Iran: Rights groups decry planned execution of Iranian-Swedish citizen

Diplomats and agencies have called the espionage charges against Ahmad Reza Jalali unfounded. Some experts speculate that his sentencing is in retribution for the trial in Sweden of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri.



Jalali's wife has called on Swedish authorities to help him out of Iran

Human rights organizations and relatives have denounced the recent announcement of the date for the execution of Iranian-Swedish citizen Ahmad Reza Jalali. Vida Mehrannia, Jalali's wife, is calling for his return to Sweden. Some experts have pointed to possible retribution for the trial in Sweden of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri.

"Ahmad Reza has not been allowed any direct telephone contact with us in Sweden since November 2020," Mehrannia told DW.

Mehrannia, like the representatives of several human rights agencies, believes her husband is innocent and that his trial was completely unfair.

Quoting "informed sources," Iranian Students' News Agency reported on May 4 that Jalali's death sentence would be carried out by May 21. Iran's government had sentenced the disaster medicine doctor to death on allegations of espionage for Israel.

Speculation over connection to Hamid Nouri trial

Some experts believe the sentence was issued in retaliation for the trial taking place in Sweden of Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian official who has been implicated in the mass execution of dissidents. The death sentence was announced on the last day of Jalali's trial.

Swedish prosecutors have demanded life in prison for Nouri on charges of involvement in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, as well as for "committing war crimes and premeditated murder."

Maja Aberg, of Amnesty International Sweden, said she believed that the announcement of Jalali's execution was directly related to Nouri's case. "It indicates that [Iran] sees him as a kind of piece in the jigsaw puzzle, which is very worrying," she told Sweden's TT news agency.

Meanwhile, Iran has claimed that its actions against Jalali have nothing to do with Nouri's case.

"His lawyer went to the Evin Prison's Prosecutor's Office to see if the news was true — and it was," Mehrannia said.

She said Jalali's mental and physical condition had worsened after hearing the news of the execution and he had lost 30 kilograms (66 pounds) from his original weight of 81 kilograms.

Mehrannia said their family was also struggling to process the news, and that the couple's 10-year-old son was unaware of his father's death sentence and had only recently learned that his father is imprisoned in Iran.

"My children should not have experienced such days. My 19-year-old daughter has been informed of her father's death sentence and is worried and upset by this unjust sentence," she said.

Earlier this month, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted that the reports that Iran may carry out the death sentence were "very worrying."

"Sweden and the EU condemn the death penalty and demand that Jalali be released. We are in contact with Iran," she said.

Mehrannia said the Swedish government had not done enough for her husband.

Although she has met with Belgium's foreign minister and members of the Italian Parliament, she said she had not been able to meet with Swedish officials face-to-face over the past six years.

"How could the Swedish government not do anything for its citizens?" she asked. "My expectation from the Swedish government is to support its citizens and bring Ahmad Reza back to us."

In May, Mahmud Amiri Moghadam, of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, told Radio Farda that Jalali's sentencing shows that "the Islamic republic is using Jalali as a hostage" to pressure Sweden over the Nouri trial.

"We demand the international community and specifically European countries to clarify the ramifications of such an execution," he said, referring to the "hostage-taking" of Jalali as a punishable international crime.

Jalali was arrested when he was visiting Iran in April 2016, following an invitation from the University of Tehran and Shiraz University.

Two weeks later, he faced charges of espionage, treason and collaboration with Israel. Jalali, a researcher and Karolinska Institute alumnus, is accused of "assassinating two nuclear scientists" by providing "information about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program to Mossad."


On October 21, 2017, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Jalali to death. According to reports, his lawyer was not allowed to be present in the court and he was denied access to the case files. Appeals for judicial review of the sentence have been rejected.
Prisoners protest with hunger strike

His death sentence has been widely protested by human rights organizations both inside and outside Iran. "Jalali's situation is truly horrific," UN human rights experts said in a statement in March. "He has been held in prolonged solitary confinement for over 100 days with the constant risk of his imminent execution laying over his head."

Additionally, Iranian political prisoners Houshang Rezaei and Farhad Meysami, have gone on a hunger strike in Evin and Rajaei-Shahr prisons to protest Jalali's verdict, saying they will continue to strike until the death sentence is overturned.

"We denounce the actions of the Iranian authorities in the strongest terms, as well as their complete inaction despite our constant calls for him to be immediately released," the UN statement said. "The allegations against him are completely baseless and he should be allowed to return to his family in Sweden as soon as possible."

Edited by: Leah Carter

Anniversary of Okinawa's return to Japan rekindles calls for independence

Fifty years after the US ceded rule back to Tokyo, many Okinawans are calling for a renewed independence movement and to reduce the presence of US military bases.

