<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417776" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldiers take their position following renewed fighting near the Congolese border with Rwanda, outside Goma in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 28, 2022. REUTERS/Djaffar Sabiti/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 12 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Regional authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo said Rwandan soldiers and artillery had supported attacks by the M23 rebel group on Sunday, accusing Rwanda of seeking to occupy the Congolese border town of Bunagana.



The violence pushed over 25,000 people to flee the area, with thousands escaping to neighbouring Uganda, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said.



Congo&#8217;s accusations&nbsp;are part of an escalating dispute between the neighbours that has revived old animosities. Rwanda denies backing the M23 offensive.



The office of the governor of North Kivu province said Congolese forces had repelled early-morning attacks by M23, backed by Rwandan forces, near Bunagana and elsewhere.



&#8220;The goal pursued by Rwanda is to occupy Bunagana in order not only to asphyxiate the city of Goma but also to put pressure on the Congolese government,&#8221; it said in a statement.



The Rwandan government could not immediately be reached for comment. It denies playing any role in M23&#8217;s recent attacks, but has echoed M23 charges that Congo is cooperating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group run by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after taking part in the 1994 genocide.



On Thursday, Congo accused Rwanda of sending 500 commandos in disguise into eastern Congo.



On Friday, the countries accused each other of firing rockets across their shared border. Congo&#8217;s army said one strike killed two Congolese children.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2XY05K&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Fiston Mahamba and Erikas Mwisi Kambale;Additional reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana in Kigali;Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Diane Craft)

XXRFTEFP65IXHOOVNQYDKAK3A4

Congo says Rwandan forces supported latest rebel attacks as thousands flee

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="560" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-820x560.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417772" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-820x560.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-132x90.jpg 132w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-768x525.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-1536x1050.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CACHRUZPGJKAJOLH44U7ZXLQAM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators protest outside of an airport perimeter fence against a planned deportation of asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda, at Gatwick Airport near Crawley, Britain, June 12, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, June 13 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;London&#8217;s courts will hear two last-minute legal challenges on Monday to block the British government&#8217;s controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda before the first removal flight scheduled to leave on Tuesday.



Britain has agreed a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda in return for an initial payment of 120 million pounds ($148 million).



The deportation strategy is aimed at undermining people-smuggling networks, and stemming the flow of migrants risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats from Europe.



At least 30 individuals are scheduled to be removed on the first flight to Rwanda. The government has not provided details of those selected for deportation, but charities say they include people fleeing Afghanistan and Syria.



Prime Minister Boris Johnson is determined to press ahead with the policy despite the legal challenges and the alleged opposition from Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne.



The Court of Appeal will hear arguments from two human rights groups and a trade union on Monday after a judge refused their request for an injunction blocking the flight taking off. The judge said last week there was a &#8220;material public interest&#8221; in allowing the government to pursue the policy.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-rwanda-s-kagame-visits-uganda-s-museveni-as-relations-thaw">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/rwandas-kagame-visits-ugandas-museveni-as-relations-thaw/">Rwanda’s Kagame visits Uganda’s Museveni as relations thaw</a></h3>



The High Court will separately hear arguments from Asylum Aid, a refugee charity, which launched a second legal challenge to stop the government flying refugees to Rwanda.



The charity said the government&#8217;s plan to give asylum seekers seven days to obtain legal advice and to present their case to avoid deportation is flawed and unfair.



This case will be heard by the same judge who on Friday rejected the first request for an injunction.



Over the weekend, Prince Charles was reported by The Times newspaper to have privately described the government&#8217;s policy as &#8220;appalling&#8221;.



A spokesperson for Charles did not deny he had expressed personal opinions about the policy, but stressed that he remains &#8220;politically neutral&#8221;.



Under Britain&#8217;s unwritten constitution, the royal family are expected to avoid making political comments.



($1 = 0.8121 pounds)



(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Chris Reese)

FILE PHOTO: Protest against planned deportation of asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda, Crawley

UK courts to hear last-minute appeals to stop first Rwanda deportation flight leaving

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414305" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



BLANTYRE, June 6 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Malawi has requested a four-year extended credit facility to help with balance of payments difficulties, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday.



The donor-dependent southern African country has been experiencing acute foreign currency shortages. Late last month it allowed its kwacha currency to weaken 25% against the dollar.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL3N2XJ100&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;The authorities have requested an arrangement (on) the back of the protracted balance of payments problem,&#8221; the IMF said in a statement after talks with Malawian government officials and private sector representatives.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-cuts-global-growth-forecasts-on-russia-ukraine-war-says-risks-to-economy-have-risen-sharply">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/imf-cuts-global-growth-forecasts-on-russia-ukraine-war-says-risks-to-economy-have-risen-sharply/">IMF cuts global growth forecasts on Russia-Ukraine war, says risks to economy have risen sharply</a></h3>



The fund said restoring debt sustainability and resolving a case involving alleged misreporting of foreign-exchange reserves were pre-requisites for IMF support.



