The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reopened its borders with Rwanda and Burundi, an official said on Sunday, easing a temporary partial closure ordered earlier this month amid heightened diplomatic tensions.
Central African nation had closed its borders with its smaller eastern neighbors on June 17 after a Congolese soldier was shot dead by Rwandan police in an exchange of fire at the border near the Congolese town of Goma.
The incident coincided with escalated diplomatic tensions between the neighbors, as the DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, which Kigali denies.
Congolese deputy Prime Minister Daniel Aselo told local media that the decision to reopen the borders was reached during a Cabinet meeting on Friday.
Border gates will only remain open for seven hours per day, instead of the previous 14 hours prior to the temporary closure, Aselo told local daily Politico.
The reaction from residents of border areas in Rwanda was mixed, with some welcoming the move, hoping it could herald a resumption of cross-border business.
Others, however, expressed concern that Rwandans may not be treated well in the DRC amid the current state of tensions.
Clashes between DRC forces and M23 rebels intensified in March, uprooting thousands of people. - James Tasamba, Anadolu Agency
KIGALI, Rwanda,23 June 2022,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The March to Kigali, a campaign led by a group of like-minded civil society organizations from across Africa and supported by Speak Up Africa has garnered the engagement of over 300 signatories. The campaign urges global leaders to prioritize the elimination of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) at the Kigali summit, which takes place today, alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
With these diseases disproportionately affecting the vulnerable members of society and adversely impacting Africa’s economic and social development, the March to Kigali campaign garners global attention to accelerate action to end malaria and NTDs on the continent.
Every two minutes, an African child dies from malaria. The continent accounts for over 90% of global malaria deaths and over 40 per cent of the global burden of NTDs is in Africa. Efforts to eliminate these diseases are stifled by inadequate health systems and limited programme funding coupled with less attention and prioritization on the global and regional stage.
This Kigali Summit presents a historic opportunity for world leaders to reaffirm commitments to end these diseases and their untold suffering and misery on billions of people. Through the March to Kigali campaign, we call for domestic resource mobilization for increased and sustained resources aligned with the co-financing requirements of The Global Fund amounting to US$18 billion required to get the world back on track toward building resilient and sustainable systems for health.
“The March to Kigali campaign acknowledges the strength of the Kigali Summit in convening key decision-makers to bring united global attention to malaria and NTDs. These diseases are entirely treatable and preventable but are still a major obstacle to economic and social development in Africa, affecting the most marginalized populations,” says Yacine Djibo, Founder and Executive Director of Speak Up Africa.
The campaign also calls for a renewed focus on integrating malaria and NTDs control and elimination. Multi-disease solutions can potentially improve healthcare system financing efficiencies with existing integration opportunities to benchmark on. For example, Senegal's National Malaria and Control Program rationalize efforts and costs by using its platform to collect data on both diseases.
The March to Kigali campaign builds on the existing partnerships and platforms of the 'No to NTDs', and 'Zero Malaria Starts with Me' campaigns and aims to secure commitments from national and sub-national stakeholders to end these epidemics by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes political engagement, private sector engagement, civil society, and youth engagement. Civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, and Niger are leading the charge by increasing public awareness and political engagement in eliminating malaria and NTDs.
In Sierra Leone, twelve leading recording artists released “Malaria e Don Wan Dae Na Mi Han”, a music video about malaria prevention and treatment. Community health workers in Sierra Leone also received training to be the first line of defense against these diseases, and over 100,000 malaria rapid testing kits were distributed in Burkina Faso.
Additionally, the through “Lines of Impact” initiative, the campaign works with African journalists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo to develop quality articles on NTDs and malaria “Neglected tropical diseases received little attention in the media. Mass media can play a huge role in disseminating information, influencing public behavior, to ultimately curtail the spread of disease,” says Dr Charity Binka, The Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) and country lead of the March to Kigali campaign in Ghana.
More than 300 civil society and local organizations, media outlets, and individuals across the continent have signed the 'March to Kigali' call to action, demonstrating the incredible commitment at the country and continental level to ending these diseases.
Launch coincides with announcement and first meeting of new clean energy youth working group
Kigali, Rwanda - The Commonwealth Secretariat has launched a new youth network focusing on sustainable urbanisation and those under the age of 35 are urged to join.
The Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation (CYSU) network will use an evidenced-based approach and work collaboratively to address the challenges affecting health, trade, the economy, the environment, and youth employment in cities and human settlements throughout the Commonwealth.
CYSU is the 13th youth network to be set up through the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat for the past 40 years, the youth networks cover various issues and empower those aged 18-29 to make their voices heard by giving them opportunities to shape the future they want to see.
Its launch coincides with the announcement of and first meeting of the newly formed Clean and Sustainable Energy Action Group. A joint effort between members of the CYSU and the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Agenda, its focus will be on scaling up youth-led solutions for clean and sustainable energy and creating a platform for engaging young people in the global discourse on the energy transition.
The CSET will look to help Commonwealth nations with the transition to low carbon energy systems and the achievement of SDGs – in particular SDG 7 on access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. It is anchored on three key pillars - Inclusive Transition; Technology and Innovation; and Enabling Frameworks and is implemented through targeted approaches including member-led Action Groups.
Both groups were profiled on the second day of the Commonwealth Youth Forum, where 350 youth leaders have gathered to share ideas and generate recommendations for improving youth prospects to be taken forward to the Heads of Government meeting on Saturday.
Young people who meet the criteria are encouraged to express their interest in joining the CYSU and the new CSET Youth Action Group through this Google form.
The competition to design the CYSU logo was launched and interested participants are encouraged to submit their designs, find out more information here. A £200 prize is on offer.
The CYSU network is the result of a commitment for increased youth involvement in development reached at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting in London.
It also forms part of the response to a Commonwealth-wide Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation, launched in 2021 by the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (a multidisciplinary group of comprising of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum supported by the Government of Rwanda and The Prince's Foundation).
Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development at the Secretariat, said: "With populations booming – and more and more young people living in cities and towns – it has never been more important to look at the world around us and to think about how it can better serve future generations.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for candidates with a passion for sustainable development to have an impact on the world they see around them."
find more photos from the first day of the Commonwealth Youth Forum here.
CHOGM background:
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 takes place from 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme "Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming".
Commonwealth leaders will travel to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens. Decisions taken at CHOGM also guide the work programme of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The official opening of CHOGM takes place on Friday 24 June and is followed by the main high-level meetings of Heads on Friday 24 to Saturday 25 June. These events are proceeded by four forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities. More information is available below.
The CYF is one of the four forums which have taken place in the margins of CHOGM since 1998. Young people will focus on the data provided by the Youth Development Index (YDI) Report, a Commonwealth tool which helps us to monitor changes in the situation of young people; recognise their contributions to the world; and support them as we all pursue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
You can access more information and the full programme on our App here.
The other forums held ahead of CHOGM are the People's Forum, the Women's Forum, and the Business Forum.
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