Okinawans have been protesting the construction of US military bases for several years

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to take steps to reduce the US military presence in Okinawa, the nation's most southerly prefecture, on Sunday. He made the comments at a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa from US control.

Residents of the poorest prefecture in Japan, however, were skeptical. Many say they have heard similar promises from a succession of political leaders, but have seen no changes.

Okinawans who oppose the presence of the US military bases, which were built following World War II, say they create a major source of pollution and noise. Many also blame US military personnel for violent crimes that have had an impact on residents, and say the culture, history and language of the indigenous Ryukyuan people are disappearing. The US justifies its presence in Okinawa as the island offers a strategic stronghold in the Pacific.

Many Okinawans are now calling for independence for the semitropical archipelago, which was a kingdom in its own right until it was incorporated into Japan in 1872.


Promises for a 'strong Okinawan economy'

In his address at the Okinawa Convention Center, in the city of Ginowan, Kishida referred to Okinawa as the "gateway to Asia" and said the Ryukyu islands had the potential to become a regional hub for international exchanges. He added that his government would also work hard to create a "strong Okinawan economy."

He conceded, however, that the bases, which were first set up when the US military invaded Okinawa in the closing stages of World War II in 1945, weigh heavily on the local community. He pledged to "steadily make visible progress on the alleviation of the burden while maintaining the deterrence offered by the Japan-US [security] alliance."

Okinawa was returned to Japan's control on May 15, 1972, 27 years after the US invasion. However, the military presence remains overwhelming. Though Okinawa accounts for just 0.6% of the total land area of Japan, it is home to more than 70% of the US military facilities in the country. And locals' resentment does not sit far below the surface.

'No need for any military here'

Asked about the anniversary of the return of Okinawa to Japanese control, Byron Fija told DW: "How can I be happy? Today I am sad and I am angry because this is my country, but, for 270 years, when the first invaders came from the Satsuma Domain, the people here have been exploited for our treasures."

Fija, 52, never knew his American father and was adopted by his mother's older brother. Today he is an academic at Okinawa University and said the ongoing construction of a new US military base on reclaimed land in a pristine bay near the village of Henoko was just the latest slight against the people of Okinawa.

"Henoko is a small village, and there has been a lot of opposition to the base plan there, but the government does not listen to what the people say," he said.

"We could trade with anyone — the US, China, Japan — and there would be no need for any military here at all," he said. But he is not sure whether enough Okinawans are sufficiently unhappy with the situation to form a coherent movement that would fight for independence.

Shinako Oyakawa — a member of the Association of Comprehensive Studies for Independence of the Lew Chewans, or Ryukyuans, which aims to win the islands' independence — is more optimistic.

"Fifty years ago, most Okinawan people believed the return of the islands to Japanese control was a solution to their dreams because it would mean the bases would go, and our human rights would be returned and respected," she told DW. "But that didn't happen, and it's the same even today. ... The people of this prefecture are treated as second-class citizens of Japan."

Despite pleas by successive governments in Okinawa, for some of the US bases to be moved to mainland Japan in order for the burden to be shared more equally with the rest of the nation, nothing has happened, Oyakawa said. It is the perfect example of communities and politicians in the rest of the country saying "not in my backyard,” she added.

The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, signed in 1951, permits the presence of US military bases on Japanese land. Critics say the government in mainland Japan has designated the majority of US military bases to Okinawa.

Majority opposes US troop presence

In the run-up to Sunday's anniversary events, opinion polls conducted in Okinawa by the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper and in mainland Japan by the Mainichi Shimbun revealed that 69% of Okinawans believe that the concentration of US troops in the prefecture is "unfair." Among mainland Japanese, the figure was just 33%.

Despair at the failure to have the US military removed has encouraged a movement for independence, Oyakawa said, and the association is in talks with similar campaigns in Catalonia, Scotland, Guam and Hawaii.

"For a long time, the people of Okinawa were disappointed by the government in Tokyo, but they were defeatists who did not think they could change anything," she said. "That made a campaign for independence difficult. But that is changing and I think it is natural for people to want to be free when they have been colonized for such a long time."

Edited by: Leah Carter

Mexico's number of 'disappeared' people rises above 100,000

There are now over 100,000 people in Mexico's national register of the "disappeared." The UN says organized crime is among the leading causes of missing people in the country.


Human rights organizations and relatives of the missing have called on the government to step up investigations and conduct searches more effectively

Mexico's official figure of missing people on Monday surpassed 100,000 for the first time as families pushed authorities to do more to find victims of violence linked to organized crime.

The interior ministry compiles a national register of the "desaparecidos" — Spanish for missing people — which is periodically updated.