&#8220;While the authorities are addressing these issues, the IMF team conducted a mission to agree on (a) macroeconomic framework, policies and reforms,&#8221; it added.



The IMF said it welcomed the move to normalise the forex market and that Malawi&#8217;s authorities had engaged a debt advisor to suport efforts to address unsustainable public debt.



(Writing by Alexander WinningEditing by James Macharia Chege)

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IMF says Malawi requests four-year credit facility

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417581" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1232837884-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask passes a Safaricom Plc store in central Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Revenue from M-Pesa, Safaricom&#8217;s mobile-money service, is expected to grow after more customers have adopted cashless transactions during the coronavirus pandemic. Photographer: Patrick Meinhardt/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



NANYUKI, Kenya, June 2 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;M-Pesa, the mobile phone-based African money transfer service owned by Kenya&#8217;s Safaricom Plc&nbsp;SCOM.NR, and Visa Inc&nbsp;V.N&nbsp;launched a virtual payment card on Thursday in a bid to capture some of the continent&#8217;s $40 billion-a-year subscriptions market.



The M-Pesa Global Pay Visa Virtual card will allow users to securely pay 100 million foreign merchants like Amazon and Alibaba from their mobile phones, without the need for credit cards or accounts with processors such as PayPal.



The virtual card is also targeted at the fast-growing subscriptions markets in Africa for services like Netflix&nbsp;NFLX.O&nbsp;and Spotify&nbsp;SPOT.N, said M-Pesa Africa Managing Director Sitoyo Lopokoiyit.



The virtual card is initially available to more than 30 million M-Pesa users in Kenya and will be rolled out to Tanzania, where testing is going on, Mozambique, Congo, Lesotho and Ghana by April 2023, Lopokoiyit said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-kenya-s-central-bank-tests-public-opinion-about-digital-currencies">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenyas-central-bank-tests-public-opinion-about-digital-currencies/">Kenya’s central bank tests public opinion about digital currencies</a></h3>



M-Pesa launched 15 years ago as a simple money transfer service and now accounts for roughly half of Safaricom&#8217;s revenue as consumers use it for purchases, savings, borrowing and insurance. Safaricom is partly owned by South Africa&#8217;s Vodacom Group&nbsp;VODJ.J.



&#8220;A lot of M-Pesa customers today don’t have bank accounts… it (the virtual card) is a catalyst for e-commerce and digital payments,” said Visa official Alex McCrea.



Transactions will be subject to the M-Pesa platform&#8217;s limits in the local Kenyan currency of 150,000 shillings ($1,285) for a single transaction and a daily limit double that. Users will be able to use the virtual card while travelling abroad.



Transactions on the virtual card will be secured with a unique security code sent to the user&#8217;s mobile phone and the user&#8217;s M-Pesa personal identification number.



($1 = 116.7500 Kenyan shillings)



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by David Holmes and Cynthia Osterman)

Safaricom Plc Kiosks Ahead of Full Year Earnings

Safaricom’s M-Pesa, Visa offer virtual card for global transactions

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417557" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1215982515-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Signage for Vedanta Resources Ltd. is displayed at the company&#8217;s office building in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, March 6, 2020. The worlds most&nbsp;expansive lockdown&nbsp;to contain the coronavirus could slow the pace of distressed dealmaking in India, according to Vedanta Head of Mergers and Acquisitions Aarti Raghavan. Photographer: Kanishka Sonthalia/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, June 1 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambia&#8217;s decision three years ago to take control of a copper mine in the country&#8217;s north will be subject to an arbitration hearing in January in London, the country&#8217;s mines minister said on Wednesday, amid a lengthy dispute over the mine&#8217;s ownership.



Zambia in May 2019 handed control of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to a state-appointed provisional liquidator, triggering a legal battle with its previous owner, India-listed Vedanta&nbsp;VDAN.NS, with arguments heard in Zambia and South Africa and the dispute going to international arbitration.



Zambia&#8217;s government accused Vedanta at the time of failing to honour licence conditions, including promised investment &#8211; which Vedanta has denied.



Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said the referral to arbitration came after legal rulings.



