An evergreen contract automatically renews on or after the expiry date. The parties involved in the contract agree that it rolls over automatically until one gives the notice to terminate it.
Evergreen contracts are used for a number of different purposes including rental leases, purchasing contracts, and service agreements.
In February 2024 Moscow hosted the international forum “For Freedom of Nations!”, which was dedicated to the struggle against neocolonialism. This term was coined in the mid-20th century to describe a system of subordination and exploitation of younger states by former metropolises, including those recently liberated from colonial political dependence. Unfortunately, we see how the Western world continues to restrain the development of younger states, blatantly interfering in their internal affairs in various forms. And we can clearly see how former metropolises are trying their best to maintain their privileged positions after decolonization.
De facto colonialism has long penetrated all aspects of African life and its consequences seriously limit the continent’s capacity to resist to global challenges. And if in the past it was direct oppression, now the West is resorting to more sophisticated forms of dependency, notably a growing debt burden, which not only limits the development of the states, but also challenges their sovereignty. According to UNCTAD, over the past 12 years, Africa’s total debt has increased by 183% reaching $1.8 trillion, which is four times as high as the national GDP growth across the continent. Often the loans are at higher interest rates than those offered to the so-called “golden billion” countries. It is hard to talk about the economic freedom and independence of a particular country, when it has to coordinate policies with its creditors while making decisions.
Today, the continent also faces a problem with domestic financing for development. Africa loses up to $150 billion annually due to the siphoning of assets to Western countries. This is exacerbated by unlawful restrictive measures applied against independent states. Today they are imposed on 9 African countries and the West has no intention of lifting them.
At the same time, former colonizers advertise the assistance they provide, which in fact falls short of international norms and standards. In 2023, for example, the volume of humanitarian assistance to many African countries was only 20-30% of what the donors had promised. This year the situation remains the same.
The West’s hypocrisy is most evident in matters of food security. For example, only about 3% of Ukrainian grain supplied to foreign markets under the much-vaunted “Black Sea Initiative” went to the countries in Africa and Asia, while the lion’s share of this product was allocated to countries that were by no means suffering from hunger, mainly in the European Union.
It should be noted that Western donors often invest in projects that are of interest to them in terms of profitability, with African countries’ pressing problems sidelined. In our view, this is unfair, especially given the West’s essentially exploitative colonial past with these states. According to calculations, over 50 years the West has drained over $62 trillion worth of raw materials from the Global South. Today, we also witness monetary neocolonialism manifested in the dependence of French-speaking African states’ monetary system, with 14 countries making their calculationsin the single currency created by the capitalists, the CFA franc. In other words, what we are seeing, is control of the economic system of these states by outside powers – the use of this currency is limited by external barriers, which becomes a real obstacle to development.
Unfortunately, the neocolonialists’ blatant interference also affects the worldview of many Africans. Their traditions and centuries-old ways of life are constantly undermined, including by reshaping of the basics of religions and beliefs.
More recently, on the pretext of caring for the environment and combating climate change, the West has in fact been seeking to gain virtually unlimited access to deposits of lithium, graphite, cobalt, rare earth metals, and nickel, which are essential for the transition to low-carbon energy. The “carrot” is the promise of aid for climate finance. In 2010 developing countries were promised $100 billion annually for a period of 10 years. However, they received a tiny part of what had been promised. In 2015, the same money was promised again in Paris, but nothing has changed. Western countries are building “dirty” manufacturing plants abroad, including in Africa, while forcing developing countries to buy expensive “green” technologies from them.
We are convinced that the struggle against neocolonialism will ultimately enable former colonies to achieve full sovereignty and effectively resist the imposition of unequal economic and political relations. In this regard, the efforts of the entire world community to complete the process of decolonization and to get rid of neocolonial dependence are needed more than ever before.
In our understanding, neocolonial practices are a dead end. Our choice is to create a multipolar, inclusive and sustainable system of international relations based on the norms of international law and the UN Charter. This implies the formation of a world order that will take into account the right of every nation to self-determination and reflect cultural diversity. In this regard, the Russian Federation counts on coordinated actions withinsuch multilateral associations as the SCO, BRICS, the African Union, ASEAN, etc. We consider the entry of the African Union into the G20 as an important achievement of collective Africa. We also support strengthening Africa’s position in global bodies such as the UN Security Council. We note that the current representation of African states in the UN Security Council does not reflect the number of African countries on the planet,nor the role that the continent plays in international life. This imbalance needs to be redressed.
At the same time, we believe it is necessary to develop horizontal connections between regional associations of different continents, creating a network of constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation. We assign one of the leading roles in this process to BRICS.