In the last two years the numbers have spiked from about 73,000 people to more than 100,000 — mostly men.

Calls for government to do more

Mexico has seen spiraling violence since the war on drugs began in 2006, with over 350,000 people having died since then.

Last year, the country of more than 129 million people saw 94 murders a day on average.

"It's incredible that disappearances are still on the rise," Virginia Garay, whose son went missing in 2018 in the state of Nayarit, told news agency Reuters.

Human rights organizations and relatives of the missing have called on the government to step up investigations and conduct searches more effectively.

"The government is not doing enough to find them," said Garay, who works in a group called Warriors Searching for Our Treasures that seeks to locate missing loved ones.

Fears that the actual number of missing is far higher

Civil society groups that help try and locate missing people stress that many families do not report disappearances because of distrust in the authorities.

The actual figure of missing people is therefore believed to be much higher than the official data.

"Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearance in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission by public servants," a report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, released last month, said.

"State parties are directly responsible for enforced disappearances committed by public officials, but may also be accountable for disappearances committed by criminal organizations," the report added.

The missing people include human rights defenders, some of whom went missing because of their own involvement in the fight against disappearances.

According to the UN committee, over 30 journalists have also disappeared in Mexico between 2003 and 2021.

dvv/kb (dpa, Reuters)

Child labor on the rise in Africa

After years of child labor decline, the COVID pandemic has pushed many African children back to work. As a result, experts and children's rights activists are calling for stricter measures to protect them.

South Sudan is notoriously known for conscripting child soldiers

Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, is teeming with young vendors. Most of them are children between the ages of 7 and 14, and they occupy major intersections and markets — often working until late at night.

Kevin and Lea are among the hawkers selling their wares in Yaounde's populous neighborhoods during the school vacations. 

"I sell water to help my parents pay for my exercise books for the new school year," 8-year-old Kevin told DW.

"And I sell peanuts to pay for my school supplies," added 10-year-old Lea.

Chantal Zanga, a school principal, is concerned.

"I'm against the street trading that children do," said Zanga. "The child has a right to protection. If we send them to the streets, who will protect them?"

Many children lose valuable school time and spend much of their childhood working

Children lack protection

According to UNICEF, population growth, recurring crises, extreme poverty and inadequate social protection measures have led to an additional 17 million girls and boys engaging in child labor in sub-Saharan Africa over the past four years.

African countries are home to most of the world's 160 million working children.

The International Labor Organization estimates that more than 72 million children in sub-Saharan Africa — nearly one in five — are affected by child labor.

Experts estimate that millions more are at risk due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to UNICEF, this marks the first time in 20 years that progress toward ending child labor has stalled.

It is against this backdrop that experts and child welfare activists are meeting for the 5th World Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor in Durban, South Africa, from May 15-20, to discuss stricter measures for the protection of children. 

Danger on the streets

Distressed child street vendors face daily dangers from traffic, weather and sexual violence. Juliette Lemana, 12, sells safous, a fruit also known as a plum, and roasted plantains in Yaounde.

"Mama sent me to sell," she said, adding that recently a motorcycle ran over her classmate.

"Sometimes we come home at night and we can't find our way," the young girl told DW.

Cameroon's law prohibits child labor, according to Pauline Biyong, president of the League for the Education of Women and Children. 

"Cameroon has ratified many articles to protect children. This phenomenon should be marginal, but unfortunately we observe in our cities that children are used as labor by their parents. This is not normal," she said.

Poverty the leading cause of child exploitation

Economic hardship has forced many children to toil in the gold mines of Tanzania and neighboring Congo.

Others in countries such as South Sudan endanger their lives as child soldiers.

The International Labor Organization estimates that 2.1 million children work in cocoa production in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Around two-thirds of the cocoa produced worldwide comes from Africa.

Nestle is trying to polish its image in cocoa farming by building classrooms for children in cocoa-growing areas. In addition, the Swiss conglomerate has partnered with UNESCO to support women's literacy in the markets.

Despite all these efforts, children still work on some cocoa plantations. "The problem of child labor is real," Toussaint Luc N'Guessan, Nestle's program manager, told DW.

More and more children are working in West Africa's cocoa plantations

Parents abusing children

On the streets of Maiduguri in Nigeria's Borno State, many children work at the request of their parents.

"My father brought me here to learn tailoring," a young boy told DW. "Sometimes, I earn 150 nairas ($0.36/€0.35)."

Adamu Umar — who has 15 children — admitted to DW that he also makes his children work as street vendors to supplement the family income.

But their commitment to their families is costing them dearly, as aid organizations complain that children are denied schooling and education and thus a better life. 

