, sugar stays in the blood instead of entering cells, leading to high blood-sugar levels. Long-term complications include heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. The International Diabetes Federation estimated in 2021 that 24 million adults in sub-Saharan Africa were living with the condition. Researchers had projected that by 2045, about 6% of sub-Saharan Africans — over 50 million — would have diabetes. The new study, published this month in the medical journal The Lancet, suggested the actual percentage could be nearly double that. By tracking more than 10,000 participants in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Burkina Faso over seven years, researchers found that poor eating habits, lack of health care access, obesity and physical inactivity are key drivers of diabetes in Africa. Dr. Raylton Chikwati, a study co-author from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, said another risk factor is living in or moving to the outskirts of cities, or 'peri-urban areas.' 'Access to health care, you know, in the rural areas is a bit less than in the urban areas,' Chikwati said, adding that increased use of processed foods in the peri-urban areas was a problem. Palwende Boua, a research associate at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro in Burkina Faso, said long-term studies are rare in Africa but essential to understanding diseases. 'Being able to have a repeated measure and following up [with] the same people ... is providing much more information and much valuable information,' Boua said, 'rather than having to see people once and trying to understand a phenomenon.' Boua is preparing a policy brief for Burkina Faso's government to assist in the fight against diabetes. For Sithole, managing his diabetes has been a long journey. But with treatment and lifestyle changes, he has regained control over his health. 'What I can tell people is that they must go and check — check the way they eat — because that time I was having too much weight in my body,' he said. 'I was wearing size 40 that time. Now I'm wearing size 34.' Experts stressed that Africans should get their blood-sugar level tested and seek treatment when diabetes is diagnosed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The symbiosis of traditional and new energy is the key to Africa's prosperity
African countries can make progress in securing electricity supplies, as concluded by the Regional to Global conference organised by the Global Energy Association in Port Louis, Mauritius on January 30, 2025 MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The conference was attended by: Abel Didier Tella, Director General of Association of Power Utilities of Africa Dmitri Bessarabov, Director of the HySA Infrastructure Competence Center in South Africa Ismael Adam Essackjee, Ag Manager at the Central Electricity Board of Mauritius Cynthia Angweya-Muhati, CEO of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association Mohammad Khalil Elahee, Chair of Professor at the University of Mauritius, the 2024 Global Energy Prize laureate Zi-Qiang Zhu, Professor at the University of Sheffield (UK) Swinage Chikwedze, Board Member of Sustenergy Pvt (Zimbabwe) "The share of sub-Saharan Africans with access to electricity has increased from 26% in 2000 to 52% in 2022. This growth is due to the construction of electrical networks, as well as the commissioning of new generating capacities. In the last ten years alone, the installed capacity of renewable energy power plants in Africa has almost doubled. Angola has become a major producer of hydropower, Kenya is one of the world leaders in geothermal energy, and the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the largest hydropower plant in Africa while the country has significantly increased its use of biomass. Finally, Egypt will be the second country producer of nuclear power in Africa," said Abel Didier Tella. "This conference is a vital platform that emphasizes the contributions of developing countries in shaping the global energy landscape. It brings together diverse experiences and ideas to promote affordable and sustainable energy solutions for everyone," said the 2022 Global Energy Prize laureate Kaushik Rajashekara. He received the award at the first Regional to Global conference held in Uruguay. "Electrification in Africa comes at a time when the cost of wind and solar power has dropped significantly. It is also a great opportunity to use more widely electric vehicles in the cities in Africa. Moreover, the efficiency of electrical appliances, including air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, has increased dramatically over the past decades. In this way, the reliability of the region's energy supply can be ensured in a fairly short period of time. All of these need a strong government support. For instance, policy for using electric vehicles and charging infrastructure," said Zi-Qiang Zhu. Photo: View original content:
