It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, May 09, 2026
Continental subsidiary cuts 3,000 jobs globally
07.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Ole Spata/dpa
Tyre and plastics technology group Continental wants to cut 3,000 jobs worldwide at its plastics technology subsidiary Contitech, including 1,600 in Germany, with the company and the IGBCE union reaching an agreement on the framework conditions, they said on Thursday.
The union said the deal amounted to a comprehensive transformation package.
The agreement governs the socially responsible reduction of about 1,600 jobs in Germany, the company said. Some of the affected activities will be relocated abroad. Redundancies for operational reasons are to be avoided until at least the end of 2030, IGBCE said.
Savings of €150 million
The cuts are part of the cost-saving programme Continental announced in November that calls for €150 million ($177 million) in yearly savings, starting in 2028. The company said jobs would be cut to achieve this, but had not previously given exact figures.
"We cannot prevent job cuts," IGBCE executive board member Francesco Grioli said in the statement, but the agreements would mitigate the impact on employees affected by the cuts.
They would also create "prospects at German sites," he said, including investment commitments. "So for all the pain, the package is something to show for it."
Contitech said it would "make all measures as socially responsible as possible." The package of measures agreed includes a voluntary programme, early retirement arrangements and targeted placement of those affected into other jobs internally and externally.
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
Porsche to close three subsidiaries, about 500 jobs affected
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa
Germany's struggling sports car manufacturer Porsche plans to close three subsidiaries as part of its efforts to "focus on its core business."
The affected units are battery specialist Cellforce Group, Porsche E-Bike Performance and the software subsidiary Cetitec , Porsche announced on Friday.
About 500 employees are affected. Just two weeks ago, the company also announced its intention to sell its stake in the luxury sports car manufacturer Bugatti.
According to chief executive Michael Leiters, Porsche was being forced “to make painful cuts – including at our subsidiaries.” A timeline for the closures has not yet been specified.
Porsche eBike Performance was originally founded to develop e-bike drive systems. According to the statement, operations are being discontinued due to fundamentally changed market conditions. A total of about 350 jobs are affected in Germany and Croatia.
At the software firm Cetitec, around 60 employees in Germany and 30 in Croatia are affected by the planned wind-up.
Leiters had already signalled additional job reductions during his first public appearance in March, on top of an initial cost-cutting package.
Around 1,900 jobs are set to be cut in the Stuttgart region by 2029 in what the company describes as a socially responsible manner. In addition, contracts for roughly 2,000 temporary workers have already expired.
Negotiations over a second round of cost-cutting measures have been ongoing for some time but have yet to produce a result.
Industrial plant maker Festo to cut 1,300 jobs in Germany
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
The German industrial plant manufacturer Festo plans to cut about 1,300 jobs in the country.
Market changes, increasing competition from Asia and geopolitical crises have posed significant challenges for Festo, the family-owned company announced on Friday.
Faced by the tougher market conditions, the company is focusing on a global transformation programme to boost growth and efficiency, it said. To achieve the financial leeway required for the restructuring, Festo aims to streamline its structures in Germany.
The jobs are to be cut across various departments.
“In consultations, the company and the works council are discussing how these job cuts can be implemented as responsibly and socially responsibly as possible,” Festo said in a statement.
Globally, the company aims to save €200 million ($235 million) annually. Jobs would also be cut abroad, chief executive Thomas Böck was quoted as saying in the Stuttgarter Zeitung and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspapers.
Böck ruled out any site closures in Germany.
The IG Metall union voiced strong criticism of the planned job cuts and said the news had taken the employees completely by surprise.
At the end of 2025, the company employed around 20,600 staff. Approximately 8,200 of them worked in Germany.
However, the sluggish economic situation had weighed on the family-owned company’s business. Turnover fell by 3.7% in 2025 to around €3.33 billion, the third consecutive annual decline.
Festo specializes in control and automation technology for industry. The company’s products include devices that operate using compressed air, as well as software and AI systems.
Commerzbank plans 3,000 job cuts, warns against UniCredit plans
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa
By Jörn Bender, dpa and Steffen Weyer, dpa-AFX
Germany's Commerzbank plans to cut around 3,000 more full-time jobs across the group by 2030, the DAX-listed lender said on Friday, while warning against further proposed cost-saving measures.
The bank, which is facing a takeover approach from Italy's UniCredit, said the new cuts would come on top of previously announced savings measures, although jobs would also be created in growth and future-oriented areas.