According to the International Labor Organization, 43% of Nigerian children aged between 5 and 11 are child laborers, although international conventions prohibit this.

Poverty is often the cause of child labor in Africa

Severe penalties for parents

As part of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, all 193 member states have pledged to take effective action to eliminate forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking and the worst forms of child labor — including child soldiers — by 2025. 

But controls to stop the employment of minors are rare, according to children's rights organization Plan International.

"It is our responsibility as parents to take care of our children, not our children taking care of us," said Lucy Yunana, a children's rights activist in Nigeria.

Yunana called on the government to crack down on the menace with strict penalties.

She said any child caught peddling or begging should be arrested, including parents allowing their daughters to work as domestic help. Parents would then have to pay the fines.

Back in Cameroon, an extensive program called "useful vacations" was launched at the Center for the Advancement of Women and Families in Nkoldongo to keep children occupied.

But with little encouragement, some parents prefer to boost the family income by having their children work.

"The children have to learn to look for income; that's not bad," Gisele, a mother who sells safous at the Ekounou market, told DW. 

"They have nothing to do during the vacations, and it's normal that they help us prepare for the start of school, at least by buying notebooks. [Life in] Cameroon is hard."

Nepal's economy hammered by power outages

Nepal relies heavily on electricity imported from India, where generation is running low amid one of the worst power crises in years.

The power outages come at a time when Nepal is already grappling with the problem

 of depleting foreign exchange reserves

Nepal's industrial sector has been hit hard by power cuts in recent weeks, with many small, medium as well as large firms forced to shut down operations due to a lack of electricity.

The Himalayan nation relies heavily on energy imported from India, especially during the summer months.

But power generation in India has been running low as it faces one of the worst power crises in years, resulting in little electricity left for export to Nepal.

The Asian giant, which shares a long land border with Nepal, has itself faced power blackouts amid high demand, due to the hottest pre-summer months in decades, industrial activity and supply bottlenecks due to shortages of coal, which produces as much as 70% of its electricity.

Heavy dependence on Indian electricity

Pre-summer inventories at Indian thermal power plants have fallen to one of the lowest levels in recent years, forcing the Indian government to reverse its course on overseas coal purchases and arrange supplies by accelerating imports.

But imports have become pricier since the start of the year as coal spot prices shot up after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. 

"We import 30-40% of our electricity needs from India during the dry season," Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Nepal Electricity Authority, told DW.

"Now, due to severe shortages of coal supplies and higher domestic demand, India itself is facing a power crisis. So we could import only a quarter of our demand."

Many Nepali firms have been forced to cut back or stop production due to the power cuts

Bhattarai stressed that power cuts will likely remain in place for a few more weeks, before the onset of the monsoon season, which officials hope will bring enough rain to up the water level in Nepal's rivers and boost hydropower generation.

Electricity generation in Nepal is largely based on its run-of-the river type hydro projects, which are intermittent energy producers that generate more power when seasonal river flows are high and less during the dry summer months. 

Gokarna Awasthi, director general of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), an umbrella organization of more than 900 private sector companies, said that the industrial sector is suffering because of the problems.

"Industries are not able to operate at their full capacity in the absence of electricity," he said. "They are using diesel generators to try to fill the supply gaps."

Nepal bans many imports to save foreign reserves

The power outages come at a time when Nepal is already grappling with the problem of depleting foreign exchange reserves.

Nepal recently banned imports of cars, alcohol, tobacco and other luxury items and shortened its work week to help conserve its foreign currency reserves.

The ban, in effect until the end of the fiscal year in mid-July, also forbids imports of toys, playing cards and diamonds.

The main sources of foreign currency for Nepal — which has few exports and imports almost everything from abroad — are tourism, remittances from overseas workers and foreign aid.

The number of visitors plunged after the onset of the COVID pandemic, while remittances — which account for around 60% of the nation's foreign exchange reserves — also dropped as Nepali workers abroad had to return home during the global health crisis.

This hit Nepal's $36 billion (€34.69 billion) economy hard, leaving many of the country's 29 million citizens facing hardship.

Although there was a recovery in foreign arrivals in the first quarter of 2022, Russia's war against Ukraine has put an end to the flow of tourists from those two countries, while contributing to a rise in prices of everything from edible oils and food to air fares.  

Shortened work week to save fuel

The price rises and the soaring import bill have adversely affected the trade deficit and the value of the nation's currency, prompting fears that it could lead to a balance of payments crisis, which occurs when a nation is unable to pay for its imports or service its foreign debt payments.

The trade deficit expanded 34.5% year-on-year to 1.16 trillion Nepali rupees ($9.5 billion, €8.8 billion) in the first eight months of the fiscal year as import costs surged.

