Africa (except North Africa)

PRETORIA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 40,000 people could die with coronavirus in South Africa by the end of the year, scientists have warned.

The projections were made by a group of academics and health experts advising the government.

They assume tough lockdown restrictions will be eased from June, as President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced.

The curbs – which were introduced in March and include a ban on tobacco and alcohol sales – have been credited with slowing the spread of the virus.

JUBA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Vice-President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, who was part of a task force to fight coronavirus, is in self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

Machar said as several other members of the task force were infected a new team was taking over their work.

His wife, who is Defence Minister Angelina Teny, some bodyguards and other staff also have the virus.

Experts worry that decades of conflict has left South Sudan incapable of dealing with a surge in new infections.

JUBA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 200 people were killed and at least 300 others wounded in inter-communal clashes last weekend in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, according to local leaders.

Local officials say armed youth suspected of being from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area carried out attacks in four villages on Saturday and Sunday.

ADDIS ABABA, May 20 (NNN-ENA) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across Africa rose from 84,634 Monday afternoon, to 88,172 as of Tuesday afternoon, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The continental disease control and prevention agency, which noted that the virus has so far spread into 54 African countries, also disclosed that some 33,863 people, who have been infected with the COVID-19, have recovered across the continent as of Tuesday afternoon.

CALABAR (Nigeria), May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A pastor in Nigeria’s southern city of Calabar has been arrested for breaching lockdown rules by conducting a wedding in his church.

In a video, guests can be seen fleeing as officials entered the building.

The pastor, from the Apostolic Church, was arrested on Saturday by members of Cross River state’s Covid-19 taskforce who were on patrol. They got suspicious after seeing an unusual number of vehicles parked in front of the church.

PRETORIA, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The South African army has begun to build four field hospitals as the country prepares for “the devastating impact” of Covid-19.

“The army, which ordered all its staff back to work on May 1, is also planning to convert 2010 Soccer World Cup stadiums into field hospitals after being warned to expect the worst,” the Independent Online website reported.

Sources in the military are quoted as saying the plans are not unusual and are to augment existing health facilities.

LILONGWE, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima wants his supporters to literally embrace backers of other parties that he’s formed an alliance with.

He has come under fire for his remarks as there are warnings that this could encourage the spread of coronavirus.

Chilima is Lazarus Chakwera’s running mate in a presidential election re-run that is expected in July. In the May 2019 cancelled election they ran against each other.

ABUJA, May 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria impounded a plane operated by a British company for allegedly contravening a flight ban imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the aviation minister said.

Passenger flights into the country, with the exception of ones to evacuate people or repatriate Nigerian citizens, have been banned for weeks. The ban will remain in place until at least June 4.

Flights for essential services, such as the delivery of food supplies and items for humanitarian use, are permitted.

HARARE, May 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe’s second biggest city of Bulawayo limited access to tap water to just one day a week as reservoir levels fall to dangerously low levels amid the country’s worst drought in years.

After a devastating drought in 2019 and patchy rains this year, water shortages have worsened in Bulawayo, in the west of the country, forcing families to trek to unsafe wells as taps run dry.

KIGALI, May 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Uganda is set to release 170 Rwandans who have been under its detention, Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said at a press conference.

It is “an important step” towards the implementation of the Luanda Agreements, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last year for normalizing bilateral relations, said the minister.