However, the German lender warned against Unicredit plans to reduce staffing costs by a further €800 million ($940.8 million), noting in a presentation that this would entail a further 7,000 job losses.
“Such extensive job cuts would have a negative impact on our business in Germany," Commerzbank wrote.
Unicredit estimates the potential savings at Commerzbank at €1.3 billion by 2028. The Frankfurt-based bank describes this estimate as “very aggressive.”
For the cuts to take effect in 2028, they would have to be implemented within six months of a takeover in 2027. Commerzbank warned of high execution risks, and said the bank could face immense earnings losses in this scenario.
Commerzbank employed 39,867 full-time staff worldwide at the end of 2025.
In February 2025, Commerzbank announced plans to cut 3,900 full-time jobs by the end of 2027, with most of the reductions in Germany. At the same time, the bank said it intended to create new positions, particularly abroad, including at its Polish subsidiary mBank and at locations in Asia.
Additionally, Commerzbank reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2026 results, posting an operating profit of around €1.36 billion ($1.6 billion) and net income of €913 million, both roughly 10% higher year-on-year and above analyst expectations.
For 2025 as a whole, the Frankfurt-based lender reported a net profit of just over €2.6 billion, narrowly below its record result of around €2.7 billion in 2024, despite higher costs linked to ongoing restructuring.
Commerzbank raises 2026 outlook
Under its revised strategy, Commerzbank now expects stronger earnings going forward, targeting net profit of at least €3.4 billion in 2026, €200 million more than previously planned. It aims to increase this to €4.6 billion by 2028 and €5.9 billion by 2030.
UniCredit chief executive Andrea Orcel recently criticized what he described as Commerzbank's below-average operational performance over several years, warning that without a strategic reset, the lender's medium-term survival could be at risk. UniCredit reported a record quarterly profit of €3.2 billion for the first quarter of 2026.
The Italian bank, which according to recent disclosures holds around 30% of Commerzbank shares and plans to increase its stake via a share swap in the coming weeks, has also outlined a restructuring plan in the event of a takeover.
Commerzbank management, works council and employees have for months resisted what they describe as Orcel's "hostile" approach. The German government also opposes a hostile takeover. The state, which rescued Commerzbank during the 2008/09 financial crisis with billions in aid, still holds around 12% of the lender.
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
German vaccine maker BioNTech to cut up to 1,860 jobs, close plants
05.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
By Bernd Glebe, dpa
German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech, which rose to global prominence with its Covid-19 vaccine developed alongside Pfizer, plans to close several production sites, with up to 1,860 jobs affected.
The Mainz-based company on Tuesday attributed the cuts to overcapacity and cost-cutting measures. The plans also extend to facilities tied to its recently acquired rival CureVac, as BioNTech streamlines its manufacturing footprint.
Sites in Idar-Oberstein, Marburg and Tübingen in Germany are scheduled to close by the end of 2027. Operations in Singapore are expected to cease in the first quarter of 2027.
BioNTech expects the measures to deliver recurring annual savings of up to €500 million ($580 million) once fully implemented in 2029. The funds are to be redirected towards the research, development and commercial rollout of cancer therapies, reflecting the company’s growing focus on oncology.
The announcement comes amid declining revenues from Covid-19 vaccines.
In the first quarter, BioNTech reported revenue of €118.1 million, down from €182.8 million a year earlier, primarily due to weaker vaccine sales. Net loss widened to €531.9 million from €415.8 million, which the company attributed to higher spending on immuno-oncology programmes.
The group posted a billion-euro loss for 2025 as a whole, underscoring the financial impact of falling income and rising development costs.
For 2026, BioNTech expects revenues of between €2-2.3 billion, while forecasting further declines in Covid-19 vaccine sales in both Europe and the United States. The company is preparing a variant-adapted Covid-19 vaccine for the 2026-27 immunization season.
Following its acquisition of CureVac, the company aims to submit multiple regulatory applications for oncology treatments by 2030 as it seeks to establish a stronger foothold in the cancer treatment market.
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
Germany's Klingbeil says Canada 'ideal' partner amid global tensions
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil called for closer economic cooperation with Canada on Friday, citing growing geopolitical tensions and the economic fallout from the conflict involving Iran.
Speaking during a meeting in Toronto with Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Klingbeil said Europe needed to reduce strategic dependencies and strengthen its economic resilience and sovereignty.