The tourism sector, an important contributor to Nepal's forex reservers, was battered by the pandemic

Nepal's gross foreign exchange reserves fell to $9.75 billion as of mid-February, down 17% from mid-July last year when its financial year started, Reuters reported. The current reserves are estimated to be enough to support imports for about six months.

To ease pressure on foreign reserves, the government has also reduced the work week from five-and-a-half days to five dazs as part of its efforts to reduce fuel consumption, as rising crude oil prices add to pressure on Nepal's foreign reserves.

Nandini Lahe-Thapa, director of the Nepal Tourism Board, told DW that the decision is a "fantastically promising step" for the promotion of domestic tourism.

"We were pushing to have a two-day weekend not only for the promotion of tourism, but also for the mental health and leisure of workers," she said, adding that domestic tourism proved to be vital for the survival of the entire tourism and hospitality sector during the pandemic.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

California church shooting motivated by anti-Taiwanese hate, authorities say

Authorities say the suspect was a Chinese immigrant who harbored grievances against Taiwan. He is facing one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

The shooter attacked the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California

The gunman who carried out a shooting at a California church was motivated by his hate of Taiwanese people, authorities said.

The shooter killed Dr. John Cheng and wounded five others during a lunch held by the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. The group worships at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, located in California's southern Orange County.

The suspect has been charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. He is suspected to appear in court on Tuesday, and a federal hate crimes investigation is also ongoing.

The suspect is expected to appear in court on Tuesday

What did authorities say?

Orange County sheriff Don Barnes said the shooter, who he identified as a Chinese immigrant, harbored grievances against Taiwanese people.

The suspect's family had been forcibly moved from China to Taiwan some time after 1948, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. Spitzer said that the suspect had an "absolute bias" against Taiwan.

According to authorities, the suspect's hand-written Mandarin notes show that he did not feel like he was treated well while living in Taiwan.

China claims Taiwan as part of its national territory. Taiwan has no seat in the UN and is only officially recognized by a handful of countries, but many states around the world maintain unofficial diplomatic relations with it.

Tensions have recently risen between China and Taiwan over Beijing's military drills in the East China Sea.

How did Taiwan react?

Taiwan's president on Tuesday denounced the shooting at the California church. 

President Tsai Ing-wen's office issued a statement saying she condemned “any form of violence.''

The President also extended her condolences to those killed and injured.

She has asked the self-governing island’s chief representative in the US to fly to California and provide assistance.

What do we know about the shooting?

Sheriff Barnes said that the gunman drove from Las Vegas to Orange County and secured the doors of the church with chains, super glue and nails before he started shooting. He also placed four Molotov cocktail-like devices inside the church.

Cheng, a sports medicine doctor, charged at the gunman in an attempt to disarm him, which allowed others to intervene. A pastor hit the gunman on the head with a chair and parishioners restrained him with electrical cords.

Barnes said Cheng "probably" saved the lives of "upwards of dozens of people."

sdi/jsi (AP, Reuters)

COP15: Ivory Coast hosts desertification talks

The COP15 conference is meeting to address issues of land degradation, advancing deserts and deforestation. Experts and activists hope that this will not be just another high-level conference with no concrete results.



Hopes are high — and skepticism is deep — as the COP15 meets through May 20

The 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking place under the motto "Land. Life. Legacy: From Scarcity to Prosperity."

A dozen of heads of state and almost 6,000 delegates are meeting through May 20 in Ivory Coast's capital, Abidjan, to find ways to avert wide-scale disaster.

Halfway through the conference, which has produced much reflection but, so far, little additional funding, experts and activists voiced concerns that COP15 might not lead to the bold steps needed.

The Chadian environmentalist and Indigenous rights advocate Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim told DW that she has seen progress in the promise of involving local communities in all projects implemented. "This is a positive aspect," she said. But she added a cautious note: "We will see in two years, before the next COP, what will happen and if the promises will have concrete implementation."

East Africa is suffering a serious drought

Not enough money

Funding the fight against desertification remains a problem. The UNCCD-led Great Green Wall project — which aims to restore a green belt across the Sahel to stop the southward spread of the Sahara — was launched 15 years ago. The agency said it needed $30 billion (€28.8 billion) to reforest 100 million hectares (247 million acres). So far, donors have come up with $19 billion.

Ibrahim said much more than $30 billion would be needed to avert disaster. She added that a lack of action now will end up being much costlier later.

The president of the COP15 organizing committee, Abou Bamba, told DW that the economies of many African countries, including the Ivory Coast's, are dependent on agriculture. "The question today isn't to produce or not to produce," he said. "We have to live; we have to feed our families." There is also the need to generate revenue through cash crops to finance development. "However, we are going to produce more, and we are going to produce better, while preserving the ecosystem," Bamba said.