&#8220;Following the Court of Appeal&#8217;s decision to stay proceedings and refer the matter back to arbitration – a decision supported by the Supreme Court – a hearing is now set for 9th January 2023,&#8221; Kabuswe said in a statement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-zambian-president-thanks-china-for-help-in-debt-restructuring">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/zambian-president-thanks-china-for-help-in-debt-restructuring/">Zambian President thanks China for help in debt restructuring</a></h3>



&#8220;In the interim, efforts are continuing to find a solution that unlocks KCM&#8217;s potential and delivers maximum benefit to the people of Zambia.&#8221;



Kabuswe again denied speculation that the government plans to give KCM back to Vedanta, saying Vedanta had &#8220;sacrificed&#8221; its licence to operate in the country. The company has offered to invest up to $1.5 billion in KCM if it resumes control of the mine.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2X009W&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;We have always stated that we [want to] amicably resolve the issues surrounding KCM without delay as a way of revitalizing the country&#8217;s economy,&#8221; a Vedanta spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the investment Vedanta has promised could help Zambia reach its goal of producing 3 million tonnes of copper a year in the next decade.



Kabuswe also commented on Mopani Copper Mines, another major mining operation for which the government is seeking a new investor. He said &#8220;market-based capital raising solutions should be implemented at Mopani, rather than relying directly or indirectly on the limited public finances&#8221;.



Reuters reported on Tuesday that previous owner Glencore was helping Mopani Copper Mines make ends meet, including through letters of credit, according to sources.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2XN1NA&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Chris Mfula; Additional reporting and writing by Helen Reid; Editing by David Holmes, Aurora Ellis and Sandra Maler)

Vedanta VP Aarti Raghavan Says India Stressed Deals To Slow

Arbitration hearing set for January in Vedanta-Zambia dispute

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="480" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/download-47.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417470" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/download-47.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/download-47-300x180.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/download-47-150x90.jpg 150w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/download-47-768x461.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Finance Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani presents the Government Budget for the 2021/22 fiscal year inside the Parliament buildings in Nairobi, Kenya June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, June 1 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s finance minister has asked parliament to let the East African economy raise its debt ceiling to 10 trillion shillings ($85.69 billion) from 9 trillion, two newspapers said on Wednesday.



The Business Daily and the Daily Nation said National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani had asked parliament to change the public finance management law to allow more borrowing to fund the budget in the year through June 2023.



Yatani did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.



The 2022/23 budget of 3.3 trillion shillings has a deficit of 6.2% of gross domestic product.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2W540T&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



In December, Yatani had said the government aimed to replace its nominal public debt ceiling with a debt anchor as a proportion of GDP by the end of June.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2T80AP&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



This year the finance ministry said it wanted to peg the debt ceiling at 55% of GDP, with the requirement of a reasonable explanation to lawmakers if debt needed to go higher.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2VC23E&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Late in 2019, Kenya raised its debt ceiling to 9 trillion shillings from 6 trillion earlier.



President Uhuru Kenyatta stepped up borrowing when he took office in 2013, driving up debt to the current level of more than 60% of GDP, versus just over 40% when he took over.



Political critics accuse Kenyatta&#8217;s government of saddling the country with steep repayment obligations, criticism it has rejected by saying the borrowed funds have funded infrastructure projects such as railways key to ensure economic expansion.



($1=116.7000 Kenyan shillings)



(Reporting by George Obulutsa)

download-47

Kenyan finance minister seeks to raise debt ceiling -media

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417431" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The headquarters of the People&#8217;s Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Lee</figcaption></figure>



LONDON/PARIS, May 31 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;China&#8217;s lack of experience with tricky debt restructurings and slow coordination among its public lenders is holding up debt relief for Zambia, a test case for the top emerging market creditor, three sources familiar with the matter said.



Zambia became in 2020 the first country to default in the COVID-19 pandemic era, struggling under a debt burden worth 120% of GDP. Its external debt topped $17 billion at the end of 2021, of which a third was owed to China, according to Zambian government data.



China agreed last month to co-chair Zambia&#8217;s official creditor committee with France, a move welcomed by Zambia&#8217;s government, which has made tackling the country&#8217;s debts a priority since taking power last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2X10KH&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Emerging market investors and other debtor countries are closely watching Zambia&#8217;s case for signs of how lenient Beijing will be in the future with overextended borrowers.



China became over the last decade the dominant public lender to African countries, extending $160 billion in credit since 2000, according to Boston University researchers.



&#8220;There is a learning curve for China and that is something we need to recognise,&#8221; said a French official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivities of the issue.



The official also cited &#8220;delays in the internal processes of China&#8221;, adding, &#8220;we also need to have better coordination among China itself, because there are a lot of agencies that have been lending&#8221;.



With the creditor committee still to have its first meeting, G7 finance ministers called on China to &#8220;contribute constructively&#8221; to the debt relief process after a meeting in Germany this month.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XB1T2&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



China&#8217;s foreign ministry said in a statement emailed to Reuters that the country attached &#8220;great importance to Zambian concerns about debt and supports multilateral efforts to resolve its debt problem&#8221;.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-costly-precedent">&#8216;COSTLY PRECEDENT&#8217;</h2>



Another source familiar with the situation said that while China&#8217;s central bank had been willing to move ahead, the finance ministry has been wary of &#8220;setting a costly precedent&#8221; elsewhere if it accepts big losses on loans made to Zambia.