It is becoming clear that Europe must move away from dependencies and strengthen its resilience and sovereignty, Klingbeil said. "And Canada is an ideal partner for this."
The two-day visit is focused on expanding cooperation in areas including critical raw materials, defence and artificial intelligence.
Klingbeil also sought to encourage greater Canadian investment in Germany, describing the country as an innovative business location made more attractive through reforms and investment incentives.
The two ministers also visited a facility operated by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier.
Champagne highlighted his recent participation in meetings of EU finance ministers and the Eurogroup, saying closer ties with Europe were intentional and reflected a shared interest in strengthening trans-Atlantic cooperation.
Klingbeil described Canada as a "partner in values."
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
Reports: US DoJ investigating possible inside trading during Iran war
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Kenneth Martin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is investigating a series of suspiciously timed transactions in the oil market that took place shortly before major policy announcements by President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials about the Iran war, US media reported on Thursday.
The investigation involves at least four trades in which traders made a total of more than $2.6 billion by betting on oil prices falling before they did, reported US broadcasters ABC News and NBC News, citing people familiar with the matter.
The bets were reportedly placed shortly before new announcements by Trump or Iranian government officials. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency responsible for commodity trading, is also involved in the investigation.
Four transactions worth billions
According to ABC News, traders bet more than $500 million that oil prices would fall in March shortly before the US president announced the postponement of threatened attacks on Iran's power grid. In April, there were three additional transactions that are now under investigation:
On April 7, traders reportedly bet $960 million on falling oil prices shortly before Trump announced a temporary ceasefire. On April 17, speculators bet $760 million on falling oil prices, 20 minutes before Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
On April 21, unidentified parties placed $430 million on falling oil prices, 15 minutes before Trump's announcement of an extended ceasefire.
A source told NBC News that the investigation was still in its early stages and that there is no evidence of criminal misconduct so far. In addition to the current probe, investigators also plan to examine suspicious activity on speculative trading platforms in a separate proceeding, also related to the Iran conflict.
Oil and gas prices have risen sharply on global markets as a result of the Iran war.
Pope says arms trade being prioritized over 'respect for human life'
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Gennaro Piscopo/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Leo XIV has called on the faithful to work for peace on the anniversary of his election as pope.
"The wars that are still raging in many parts of the world call for a renewed commitment – not only in economic and political terms, but also in spiritual and religious terms. Peace begins in the heart," said the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics during a sermon in Pompeii on Friday.
Emphasizing the power of prayer, he said: "We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day."
To applause from the congregation, the Leo continued that "no earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love."
The pope said he has two particularly urgent concerns: the family, which is suffering from a weakening of the marital bond, and peace, which is being jeopardized "by international tensions and an economy that prioritizes the arms trade over respect for human life."
Crowds lined the Pope’s route through the streets of Pompeii. The Pontiff blessed children who were brought to him and greeted people in wheelchairs.
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
Thousands of German school students protest against military service
08.05.2026, DPA
Photo: Michael Ukas/dpa
Tens of thousands of school students took to the streets across Germany on Friday to protest against a possible return to compulsory military service.
Rallies and demonstrations took place in dozens of cities under the slogan "School strike against mandatory military service," coinciding with the anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8.
Police in Berlin said around 1,200 participants turned out in the capital to march from the Brandenburg Gate to the headquarters of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative party, carrying signs reading: "Education instead of bombs" and "Berlin instead of the front lines." Organizers put the number at 5,000.
In the northern city of Hamburg, organizers said around 6,000 people took to the streets, while police counted about 2,300 participants.
The protests were not the first nationwide action against military service. In early March, around 50,000 young people participated in a school strike against conscription and compulsory service of all kinds in some 150 cities across the country.
Germany reintroduced a voluntary military service programme last year in an effort to raise troop numbers in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and new NATO targets.
The law, which took effect on January 1, aims to recruit volunteers to expand the armed forces. If recruitment targets are not met, however, parliament could decide to reinstate compulsory military service.
For nearly two decades, South Africa has suffered recurring bouts of xenophobic attacks. From deadly riots in 2008 to the rise of Operation Dudula, thousand of foreign nationals have been displaced time and again.
Attacks on foreigners have been recurring in South Africa over the past two decades, resulting in widespread destruction
Image: Kim Ludbrook/dpa/picture alliance
For more than two decades, South Africa has had to reckon with repeated outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence targeting mainly migrants and refugees from neighboring nations and other parts of the African continent.