 

AFRICA'S FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

Africa's fight against climate change

It's mainly industrial nations that are responsible for producing greenhouse gases such as CO2 that contribute to climate change. But the main victims of climate change are in the countries of the global South. As Africa is hit by drought, storms, erosion and desertification, people there are starting initiatives to combat climate change.

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Africa especially vulnerable

According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Africa is particularly vulnerable to land degradation. It is the most severely affected region worldwide, with desertification encroaching on about 45% of Africa's land area, while the remaining land is at high risk of further degradation.

These developments play a major part in the current drought on the Horn of Africa. In Somalia, 6 million people — nearly 40% of the population — face extreme levels of food insecurity. The UN recently warned that more than 3.5 million Somalis are at risk of famine.

Other countries on the continent have long felt the dire consequences of climate change too. A case in point is the conference's host, whose economy depends on agriculture. According to the World Bank, Ivory Coast is the world's top exporter of cocoa beans, raw cashew nuts and a net exporter of oil.

The UN warns that 3.5 million Somalis could be facing famine

An ambitious plan or just talk?

Ivory Coast has launched the "Abidjan Initiative" to protect its forests. The program aims to restore 20% of the country's forests by the end of the decade and prevent further deforestation. Abidjan was able to secure $1.5 billion for the plan in the early days of the conference. Prime Minister Patrick Achi invited other countries to join the initiative.

"The Abidjan Initiative is a comprehensive and integrated response which aims first to create the conditions for a sustainable environment, and then to give the agricultural sector a powerful role in creating jobs and income," he said.

The ambitious plan hopes to incorporate advanced technology solutions like tree-planting drones. It also envisions investments in sustainable agriculture and social projects to promote gender equality.

Rachel Lydie, an Ivorian activist for sustainable and responsible production, was skeptical. "Today, in Ivory Coast, we talk more than we act. We do not carry out concrete actions," she told DW.

Several projects in Africa are trying to stop desertification

Controversial president

Civil society was also not happy about the election of former Ivorian Water and Forests Minister Alain Richard Donwahi to the COP15 presidency. The ministry, which he headed from 2017 until April 2022, is being audited after reports of timber trafficking.

The audit, confirmed by the government, came after the dismantling of a vast trafficking network in precious wood that, according to the magazine Jeune Afrique, involved members of Donwahi's administration. The former minister denied any link to wood smuggling networks.

Cautious hope

The question of the president not being officially an issue at the conference, African delegates are concentrating into turning this meeting into an African COP. Niger's Athanase Bouda told DW that hosting the conference in Africa has led to more intensive and fruitful exchange with partners: "They want to continue to support our projects and have made further promises. I think hope is allowed."

Adapted from French by Cristina Krippahl

African food prices soaring amid Ukraine war

The war in Ukraine is having a drastic impact on Africa. Prices for wheat, gas and gasoline are at record highs. Crisis regions could see things get worse than they already are.



In many African countries, the price of basic commodities has doubled

Every morning, the operators of a small kiosk located in an informal neighborhood in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, bake fresh chapati — a popular flatbread.

Chapatis usually cost around 20 shillings (€0.17/$0.17). However, customers can hardly afford it anymore. "Chapati costs twice as much now. Life has become extremely expensive," one customer at the kiosk complained.

Samuel Mose, who heads the small bakery, told DW, that, though prices for wheat flour and sunflower oil have been rising for some time, things are getting worse because of Russia's war on Ukraine.

"We are following the war because we need to know what is happening. Some of the products we use come from those two countries," Mose said.

In Kenya, about one-third of imported wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine. The price increase on the world market is also being felt by the Kenafric wholesale bakery in Nairobi, which produces bread for supermarkets.

"The situation is worrying, not only because of the price, but also because of availability," said Kenafric's manager, Keval Shah.

He regretted that many suppliers had already reduced their contracted quantities because of force majeure.

The 2022 Kenya Economic Survey found that most Kenyans are increasingly turning to their savings and loans to meet the rising cost of living.

Teresa Anderson, the international climate policy coordinator at the nongovernmental organization Actionaid, told DW that many African economies are still reeling from the pandemic, climate change, humanitarian emergencies, or political and economic unrest. The effects of the Ukraine war have exacerbated the situation, she said.

Many low-income earners in Kenya are struggling to cope with rising food prices

Zimbabwe: Gasoline price triples

The global rise in prices is being felt more acutely in Africa than in other parts of the world, Anderson said. "Mothers are skipping meals, going hungry," she said. "Many can no longer pay school fees, are working and dropping out of school."