The source added that the finance ministry was in particular looking out for China&#8217;s development banks, through which much of Chinese credit is extended.



A third source familiar with the situation told Reuters that, alongside coordinating its many lenders, China has been hesitant to take part in the Group of 20 leading economies&#8217; multilateral debt process, versus bilateral negotiations where it can also focus on the country&#8217;s broader strategic goals.



China&#8217;s foreign ministry did not respond specifically to questions about whether delays were partly due to internal coordination issues and unwillingness to accept losses on loans.



Zambia&#8217;s case is likely to be watched closely in other countries. Sri Lanka, for example, defaulted on its debt for the first time this month and owes money to a mix of creditors including China, India, Japan and Eurobond holders.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2WO6GP&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Zambia reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a $1.4 billion extended credit facility in December, but the money cannot flow until Lusaka and its creditors agree on reducing the debt to sustainable levels.



&#8220;China is ready to work with the international community and continue to provide within its capability Zambia with the necessary support to address its current practical difficulties,&#8221; the Chinese foreign ministry&#8217;s statement said.



Zambia&#8217;s finance minister has repeatedly said he hopes the negotiations will be concluded by the end of June, a timetable analysts deem ambitious.



&#8220;Our debt burden is choking our country&#8217;s growth potential and the debt restructuring exercise is becoming more urgent day by day,&#8221; Zambia&#8217;s finance ministry said in an emailed statement in response to questions about China&#8217;s role in the debt process.



(Reporting by Rachel Savage and Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Marc Jones in London, Yew Lun Tian in Beijing and Chris Mfula in Lusaka; Editing by Alison Williams)

LQFQKYWYQZKDROPUGCXEOE2MUE

Test case Zambia exposes China’s rookie status on debt relief – sources

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="538" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE-820x538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417427" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE-820x538.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE-300x197.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE-768x504.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A view shows an installed air quality monitoring device outside the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) station at the Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda May 27, 2022. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, May 30 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ugandan researchers have developed low-cost air quality monitoring sensors that work in extreme conditions and will allow Uganda to switch from expensive imported monitors in its bid to tackle rising air pollution.



Kampala, Uganda&#8217;s capital home to two million people, ranks among the world&#8217;s most polluted cities, with pollution levels up to seven times higher than the World Health Organisation&#8217;s safe standards, according to the 2021 World Air Quality Report.



Engineer Bainomugisha, who leads the research at Makerere University in Kampala, said the team had been motivated by the growing death toll caused by air pollution around the world.



Pollution remains the world’s largest environmental threat to human health, and in 2017 was responsible for 15% of all deaths globally, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://gahp.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PollutionandHealthMetrics-final-12_18_2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP).



&#8220;That (number of deaths caused by pollution) was really an eye opener&#8230; to come in with technology solutions and how we could contribute to improving air quality,&#8221; Bainomugisha said.



Around 28,000 people per year die as a result of air pollution in Uganda, according to GAHP.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-rwanda-s-kagame-visits-uganda-s-museveni-as-relations-thaw">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/rwandas-kagame-visits-ugandas-museveni-as-relations-thaw/">Rwanda’s Kagame visits Uganda’s Museveni as relations thaw</a></h3>



The AirQo air quality monitoring project, which is partly funded by Google&nbsp;GOOGL.O, relies on a network of sensors, which cost $150 a piece, to gather air quality data around Kampala.



Using artificial intelligence technology and machine learning, this data is then processed before it is uploaded onto a cloud-based service accessible to consumers and the public via a smart phone application.



Kampala, where major sources of pollution include dust from unpaved roads, wood fuel use, vehicle and industrial emissions and open burning of solid waste, previously relied on air quality monitors mostly imported from the United States at about $30,000 a piece.



The equipment, which required expensive maintenance, broke down frequently because they were not designed specifically for the local environment, city officials say.



Bainomugisha said AirQo&#8217;s monitoring devices are installed around the city including in schools, residential areas, and on motorbike taxis.



Designed to withstand conditions including extreme heat and dust, the devices are powered both by electricity from the grid and solar power to allow them to operate when power supplies are interrupted, he said.



(Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Duncan Miriri and Raissa Kasolowsky)

D3OWYTDPXBPDVMWIXKXO7YOHPE

Ugandan researchers develop low cost sensors to track air pollution

KINSHASA, May 28 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Democratic Republic of Congo has summoned Rwanda&#8217;s ambassador and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo in response to what it says is Kigali&#8217;s support for M23 rebels carrying out a military offensive in its eastern borderlands.