Critics say that political rhetoric around immigration, combined with deep economic frustration, has helped fuel this sense of hostility toward foreigners; time and again, foreign nationals have been beaten, displaced, killed and had their businesses looted in various parts of the country.
DW takes a look at how xenophobia in South Africa has evolved over the years. 1994–2007: Rising tensions after apartheid
After the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa became a major destination for migrants seeking work and stability. Many arrived from neighboring countries that faced economic collapse, conflict or political repression.
At the same time, South Africa struggled with soaring unemployment, inequality and increasingly poor services while the government's focus was largely on nation-building during this fresh chapter.
But while political power structures shifted, much of the country's wealth, land and major businesses have remained concentrated in the hands of a white minority, leaving the deep economic inequalities inherited by decades of segregation largely unchanged.
A 2021 World Bank study found that the richest 10% of South Africans — predominantly white — still own more than 85% of the country's wealth.
Attacks on migrants in townships started becoming more prevalent during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Foreign shop owners were accused of "stealing jobs" or undercutting local businesses, especially in the informal economy. 2008: The first explosion of attacks on foreigners
In May 2008, xenophobic violence erupted in the Alexandra township near Johannesburg before spreading across the country.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, at least 62 people were killed, more than 670 injured and over 100,000 displaced during the attacks. Many of the victims were migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Somalia.
One of the most infamous images of the violence showed Mozambican migrant Ernesto Nhamuave being burned alive by a mob in the Ramaphosa informal settlement near Boksburg.
South African President Thabo Mbeki condemned the attacks, saying at the time that no one "in our society has any right to … explain naked criminal activity by cloaking it in the garb of xenophobia."
However, Mbeki's administration was heavily criticized for this approach, with many commentators labeling his administration's frequent framing of such attacks as opportunistic criminal acts rather than the result of deep-seated anti-immigrant sentiment as "denialism."
According to Human Rights Watch, at least seven people were killed and thousands displaced during this wave of attacks.
The violence followed controversial remarks attributed to the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, who reportedly said at the time that foreigners should "pack their bags and leave."
The late king later denied encouraging the violence.
In the past, Zimbabwe has sent buses to return citizens from South AfricaI
mage: DW/L. Casimiro Matias
Several African countries organized evacuations for those wanting to leave South Africa during these turbulent times: Neighboring Zimbabwe sent buses to bring its nationals home, while Malawi and Mozambique also assisted returnees with logistics. 2019: Nigerians targeted amid diplomatic fallout
In September 2019, violence swept through parts of Johannesburg and Pretoria again.
According to South African police figures cited by Reuters, at least 12 people were killed, and hundreds of businesses looted or destroyed. Nigeria evacuated more than 500 of its citizens from South Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the violence, saying that there "is no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries."
The group organized marches against undocumented migrants, conducted raids on businesses and accused foreigners of taking jobs from South Africans while overburdening public services.
Human rights organizations accused Operation Dudala of fueling vigilantism and xenophobia, as well as blocking foreign nationals from accessing healthcare, schools, and informal trading spaces.
Zandile Dabula, the leader of Operation Dudula, told DW at the time: "The escalating crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, that's bad," linking these phenomena to foreign nationals while insisting that the group only sought to fight irregular immigration and crime.
The group later even registered as a political party ahead of the 2024 elections, and has been growing since, alongside other anti-migrant movements. 2024-2026: 'South Africans are not xenophobic'
Tensions around immigration have remained high, particularly against the backdrop of South Africa's escalating economic crisis: South Africa's official unemployment rate stood at nearly 33% in the first quarter of 2025, according to Statistics South Africa, while youth unemployment remained above 45%.
Fresh outbreaks of violence in 2026 have triggered protests from leaders in Ghana and Nigeria, with a renewed criticism of South Africa's handling of xenophobia. Nigeria's Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed: "Nigerian lives and businesses in SA must not continue to be put at risk.”
South Africa's presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has rejected claims that widespread xenophobia has resurfaced in the country, stating that "South Africans are not xenophobic."
He has said that what is being observed are merely "pockets of protest, which is permissible within our constitutional framework."
Around the world, migrants are frequently cast as scapegoats for deeper structural problems, reaching from inequality and corruption to weak economic growth and state failure.
In South Africa, this scapegoating has overwhelmingly targeted Black and African migrants, who make up more than two-thirds of South Africa's estimated 3 million foreign residents.