In conclusion, I would like to underline that this year, within the framework of Russia’ chairmanship of BRICS, our country has held and is going to hold a number of important international events aimed at building a balanced world community free from the legacy of the colonial system and based on the principles of inclusive multilateralism, sovereign equality, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between countries with different political and social systems. I hope that together with our African partners we will successfully continue this important and necessary work for us.
Evgeny Terekhin is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Ethiopia
Cases of the potentially deadly mpox virus have skyrocketed about 75-fold in children and young people aged under 19 in the most severely impacted province in Democratic Republic of Congo so far this year, Save the Children said.
Cases in the eastern province of South Kivu are spreading over twice as fast in children as in the general population, according to new analysis [1][2], as health workers race to curb the spread of the virus as the new school term starts this week.
With delivery of vaccines to DRC and neighbouring countries delayed, it is critical that the international community steps up funding so that schools can ensure they have adequate clean water, hygiene and sanitation measures for children in the next few weeks. Many schools have no running water, disinfectant or soap – basic measures to prevent the spread of disease that be contracted from contaminated surfaces and objects, Save the Children said.
Save the Children analysis of Ministry of Health data for South Kivu showed that there were 15 cases of mpox recorded in the first four weeks of the year, compared to 1,192 cases in the four weeks between 22 July and 18 August among children and young people [3].
The latest mpox variant, clade 1b, was detected in DRC in September 2023 and has recently been found in neighbouring countries and other parts of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the virus to be a public health emergency of international concern three weeks ago.
To date about 90% of reported cases of mpox are in the DRC where it has infected at least 18,000 people and led to 615 deaths, according to the WHO. South Kivu is the epicentre, with almost half (46%) of the country’s new cases in the past four weeks (up to 18 August) in the province, the highest of any one province in the country. Of this, two thirds of cases have been in children.
Julien Chabo Byake, Social Behavioural Change Communication Officer with Save the Children in South Kivu, is currently training communities to try to stop the spread of mpox through simple measures such as avoiding handshakes and other close contact with others. He is also working with health authorities on tackling misinformation and guiding communities about how to seek proper medical treatment.
Health workers are having to fight socio-cultural stigma around the virus due to a widespread belief that it is spread through sexual contact and people reluctant to seek treatment for fear of isolation from their families and livelihoods. Some people have opted instead for seek help from traditional medicine practitioners or self medication which could be fatal.
Recalling a boy of 4 or 5 years old with mpox he met at the hospital, Byake said:
“We saw lesions and rashes covering his body. The child was crying frequently and only wanted to be held by his mother. He had a fever and appeared very exhausted. His mother told us he hadn’t been eating, despite being offered his favourite foods, and was losing weight. His eyes were slightly red.
“She was deeply worried and initially thought the illness was due to witchcraft or some form of harm from others […] There is a lot of misinformation in the community: some people believe this illness doesn’t exist, others claim it originated in European labs to reduce the African population, while some think it’s witchcraft or a god’s punishment for sinners. “
He added that there is also a part of the community that does recognise mpox as a disease, like Ebola and cholera that have also hugely impacted the country.
Greg Ramm, Save the Children Country Director in DRC, said:
“This country has borne the brunt of health crises before – from Ebola to cholera to measles. Enough is enough – this deadly new mpox strain should be the ultimate call for the world to commit to investing in disease control and prevention so that children and families do not suffer needlessly.
“It’s high time children in the DRC stopped being another forgotten crisis. The world must also invest in longterm solutions, such as equitable access to vaccines and increased testing capacities.”
Save the Children is calling for a substantial injection of funding to implement clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, so that children can play and learn safely. The organisation is also calling for support to increase awareness raising activities in schools and in the wider community. This would also help stave off other diseases rife in DRC, such as measles, which killed nearly 6,000 people last year according to MSF [4].
In DRC, Save the Children is responding to the mpox outbreak in North Kivu and South Kivu through water, sanitation and health services support, including providing PPE and training leaders in engagement, communication, and community alert systems for identifying and reporting suspected cases. The outbreak is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis, with over 7 million people displaced, primarily due to conflict and a weakened health system.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.
TPLF is a war machine. No doubt about that. Trouble is, however much it has perfected the art of war, it couldn’t learn the high art of good governance and compromise. I have quoted it before, and I will repeat it again: politics is the art of compromise, and TPLF has failed miserably on both scores.
It runs a government the way it fights a nemesis on the battlefield – go get him at all and any cost, kill and annihilate! But for how long could Tigray last, constantly footing TPLF’s bills in the blood of its children?