"In Zimbabwe, the price of gasoline has more than tripled, as has the price of cooking gas," Anderson said. "The price of noodles has more than doubled."

Anderson said many countries were already in a supply crisis. "But, if nothing changes, we could be facing a famine of unimagined proportions," she said.

"The situation is particularly extreme in the Horn of Africa, where 20 million people are already suffering severe hunger because of the ongoing drought," Anderson said.

The war in Ukraine is having a heavier impact on food security in Africa than in many other regions

Hunger in the Horn of Africa

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) assessment is similarly worrying. In East Africa, prices have skyrocketed because of livestock deaths and crop yields far below the long-term average, said Petroc Wilton, the WFP's spokesman in Somalia.

Wilton said the lack of wheat supplies from Ukraine had aggravated the food crisis.

A humanitarian disaster is brewing in Somalia, according to the WFP. About 6 million people are affected by acute food insecurity, including 1.4 million children. If aid agencies do not receive additional funding, there could be a famine within months.

Hirsiyow Idolo Mohamed has already felt the full force of the crisis. The Somali woman left her impoverished village with her three children and struggled for 15 days on foot through the hot desert with little water and food.

Two of her children did not survive the arduous walk to the newly built camp for displaced people near the town of Dollow, in the Gedo region of southern Somalia.

Farmers flee drought and bombings

"We walked and walked, and my son was very thirsty and exhausted. He asked me many times: 'Mommy, water, mommy, water.' He started gasping, but there was not a drop of water I could give him," Idolo Mohamed told DW.

The 8-year-old died upon arrival at the camp. He had been weakened from the journey and suffered from a severe cough.

According to the WFP, more than 500,000 people left their homes this year alone because of the drought.

In West Africa, the security situation is also hampering food supplies. For example, farmers could not cultivate their fields because of attacks by the terrorist organization Boko Haram.

Insecurity in northern Nigeria has hampered grain farmers

Alarm bells ringing

For Assalama Dawalack Sidi, regional director of the international charity organization Oxfam in Niger, action is urgently needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

"This is an alarm signal for the world," Sidi said. "We are witnessing 27 million people in West Africa being affected by the worst food crisis in the past decade," he said, adding that the number could rise to 38 million people if nothing is done.

Yet wheat wouldn't have to be in short supply as there are significant reserves.

Experts estimate that China, for example, has about half of the world's wheat stocks in its warehouses. However, they fear that the People's Republic could exploit the global food crisis by using grain to get concessions.

"China has enough reserves to support poorer countries in Africa with food supplies," Hendrik Mahlkow, of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, told DW. The Communist Party could thereby increase its economic influence in Africa.

Marion Betjen, Mariel Müller (Somalia) and Flourish Chukwurah (Nigeria) contributed to this article.

Ukrainian TikTok star Valeria Shashenok chronicles life during war

A 20-year-old TikTok artist, who has made viral videos about life in an underground bomb shelter in Ukraine, now has more than 1 million followers.

The sign, addressed to Russian soldiers, reads: 'This is the way to your grave'

Wearing a hoodie that reads "Future," Valeria Shashenok waves into the Zoom camera. She had arrived in the Italian city of Milan a few weeks ago, where she has settled in with an Italian family. Until she fled Ukraine, she hid with her parents in a basement in Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine near the border with Russia.

"My mother came into my room on February 24, and said: 'Valeria! A bomb has hit Kyiv and destroyed a building!'" Shashenok says. She and her parents reacted quickly. They packed the most important things and moved to her father's old office in the basement. At the time, he was running a restaurant in the building, and had just renovated the basement, installing a shower and toilets. Shashenok spent 17 days there. "It was very boring," the 20-year-old says, adding that she was lucky to have Wi-Fi and a smartphone.

Valeria Shashenok now lives in Italy with a family

TikTok and the outside world

Shashenok is a digital native: a member of Gen Z who grew up with Instagram and TikTok. Social media was her window on the world. But then things changed: The world wanted to know what was going on in her country.

At the time, the phrase "things that just make sense in ..." was trending on the social media network. Participating users showed unusual things in their cities or homes that only made sense in the local context. Shashenok joined the trend and showed users her daily life in the bunker.

Using her sharp wit, she showed things that made sense only in a bomb shelter: using a hot-air gun to dry her hair, what breakfast looked like underground and how traditional dishes such as Syrniki — a type of pancake made with cottage cheese — could be prepared without a stove. Her videos met with enthusiastic response. The 20-year-old now has 1.1 million followers, and her most successful video has been clicked more than 48 million times.

Subtle black humor plays a central role not just in Valeria's videos; memes from Ukrainian channels have become popular in the wake of the war.