Rwanda denies supporting the rebels, who advanced as close as 20 km (12 miles) this week to eastern Congo&#8217;s main city of Goma and briefly captured the army&#8217;s largest base in the area.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XJ0HI&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Congo and U.N. investigators had also accused Kigali of supporting the M23 during a 2012-2013 insurrection that took Goma before being forced back and chased into Uganda and Rwanda. Kigali denied doing so.



Congo&#8217;s government spokesman Patrick Muyaya announced the suspension of flights from Rwanda&#8217;s national carrier and the summoning of the ambassador late Friday night following a meeting of the national defence council.



He said the government had designated the M23 a terrorist group and would exclude it from negotiations being held in Kenya with militia groups active in eastern Congo.



&#8220;A warning was made to the Rwandans, whose attitude is likely to disrupt the peace process &#8230; where all the armed groups, except for the M23, are committed to the path to peace,&#8221; Muyaya said.



Rwanda&#8217;s government was not immediately available for comment on Saturday.



On its website, Rwanda&#8217;s army requested the release of two Rwandan soldiers it said were &#8220;kidnapped&#8221; along its border with Congo.



An image circulating on social media of two men in Rwandan military uniforms surrounded by Congolese soldiers has been cited by Congolese users as evidence of the Rwandan army&#8217;s presence inside Congo.



Congo&#8217;s government has not commented on the photo, but Muyaya presented video footage during his remarks showing munitions and a military uniform that he said belonged to Rwandan forces and were recovered by the Congolese army.



The M23 and Rwanda&#8217;s government have, in turn, accused Congo&#8217;s army of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia founded by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide. Congo denies this.



Rwanda invaded Congo in 1996 to pursue the militiamen. Eastern Congo has experienced near constant conflict since then due to foreign invasions and insurgencies by rebel groups.



(Reporting by Stanis Bujakera and Fiston Mahamba; Additional reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana in Kigali; Writing by Aaron Ross, Editing by Ros Russell)

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Congo suspends flights from Rwanda over Kigali’s alleged support for rebels

ADDIS ABABA, May 27 (Reuters)



Ethiopia&#8217;s state-appointed human rights body called on Friday for the release of 16 journalists and media personnel after new arrests in recent days in the capital Addis Ababa and the restive region of Amhara.



Press watchdogs and rights groups say Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed&#8217;s government is increasingly intimidating the media and harassing opponents as it seeks to quell unrest in regions.



Ethiopian authorities have been particularly cracking down in Amhara and Oromiya regions recently. They justify arrests of media personnel by accusing them of siding with rebels. 



In the latest round-up, Temesgen Desalegn of Feteh Magazine and Yayesew Shimelis of Ethio Forum Media were held on Thursday in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said.



Last week, Amhara authorities arrested five journalists of media outlet Ashara in a move thought linked to their coverage of a volunteer militia known as Fano. 



On the same day, Amhara authorities also arrested another four employees of U.S.-based online outlet Nisir International Broadcasting. 



Rights commission head Daniel Bekele said the total number of detained journalists was now 16 and urged their immediate release.



&#8220;No claim about the alleged offense committed through media justifies violation of the newly adopted media law which clearly prohibits pre-trial detention of persons charged with committing an offense through the media,&#8221; he said in a statement.



Government spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Bekele&#8217;s statement.



But the government put out a warning to the media in a statement last week: &#8220;The government will continue to take irreversible measures on individuals involved in illegal activities who are planning and working to create havoc and chaos, also on those wearing a cloak of media outlets and journalists.&#8221;



Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

Ethiopian president

Ethiopian rights body seeks release of 16 detained journalists

NAIROBI, May 20 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The International Monetary Fund has extended its support for Somalia under its Extended Credit Facility to Aug. 17, the lender said on Friday.



Early this month, the Somali government had asked the fund for a three-month extension in its financial support.



In February, the IMF warned against the risk of automatic expiry this month of the three-year budget support programme worth nearly $400 million, after delayed legislative and presidential elections jeopardised its renewal.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2US5NQ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

IMF_logo

IMF extends financial support for Somalia to August

KHARTOUM, May 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;A leading&nbsp;Sudanese&nbsp;politician was&nbsp;arrested&nbsp;on Thursday as&nbsp;protests&nbsp;raged in the capital&nbsp;Khartoum&nbsp;for the seventh month against military rule, with tear gas and heavy security force deployment.



A military coup in October effectively ended a 2019 power-sharing deal between generals who overthrew President Omar al-Bashir, andpolitical parties that opposed him.



One of those parties, the&nbsp;Sudanese&nbsp;Communist&nbsp;Party, said its&nbsp;leader&nbsp;Mohamed Mukhtar Al-Khatib had been&nbsp;arrested&nbsp;on Thursday, following a visit to Juba where he met with leading&nbsp;Sudanese&nbsp;rebel&nbsp;leaders.