Many observers warn that the country's problem with xenophobic violence has become cyclical, resurfacing whenever economic or political pressures intensify and revealing how quickly hardship can be turned into hostility.
Edited by: Sertan Sanderson Silja Fröhlich is a German journalist and TV
Fertilizer crisis: Africa's options amid the Hormuz blockade
The ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting African nations particularly badly. But there are potential solutions for mitigating the drastic effects on the continent in the short, medium and long term.
How can African farming communities obtain fertilizers, which are becoming scarce worldwide as part of the current crisis?
Image: Caitlin Kelly/AP Photo/picture alliance
For more than two months, there have hardly been any merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing blockade. Africa is being hit by the full brunt of the conflict in the Middle East, with canceled flights, long lines at petrol stations, and barren fields across the continent.
Left without access to a significant portion of their global supply chain, fertilizer industries have also been deeply affected by the crisis.
Any resumption of free maritime traffic through this strategically important strait — as was the case prior to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year — is still a long way off; and even then, it would likely take months for markets to stabilize and for production lines and logistics to return to normal.
It's understandable that African institutions and governments are currently operating in crisis mode, with no end to the blockade in sight. Some are even looking for ways to prevent more severe consequences, such as the risk of famine or national bankruptcies.
In Ethiopia, priority is given to public transportation and other critical sectors amid fuel shortageImage: Marco Simoncelli/AFP
Willy Nyamitwe, Burundi's African Union (AU) ambassador and current chair of the Permanent Committee of Ambassadors, told DW that the AU "is monitoring the situation around the Strait of Hormuz very closely because it affects a number of strategic goods that are essential to African economies."
With several African countries already deeply indebted, the prospect of inflation-driven depreciation of national currencies as a result of the Iran war could further exacerbate the situation.
"The situation is critical," said Anja Berretta, director of the Africa Economic Program at the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Especially when it comes to fertilizers, we were already facing a similar situation in 2022 when Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine; after all, Russia and Belarus were two of the most important fertilizer producers."
The fear that famine would take hold in parts of Africa did not become reality, Berretta told DW, adding that back then, African nations responded with a flexible approach, for example by providing financial assistance through the African Development Bank. Emergency response to fuel shortages
The shortage of fossil fuels in the current crisis has already crippled many parts of the continent.
In Ethiopia, diesel is now being prioritized for public transportation, leaving private customers without petrol; in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, rolling blackouts are being used to reduce the output of the country's oil-fired power plant.
Gambia has started subsidizing fuel with more than €5.8 million (around $6.8 million) in tax revenue, while Zimbabwe has turned to blending fossil fuels with ethanol.
Africa's aviation industry is also being hit hard by the global kerosene shortage, with flight operations affected across the continent.
Shortages and steep price hikes for chemical fertilizers have received less spotlight during the Hormuz crisis but are nevertheless equally critical.
Before the Iran war began, nearly half of the sulphur used in phosphate fertilizers globally passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The proportion was also high for the chemical precursors urea and ammonia.
The South African grain producers' association, Grain SA, reported that in April that ammonia prices were already more than 75% higher than just a year earlier. Urea was also reported to be about 60% more expensive. Efficient short-term solutions
National emergency protocols for shortages in diesel, petrol, and kerosene have been in place in many countries since the beginning of the Iran war. However, similar solutions for fertilizers are yet to fully materialize.
An initiative spearheaded by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling on the warring parties to allow the transit of fertilizers to developing countries through the strait, has yet to be implemented.
The model for this idea is the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which enabled the safe export of Ukrainian grain from July 2022 to July 2023 with Russia's approval to prevent food shortages.
When the Ukraine war sent fertilizer markets into a tailspin in 2022, this smallholder farmer in Uganda turned to fertilizing his field with the excrement of the black soldier fly
Image: Badru Katumba/AFP
There's another quick-fix solution that has also proven effective in times of crisis: African importers could pool their fertilizer procurement efforts — in the same way that the EU leveraged its market power to secure a rapid and affordable supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Berretta believes that this is a realistic option which would also be easy to implement: "We're not talking about technical capacities or financing; African countries would simply have to say, 'Let's do this together now.'"
Even if a comprehensive solution to this end through the AU were to fail, regional communities such as the West African ECOWAS or the East African Community could still achieve success in this area.