Remember the last war was primarily fought by kids who had come of age after Meles had passed on. At least they were SUPPOSED to reap the fruits of the struggle for which their grandparents and parents had sacrificed their precious lives – enjoying peace and prosperity, living among their fellow compatriots in eternal fraternity. But they were caught in the whirlpool of a never-ending vicious circle of war to win over an ‘eternal enemy’, which sadly happens to be the rest of the Commonwealth and the State of Eritrea.
Just try to call to mind any one party or political group TPLF is on good terms with. None! Even OPDO and ANDM proved that they were ‘sleeper agents’ for the opposition cause, biding their time to jump it the moment opportunity strikes. They kind of did, too, in a very despicable manner that made some of us ponder the ingenuity of their actions.
I think TPLF needs to quit looking at itself from inside-out for a change and weigh its worth from an outsider’s simple palpable perspectives.
1 – Fifty Years of Itching
Come February, TPLF turns fifty years old. Out of this, it has been in government for more than thirty solid years (without counting the three years it had independently governed the whole of Tigray before marching on Addis in 1991). What has it got to show for it, I would very much like to know? One thing is for sure, it has planted and sustained the high art of intrigue and feud in the national politics of the country, to which the incumbent and the opposition have become heirs apparent.
The war-fatigued overwhelming majority of the Ethiopian public had given TPLF an unprecedented opportunity to prove its mettle in the early years of the 1990s. Instead, TPLF chose to isolate and liquidate the elite of every other society, except that of Tigray. In all the past three decades, Tigray was represented by the crème de la crème of its society. On the contrary, it declared war on established institutions like reputed universities in the country and founded a college that trains an army of civil servants totally committed to serve the interests of the Front and none other. These folks will yet be the ruin of the country as they are liable to change course and faith depending on the given circumstances. Those weaknesses and opportunistic individuals were handpicked from every other region. However, TPLF failed to realize that these individuals they had nurtured and supported would eventually turn against them. These junior partners of the coalition were insulted and humiliated more than any other members of society. They nursed a wounded pride for years and eventually cannibalized EPRDF with such vengeance that the actual victims of the Front ended up playing second fiddle to them.
This makes me wonder, what kind of politicians are TPLFites if they didn’t see this coming? The only thing TPLF could showcase as its achievement was EPRDF and its exploits, but it was treated poorly by its own members.
Let this be a lesson to TPLF – don’t build a house on a shifting foundation as noted in the Biblical parable.
2- The Culture of Nepotism and Corruption.
If TPLF had inflicted a lasting wound on the rest of the country, it would be the legacy of nepotism and corruption in every aspect of governance at all levels. Sadly, it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The Premier candidly admitted that a considerable number of PP members join the party hierarchy for personal business gain. They join the opposition and shamelessly declare that they have always known PP for what it really is and hated it. This culture of insincerity is another despicable trait passed down by TPLF.
By the government’s own account, a group of thugs is running political and economic business empires. People underestimate how strong and vicious this network is. Two weeks ago, major news outlets reported that a smooth-talking imposter, posing as the brother of Addis mayor, had defrauded several business people in the country. This gives you a clue – one cannot help but wonder what would have happened if he was indeed the mayor’s brother. In that scenario, those people would have readily given him a hefty sum without hesitation.
3- Alienating the Youth.
I have tried to find information about the breakaway faction led by Getachew and Prof Kindeya. They are relatively young and not members of the battle-hardened original ‘tegadalay core’ of the Front. Although they are pushing their fifties, by TPLF’s standards, they are still considered young.
Instead of considering the alternatives proposed by the opposing group, TPLF is busy coming up with fitting adjectives to denigrate them, calling them names like rotten cells, and so on. This makes me wonder how long TPLF will continue singing the party anthem of ‘my way or the highway’. Haven’t the days of escorting dissidents to the borders of Sudan ended yet?
4- Realistically speaking, what are TPLF’s alternatives? Okay, we have heard the brave declaration by D. Tsion that TPLF doesn’t take leave from any earthly power to call the General Assembly. But there is this little law called ‘the Ethiopian Electoral, Political Parties Registration and Election Code of Conduct Proclamation’ that bestows rather sweeping power on the Board to regulate political parties and ensure compliance. What are they going to do about it?
Remember, the last war was the result of discord between the Board and TPLF. TPLF flat out refused to submit to the requirements of the Board, just like any other party founded yesterday. In those days, I remember arguing TPLF could have a good chance of arguing its case legitimately if it had opted for judicial recourse.
Unless sober heads prevail, it looks like this ‘bravery’ of TPLF is going to be a disagreeable déjà vu.
God Bless.
The writer can be reached via estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com
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