The party, which has been the most hardline against the coup and any future deal, was pursuing a unified front against the coup, it said.



Sudan&#8217;s economy has spiralled as its government has gone without a prime minister since January. Businesses are stagnating while citizens face steep increases in the prices of food, electricity and fuel.



&#8220;The military has failed economically, politically and psychologically &#8211; in every way,&#8221; said a 30-year-old protester and unemployed engineer who declined to give his name for fear of retribution. &#8220;They are just being stubborn now, but we are more stubborn.&#8221;



The protesters marched under the harsh sun as security forces, including the U.S.-sanctioned Central Reserve Police,&nbsp;were deployed at key points along&nbsp;the protest route.



(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Sudanese communist leader arrested as protests rage in Khartoum￼

May 17 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported Tuesday.



Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanization drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lan???/article/PII???????????????/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scientists’ analysis of data</a>&nbsp;on global mortality and pollution levels.



&#8220;We&#8217;re sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning,&#8221; said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global nonprofit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, &#8220;we haven&#8217;t given (environmental pollution) much focus.&#8221;



An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly 9 million per year — or about one of every six deaths worldwide — and the cost to the global economy at up to $4.6 trillion per year. That puts pollution on par with smoking in terms of global deaths.&nbsp;COVID-19, by comparison, has killed about&nbsp;6.7 million&nbsp;people globally since the pandemic began.



For their most recent study, published in the online journal Lancet Planetary Health, the authors analyzed 2019 data from the Global Burden of Disease, an ongoing study by the University of Washington that assesses overall pollution exposure and calculates mortality risk.



The new analysis looks more specifically at the causes of pollution – separating traditional contaminants such as indoor smoke or sewage from more modern pollutants, like industrial air pollution and toxic chemicals. Here are some of the key takeaways:



WATER AND INDOOR AIR



Deaths from traditional pollutants are declining globally. But they remain a major problem in Africa and some other developing countries. Tainted water and soil and dirty indoor air put Chad, the Central African Republic and Niger as the three countries with the most pollution-related deaths, according to data adjusted for population.



State programs to cut indoor air pollution and improvements in sanitation have helped to curb death tolls in some places. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, these efforts brought related deaths to drop by two-thirds between 2000 and 2019. Meanwhile, the Indian government in 2016 began offering to replace wood-burning stoves with gas stove connections.



MODERN POLLUTANTS



Deaths caused by exposure to modern pollutants such as heavy metals, agrochemicals and fossil fuel emissions are &#8220;just skyrocketing&#8221;, rising 66% since 2000, said co-author Rachael Kupka, executive director of the New York-based Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.



When it comes to outdoor air pollution, some major capital cities have seen some success, including in Bangkok, China, and Mexico City, the authors said. But in smaller cities, pollution levels continue to climb.



HIGHEST POLLUTION-RELATED DEATHS



The study offered a list of the 10 countries most affected by pollution-related deaths, based on their findings on mortality adjusted for population.



1. Chad; 2. Central African Republic; 3. Niger; 4. Solomon Islands; 5. Somalia; 6. South Africa; 7. North Korea; 8. Lesotho; 9. Bulgaria; 10. Burkina Faso



(Reporting by Gloria Dickie; Editing by Katy Daigle and Lisa Shumaker)

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Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Lawmakers choose Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for president</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Vote takes place behind barricades due to conflict</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Former education campaigner Mohamud, 66, faces Islamist war</li></ul>







By Abdi Sheikh



MOGADISHU, May 16 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Former Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won the presidency again in voting by parliamentarians on Sunday in an airport hangar protected by blast walls from Islamist insurgents whom he must now fight for a second time.



The 66-year-old, who ruled from 2012 to 2017, reversed the previous election to defeat incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed by 214-110 votes in a third-round runoff whose result was confirmed around midnight.



&#8220;We have to move ahead, we do not need grudges. No avenging,&#8221; Mohamud said in his acceptance speech from the airport compound in the capital Mogadishu patrolled by African Union (AU) peacekeepers.



Supporters defied a curfew to pour onto the streets of Mogadishu, cheering and firing guns into the air.



The former education campaigner and peace activist faces a daunting task in the nation of 15 million people which is suffering its worst drought in four decades and has endured seemingly never-ending conflict since 1991.



Though just holding the election was a success of sorts, many Somalis were sceptical of any real improvement.



Most of the 36 candidates were old faces recycled from the past who had done little to stem war and corruption, they complained. Votes are anyway influenced more by money changing hands than political platforms, Somalis and analysts say.



&#8220;Hassan Sheikh is not good but he is the lesser of the two evils. We hope Somalia will be better,&#8221; said Halima Nur, a mother-of-four in Mogadishu.