Based on their agricultural surface footprint, countries in sub-Saharan Africa already use fertilizer sparingly: According to data from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank, farms in the region use an average of 20.5 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare, compared to just under 144 kilograms on average globally.
This World Bank data, however, dates back to 2021, prior to the onset of the war in Ukraine, and will likely have adjusted somewhat in the past five years.
If fertilizer usage is reduced even further in Africa, there is a risk of lower yields for staples such as corn, rice and wheat leading to food inflation. Africa therefore urgently needs fertilizer supplies, as the next planting season has already begun in most places. Long-term solutions not entirely out of reach
In order to become less susceptible to external threats like the wars in Ukraine and Iran in the long run, the most secure strategy would be to ramp up domestic fertilizer production capacities.
The current major players in this field are Morocco and Egypt, both of which have large phosphate deposits but also rely on sulphur imported from the Gulf states for production.
The Nigerian Dangote Group intends to expand production, and is planning to open new urea plants in Nigeria and Ethiopia.
Berretta thinks that the best approach is to produce and distribute fertilizers on a large industrial scale in a few select locations across Africa.
"Not every country has the ideal conditions to establish its own fertilizer production. This is where regional supply chains play a very important role; you need to identify three or four countries in a region where the conditions are such that fertilizer production can be established, and they then turn to supplying the entire region," he said.
Fewer trade barriers
This is where the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would come into play — because when products aren't held up at national borders for customs, the potential for private investors to step in grows significantly greater.
Although the AfCFTA has been in place since 2021, various obstacles continue to hinder the smooth cross-border movement of goods under its provisions.
"The AfCFTA is a central part of the solution," said AU Ambassador Nyamitwe. "At the African Union, we believe that through accelerated implementation of the AfCFTA, African states can build more resilient regional value chains in critical sectors such as agriculture, energy, health, and manufacturing."
This article was translated from German. David Ehl Reporter and editor
Mateo Perez, a 25-year-old Colombian reporter, reportedly went missing on May 5 after being detained by guerrilla members at a roadblock.
Press groups have documented an increase in threats against journalists investigating paramilitary groups and organised crime in Colombia
[File: Antioquia department 2024 Image: Jon G. Fuller/VWPics/IMAGO
A Colombian journalist was found dead on Friday night in the country's northwestern region, an area plagued by guerrillas, drug traffickers, and illegal gold miners, President Gustavo Petro said.
The body of 25-year-old Mateo Perez was found in an area where members of the guerrilla group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and drug traffickers linked to the the Gulf Clan, operate.
Perez had been missing since Tuesday, when he was working in a rural area of the mountainous Antioquia department, about five hours north of the regional capital, Medellin.
President Petro blamed Perez's killing on guerrilla leader Jhon Edison Chala Torrejano in a post on X, accusing him of seeking control over illicit gold mining in the region.
"The humanitarian commission of the Red Cross and the ombudsman's office, with the support of the government, managed to enter the area and locate the body," Petro said in the post.
"The National Police has had orders for several weeks to strengthen its presence in this zone and to count on the support of the army to eradicate the groups that remain there. The action of the public forces will be effective," he said.
Press groups urge goverment to protect journalists
Perez ran an online news outlet, El Confidente de Yarumal, where his reporting focused mainly on crime, security, politics, and corruption.
The Colombia-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) said Perez had "faced legal pressures" over his "investigations into illicit economies linked to armed actors."
In a statement, FLIP urged the government to "stop being indifferent to the attacks against the press" and to adopt "real protection measures" for journalists at risk. "The murder of Mateo Pérez cannot go unpunished," the organization said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Perez had been detained by FARC members at a roadblock on May 5, citing FLIP.
"Colombian authorities must promptly investigate the death of Mateo Pérez Rueda and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ's Latin America program coordinator, in São Paulo.
"The state has a responsibility to guarantee secure conditions nationwide, enabling journalists to carry out their work freely and without fear of retaliation," she said. Threats against journalists in Colombia
Since 2022, FLIP has recorded 387 attacks against the press by armed groups, with threats and forced displacement cited as the most common tactics.
FLIP said 170 journalists have been killed in Colombia for reasons related to their work since 1977, including Perez. Of those killings, 22 occurred in Antioquia, making it one of the country's deadliest departments for journalists.
Colombia has seen a surge in guerrilla attacks as the country prepares for presidential elections scheduled for May 31.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar Mahima Kapoor Digital journalist based in New Delhi
