U.S. calls for Tigrian forces to respect Lalibela cultural heritage
The United States called for Lalibela combatants to respect the cultural heritage in Lalibela, whose famed rock-hewn churches are a United Nations World Heritage Site, after forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region took control of the town.
Lalibela, also a holy site for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, is in the North Wollo Zone of the Amhara region in Ethiopia’s north. In recent weeks fighting has spread from Tigray into two neighbouring regions, Amhara and Afar, forcing around 250,000 people to flee.
The government declared victory at the end of that month, after seizing the regional capital Mekelle. But the TPLF kept fighting and at the end of June retook Mekelle and most of Tigray after government soldiers withdrew.
Thousands of people have died in the fighting and around two million people have been displaced.
Ahmat Abdelkerim appointed MD of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Horn of Africa cluster
Effective July 2021, Ahmat Abdelkerim became Managing Director of the Bolloré Transport & Logistics Horn of Africa cluster. He will be managing the business activities in three countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea. He has taken over from Patrick Gerenthon, who has moved on to perform other duties within Bolloré Transport & Logistics.
Ahmat Abdelkerim, originally from Chad, graduated from Sup’Management Graduate School in Morocco and has a Master’s degree in Development Management and Politics from Sciences Po Paris. He had occupied several managerial roles during his 20 year career at Bolloré Transport & Logistics before being promoted to Managing Director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Chad in 2016.
As part of his new duties, Ahmat Abdelkerim will supervise the development of the company’s logistics activities in the countries of the division and will contribute to reinforcing our presence in East Africa. His knowledge in operations will allow him to develop innovative and flexible solutions adapted to the needs of local and international customers.
Africa announces the rollout of 400m vaccine doses to the African Union Member States
President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa and African Union (AU) COVID-19 Champion, announced the start of monthly shipments of vaccines acquired by the AU / African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to the AU Member States. An initiative by the AU Member States to pool their purchasing power, the AVAT, on 28 March 2021, had signed the historic agreement for the purchase of 220 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, with the potential to order an additional 180 million doses. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was selected for this first pooled procurement for three reasons: first of all, as a single-shot vaccine, it is easier and cheaper to administer; second, the vaccine has a long shelf-life and favourable storage conditions. Last but not least, the vaccine is partly manufactured on the African continent, with fill-finish activities taking place in South Africa.
President Ramaphosa said “this is a momentous step forward in Africa’s efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of its people. By working together and by pooling resources, African countries have been able to secure millions of vaccine doses produced right here in Africa. This will provide impetus to the fight against COVID-19 across the continent and will lay the basis for Africa’s social and economic recovery.”