&#8220;We hope this time Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will improve and become a better leader. We hope Somalia will be peaceful, though this may take time,&#8221; said student Mohamed Ismail.



&#8216;A VERY TEDIOUS TASK&#8217;



The United Nations-backed vote was delayed by more than a year due to squabbling in government, but had to be held this month to ensure a $400 million International Monetary Fund programme.



During the first round of voting, blasts from mortar shells rang out near the site but did not disrupt proceedings. There was no claim of responsibility, but Somalis are used to attacks on state institutions from al Shabaab militants.



Somalia has endured conflict and clan battles with no strong central government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. The government has little control beyond the capital and the AU contingent guards an Iraq-style &#8220;Green Zone&#8221;.



&#8220;Let us pray for the new president, it is a very tedious task,&#8221; said outgoing leader Mohamed, known as &#8220;Farmaajo&#8221; due to a reputed love of Italian formaggio cheese.



He drew criticism from Somalis and foreign donors for trying to extend his tenure last year.



After long bouts of infighting within government, sometimes spilling over into gun battles between factions of the security forces, the incoming leader sought to strike a new note.



&#8220;We cannot forget the painful past but we can forgive,&#8221; said Mohamud. &#8220;Here in this hall I had handed over the presidency to Farmaajo in 2017 and tonight he handed over to me.&#8221;



Born in the Hiran region of central Somalia, Mohamud has a master&#8217;s degree in technical education from India&#8217;s Barkatullah University. He co-founded the SIMAD university in Mogadishu.



Though credited with pushing al Shabaab out of some towns when he was president, Mohamud failed to deliver a crushing blow to the militants who now control swathes of Somalia and run a lucrative extortion business.



(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu; Writing by Elias Biryabarema and Andrew Cawthorne;Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

somalia-flag_Public Domain Pictures

Ex-Somali leader Mohamud wins presidency to face war and drought

By Tom Sims



FRANKFURT, May 15 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Deutsche Bank&nbsp;DBKGn.DE&nbsp;is not financing a pipeline in Africa that environmental campaigners have said will displace thousands of families and disrupt nature reserves, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.



Germany&#8217;s largest lender has come under pressure to clarify its stance on the financing of the planned $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which would stretch more than 1,400 kilometres from Uganda to Tanzania.



Deutsche has so far not commented on the project despite the pressure increasing ahead of the bank&#8217;s annual general meeting on Thursday. The environmental activist group 350.org is organising a series of protests in the coming days.



&#8220;Many major banks and insurers have already pulled out of this devastating project. We&#8217;re raising the pressure on Deutsche Bank, as one of the only major banks in Europe that has not yet withdrawn their support for EACOP,&#8221; 350.org has said ahead of the planned protests.



The French energy giant Total&nbsp;TTEF.PA, which is developing the pipeline with China National Offshore Oil Corporation, has said it was taking steps to mitigate the environmental and human impact of the project.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2L60K3&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



In recent years, Deutsche Bank has marketed itself as a bank that companies can turn to as they transition to a greener future.



&#8220;We have placed sustainability at the core of our strategy,&#8221; Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing said last year.



Deutsche Bank has never been involved in the financing of the pipeline, said the person, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Deutsche Bank said in a statement that it doesn&#8217;t comment on clients, but that it &#8220;supports the transition to a low-carbon economy&#8221; and its policies prohibit it from knowingly financing projects that clear primary forests, areas of high conservation value and peatlands.



The campaign called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stopeacop.net/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#STOPEACOP</a>&nbsp;says on its website that the pipeline puts at risk water for millions of people, and will cut through land critical for elephants, lions and chimpanzees.



(Reporting by Tom SimsEditing by Riham Alkousaa, Maria Sheahan and David Evans)



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Deutsche Bank not financing EACOP African pipeline – source

KAMPALA, May 3 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Uganda&#8217;s largest telecommunications firm MTN Uganda&nbsp;MTNU.UG&nbsp;said on Tuesday its first-quarter pretax profits jumped by a fifth from the same period of last year, partly boosted by higher data sales.



In the first three months of this year the firm&#8217;s pretax profit rose 20.2% to 143.7 billion shillings ($40.65 million) from the same quarter in 2021, as revenue from internet connection data ballooned 45% to 115.6 billion.



&#8220;We continued to drive digital inclusion and affordability by reducing the price of our lower-tier internet bundle packages,&#8221; the firm said in commentary accompanying the results.



MTN Uganda, which is majority owned by South Africa&#8217;s MTN Group&nbsp;MTNJ.J, listed its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) in December after a deeply undersubscribed initial public offering.



Last year, MTN Uganda reported a 6.6% jump in pretax profit compared with the previous period, helped by higher data sales and faster uptake of its fintech services. In Uganda it chiefly competes with a local subsidiary of India&#8217;s Bharti Airtel&nbsp;BRTI.NS.



