Good morning, dear reader,
the further away an event takes place, the less news interest there is. This is cognitively understandable, but it is not wise. In the globalized world, a sack of rice that falls over in China can trigger an earthquake in Germany. And when a state collapses in Africa, it doesn’t take long for the tremors to reach us here as well. Like now. An increasing number of Sudanese are among the thousands of refugees boarding rubber boats off the North African coast. Until recently, their home country was seen as a beacon of hope for the African democracy movement – now two warlords are shooting at each other there, Europeans have been flown out in panic, hundreds of thousands fear for their lives and are fleeing north.
In Sudan, a catastrophe threatens to repeat itself, which has already overtaken Ethiopia: This East African country was also considered progressive and stable until the president came up with the idea of solving the problem of rebellious Tigray Minority to eliminate once and for all. Hundreds of thousands fell victim to the slaughter, countless refugees made their way north. Many now eke out an existence in Italian camps, French banlieues or German reception centers.
But there are not only shadows in Africa. The continent with its rapidly growing population is developing economically and socially; More and more capable politicians and diplomats are trying to find peaceful solutions to the conflicts that are flaring up. They have an allergic reaction to the tutelage of western know-it-alls, but support based on partnership and on an equal footing is welcome in many places.
That is why the three-day trip that Olaf Scholz is setting out on today is so important: In the afternoon, the Federal Chancellor is expected in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where he will be Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meets. This is the man who was once seen as a beacon of hope, who then instigated the slaughter, but who seems to have come back to his senses under pressure: the war ended in November and the peace process is making progress. The 55 states of the african union, which is headquartered in Addis Ababa.
The Union is also mediating in the Sudanese conflict: Today there occurs a seven-day truce in effect, anyway. The ceasefire is considered a prerequisite for the army and paramilitaries to negotiate a lasting peace. The fact that the German chancellor is appearing in the region at this precise moment is being noticed there with great interest. Not because you’re hoping for clever advice from him, but because you urgently want honest offers for more economic investment and access to European markets. That works. European leaders are beginning to realize that it’s not only selfish, it’s foolish to close off your markets while flooding Africa with cheap products. Only if the majority of Africans are able to lead a halfway decent life can Europe arm itself against that regional conflicts keep spilling over the Mediterranean.
That also applies to Kenya, where the Chancellor will travel to tomorrow. The 53-million-inhabitant state is Germany’s largest trading partner in East Africa. The traffic light government sees great potential there and wants one with the government of President Ruto “Energy and Climate Partnership” close: thanks geothermal Kenya already covers 90 percent of its electricity consumption with renewable energies, soon it will be 100 percent. Now the country is getting into the production of green hydrogen one that could also be exported to Germany. Business, prospects and prosperity are attractive.
However, the prerequisite for all the high-flying plans for the future is stability. And that is acutely endangered in Kenya. If you read Daybreak regularly, you may have followed my reports from eastern Kenya. The climate change changed the once fertile region into a steppe landscape where millions of animals died of thirst and hundreds of thousands of children went hungry. It has rained there in the past few weeks, but not continuously, but in torrents. The water flooded the parched ground, swept away huts and crops, and 25,000 people had to flee. Now the sun is burning down from the sky again and the next drought is looming: already 4.4 million people have too little to eat the United Nations is warning that another million will be added in the next six weeks.
Tom Amolo works for the UN children’s fund Unicef in Garissa in eastern Kenya. I met him there in December, so I called him and asked about the current situation. “The situation has gotten worse,” he says. “The animals still don’t have enough food, which is why many families can no longer feed themselves. The flash floods have contaminated the wells, and now cholera is rampant. We urgently need chemicals to clean the water, otherwise it will get really bad.”
I asked Tom whether help would arrive in the region. His answer gives me hope: The willingness to donate has increased, so Unicef can finance numerous projects, he says. The helpers clean wells, lay water pipes, take care of malnourished children and advise mothers. “Although the situation is developing in a similarly sensitive way as during the 2011 hunger crisis, infant mortality is significantly lower today,” says Tom. “We can be proud of that.” I think that “we” should also mean all donors.
Kyiv, Chancellor, Crown
Gerhard Schröder used to be chancellor. Then he was Putin’s well-paid sidekick. He wanted to stay that way even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, the budget committee of the Bundestag withdrew his right to an office and employees. On the other hand, Schröder is suing, today the administrative court in Berlin is hearing.
