CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Safe pair of hands

Surgeons in Lusaka, Zambia, have successfully separated sevenmonth-old conjoined twins in an operation that is the first of its kind in the country. The twins — Bupe and Mapalo — were identified as omphalopagus twins, which means that they were joined at the abdomen and shared a liver. The operation, which took a team of 30, including surgeons, nurses and other professionals, was seven hours long. There were no complications.

Fighting on empty stomachs

Thousands of Namibian Defence Force personnel on duty across the country will be forced to take leave next month because the army cannot afford to feed them and to pay utility bills. The personnel on leave have been told not to report for duty but they will still be paid their salaries and their leave days won’t be reduced. The defence ministry’s budget was cut as part of government measures to restrict expenditure. The ministry is said to owe roughly R4-million for water, electricity, rates and taxes

Ready to let go?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President Joseph Kabila has promised to step down in December after he names a successor in July. Kabila was meant to have relinquished power in 2016 but refused to do so because of the “political environment” in the country. Kabila’s refusal has caused widespread unrest. He became president in 2001 after his father and predecessor Laurent Kabila was assassinated.

Oscar angst