MTN Uganda said the outlook for its business was difficult, clouded partly by the global economic consequences of the war in Ukraine.



&#8220;Recent macroeconomic developments point to a more challenging trading environment for our business,&#8221; it said.



&#8220;Higher inflation of essential commodities and fuel has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which is also putting pressure on supply chains.&#8221;



($1 = 3,535.0000 Ugandan shillings)

UGANDA-TELECOMMUNICATION-FINE-BUSINESS

MTN Uganda’s Q1 2022 pretax profit up 20% on robust data sales￼

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-416704" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LIIL4DGYFVNP5EAHWSIR7IM3BM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Zambia&#8217;s President Hakainde Hichilema addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S. on September 21, 2021. Spencer Platt/Pool via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, April 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema thanked China on Monday for joining international efforts to help his country to restructure its debt after China committed to joining Zambia&#8217;s creditor committee at&nbsp;International Monetary Fund&nbsp;meetings last week.



Meanwhile IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed the country&#8217;s economic reform progress, saying she had an &#8220;excellent meeting&#8221; with Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane and central bank Governor Denny Kalyalya on Monday.



&#8220;We share the hope for rapid progress on #Zambia’s debt restructuring so the IMF Board can soon consider the authorities’ program,&#8221;&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KGeorgieva/status/1518649347189223425?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Georgieva said on Twitter</a>.



In 2020 Zambia became the first country to have defaulted in the pandemic-era&nbsp;when&nbsp;its debt burden reached more than 120% of national output. It reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December 2021 on a $1.4&nbsp;billion&nbsp;three-year extended credit facility.



&#8220;Thank you to China for joining the Common Framework, for agreeing to join the Common Framework to resolve the debt crisis,&#8221; Hichilema told&nbsp;reporters&nbsp;in Lusaka.



He added that authorities were working with fertiliser-producing countries to try to alleviate the pressures of rising fuel and fertiliser prices and also wanted to develop exports of wheat to take advantage of higher prices.



Georgieva&nbsp;said&nbsp;last Thursday that China has committed to joining Zambia&#8217;s creditor committee.&nbsp;Sources with knowledge of the meeting said People&#8217;s Bank of China&nbsp;Governor Yi Gang said that China intended to co-chair the committee.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2WK1EM&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



China and Chinese entities held $5.78 billion of Zambia&#8217;s debt at the end of 2021, according to the most recent Zambian government data. Zambia&#8217;s external debt also includes $3 billion in international bonds and $2.1 billion to multilateral lending agencies such as the IMF.



However, Zambian officials have also expressed frustration at the process.



Musokotwane said at events on the sidelines of the IMF meetings last week the debt restructuring process had &#8220;stalled&#8221; and Zambia had &#8220;come here to complain&#8221;.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2WJ4XX&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Lusaka and Rachel Savage in London; Writing by Tim Cocks and Angus MacSwan;Editing by Marguerita Choy)

East Africa

Congo says Rwandan forces supported latest rebel attacks as thousands flee

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Test case Zambia exposes China’s rookie status on debt relief – sources

Ugandan researchers develop low cost sensors to track air pollution

Congo suspends flights from Rwanda over Kigali’s alleged support for rebels

Ethiopian rights body seeks release of 16 detained journalists

IMF extends financial support for Somalia to August

Sudanese communist leader arrested as protests rage in Khartoum

Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

Ex-Somali leader Mohamud wins presidency to face war and drought

Deutsche Bank not financing EACOP African pipeline – source

MTN Uganda’s Q1 2022 pretax profit up 20% on robust data sales

Zambian President thanks China for help in debt restructuring

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East Africa

Congo says Rwandan forces supported latest rebel attacks as thousands flee

UK courts to hear last-minute appeals to stop first Rwanda deportation flight leaving

IMF says Malawi requests four-year credit facility

Safaricom’s M-Pesa, Visa offer virtual card for global transactions

Arbitration hearing set for January in Vedanta-Zambia dispute

Kenyan finance minister seeks to raise debt ceiling -media

Test case Zambia exposes China’s rookie status on debt relief – sources

Ugandan researchers develop low cost sensors to track air pollution

Congo suspends flights from Rwanda over Kigali’s alleged support for rebels

Ethiopian rights body seeks release of 16 detained journalists

IMF extends financial support for Somalia to August

Sudanese communist leader arrested as protests rage in Khartoum￼

Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

Ex-Somali leader Mohamud wins presidency to face war and drought

Deutsche Bank not financing EACOP African pipeline – source

MTN Uganda’s Q1 2022 pretax profit up 20% on robust data sales￼

Zambian President thanks China for help in debt restructuring

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Sudanese communist leader arrested as protests rage in Khartoum

MTN Uganda’s Q1 2022 pretax profit up 20% on robust data sales