"I like black humor. It helps one get through absurd times," Shashenok says. "Humor is a part of our Ukrainian culture. People in Ukraine really believe that the war will end soon, that we will win. They want to stay optimistic — nothing else remains for them." And, thus, Shashenok jokes that life in an underground shelter also has its positive side: A lack of cow's milk now means that she is using oat milk as a healthy alternative.

Ukrainians have responded to the invasion with humor in nondigital contexts, as well. Large billboards stand on the streets in some cities bearing messages in Russian script that translate to "Russian warship, f*** you."

Escape from the shelter

After spending 17 days in the underground shelter and after Russian forces began intensifying their attacks, Shashenok decided to escape. Her parents remained in Cherniv while she arrived in Italy via Poland and Germany. She has been living with a family for a week now.

Shashenok as a child with her mother

Shashenok is in touch with friends and family in her home country. She speaks with her parents every day, more with her mother, less with her father. "He is so nervous," she says. "He has nothing to do all day and screams at me over the telephone, not because he wants to scold me, but because he is at his wits' end. He's losing it."

She's also in touch with Anton, a friend. He wanted to escape, too, but was unsuccessful. A law prohibits men aged 18 to 60 from leaving Ukraine. Anton has signed up for the army and is a guard at a military unit, Shashenok says.

At the end of March, Shashenok learned from her mother that her cousin was hit by a bomb and died from the injuries. "What is Russia doing in my country?" says Shashenok, who grew up speaking Russian. "I ask myself every day. Putin says he wants to protect us from the Ukrainian government. Excuse me, what? We had a perfect life: We don't want to be protected by Russia."

Shashenok has been documenting the war

Plans for the future

Like all Ukrainians, Shashenok hopes that the war will end soon. She wants to return. "I miss my country," she says. "When the war is over, I'll go back."

Starting this week, Shashenok is on a reading tour. Her book, "24. Februar: Und der Himmel war nicht mehr blau" (Feburary 24: And the Sky Was No Longer Blue), has just been published in German, compiling photographs and her experiences after Russia invaded Ukraine.

"I am dedicating this book to the Russians, in the hope that they will understand what they have done to us," she says. But she is not convinced herself. Some do not want to understand, while others are afraid to speak against it. But she wants to continue, and not only on TikTok and Instagram: Valeria Shashenok works with aid organizations in Cherniv and wants to use her popularity to raise funds to reconstruct her city.

This article was originally written in German.

McDonald's announces it's leaving Russia entirely after 3 decades

The fast-food giant has said it was leaving because of the "unpredictable operating environment" and "humanitarian" reasons. McDonald's was quick to set up shop in the Soviet Union in the waning embers of the Cold War.



McDonald's will no longer serve its Russian customers, after over 30 years of business

America's fast-food giant McDonald's rolled out on Monday the process to sell its hundreds of restaurants in Russia, joining scores of Western companies who are exiting the Russian market amid international sanctions.

"The humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and the precipitating unpredictable operating environment, have led McDonald's to conclude that continued ownership of the business in Russia is no longer tenable," the Chicago-based company said.

McDonald's had already announced the temporary closure of its some 850 restaurants in Russia in March, soon after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But Monday's move draws the curtain on the company's activities in Russia for good, after more than 30 years of operation.

The company said it was looking for a Russian buyer to hire its 62,000 employees and pay them until the sale is finalized. It has yet to identify a potential buyer.

McDonald's opening day in Moscow in 1990 drew enormous crowds and queues

McDonald's first restaurant in Russia opened in the middle of Moscow over three decades ago, soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall and before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Many at the time saw this as a symbol of the melting Cold War tensions between the US and the Soviet Union.

Values and 'commitment to global community'

In a statement, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski addressed the difficulty the company faced when making the decision to leave, saying that McDonald's felt a "dedication and loyalty" to the tens of thousands of employees and hundreds of Russian suppliers.

"However, we have a commitment to our global community and must remain steadfast in our values. And our commitment to our values means that we can no longer keep the arches shining there," he said.

The global fast-food chain' unmistakable "arches" (two in yellow combining to make an M shape), which have long served as the restaurant's trademark brand, will no longer be available for use after the sale, alongside the McDonald's name, logo or menu.

Yet one company in Russia is trying to keep that logo, only with a small change. A company calling itself Uncle Vanya, after the Chekov play, is trying to trademark the McDonald's arches turned on their side to create what looks like a B in the Roman alphabet but represents a V sound in Russian, to symbolize the name Uncle Vanya. The company is thought to be a likely candidate to seek to purchase some or all McDonald's facilities in Russia.

rmt/msh (dpa, AP, AFP)