Greetings fellow Avocados, I’m SaragossaManuscript and I’ll be the one to blame for Wednesday Politics Threads going forward. I don’t quite have my own thing yet, but hope to become gradually more coherent over time. For now, I’d like to share a handful of news items related to Africa. I have some personal connections to East Africa and am eager to learn more about this part of the world. Since you’re collectively the smartest people I know, this seems a convenient way to remedy my ignorance.
Now that I’ve sweet talked my way into your hearts, check out these politics:
Congo court sentences 51 individuals to death over 2017 murder of UN experts
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) sentenced 51 individuals to death Saturday in relation to the 2017 murder of two UN experts. […] DRC has long observed a moratorium on death penalties. […] All those sentenced to death are to serve life sentences during the operation of the moratorium.
Jurist [archive]
Infrastructure Week goes to Tanzania!
Construction of the new Tanzanite Bridge in Dar es Salaam is complete […] jointly funded by the Tanzania government and the government of South Korea at 82.9 per cent of the entire cost.
The Citizen [archive]
South Korea, like so many other nations, is very eager to access Africa’s resources. Projects like the Tanzanite Bridge are part of their cooperative initiatives.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) launched on January 1st last year and, although it remains mostly symbolic, the prospect of its full implementation definitely draws attention. In December of last year, the Korea-Africa Foundation hosted the Korea-Africa Business Forum, and the 4th Annual Seoul Dialogue on Africa.
The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area, encompassing 1.27 billion people in 54 African countries with an estimated $3 trillion in combined GDP, which could be a game-changer in the global economy.
Korea Times [archive]
Stop financing fossil fuel projects in Africa – Environmental coalition to AfDB
A coalition of climate change-focused NGOs across Africa has called on the African Development Bank (AfDB) to stop providing financial and technical support for fossil fuel energy in Africa.
The group charged the development finance institution to “prioritize the development and implementation of a fossil fuel finance exclusion policy that states that the bank will not fund, provide financial services, or capacity support to any coal, gas, or oil project or related infrastructure project that is carbon-intensive on the African continent after 2022.”
Citi Newsroom [archive]
The group is called Zero Emissions | Omissions, and their statement can be read here: Financing a Just Transition in Africa.
‘Everyone’s Looking for Plastic.’ As Waste Rises, So Does Recycling.
Plagued by plastic pollution, Senegal wants to replace pickers at the garbage dump with a formal recycling system that takes advantage of the new market for plastics.
Senegal is just one of many countries trying to clean up, formalize the waste disposal system and embrace recycling on a bigger scale. By 2023, the African Union says, the goal is that 50 percent of the waste used in African cities should be recycled.
The New York Times [archive]
Enjoy your Wednesday everybody, and note that the Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect, so be kind to each other and especially to the mods.