CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Tunisia’s health minister quits
Tunisia’s health minister, Abderraouf Cherif, resigned on Saturday, after the death of 12 premature babies from infections acquired at a public maternity hospital. The Tunisian Paediatrics Society wrote in a statement on Facebook that “elements of the ongoing investigation” pointed to fatal blood infections caused by a food product given through gastric tubes. The health ministry said “preventive measures and treatment have been taken to avoid other victims and to ensure the health of other babies in the maternity ward”.
Lagos building collapses
Ten people were killed and 40 schoolchildren rescued when a fourstorey building collapsed in Lagos, Nigeria. The building housed a primary school on the top floor, which has about 100 pupils. “It is believed that many people, including children, are currently trapped in the building,” said Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency’s southwest region. Some parents rushed to hospitals to look for their children. The BBC reported that the Lagos State Building Control Agency had confirmed that the building had been listed for demolition.
Bouteflika bows out
Algeria’s ailing president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has announced that he will not seek another term in office. Bouteflika’s bid to be re-elected was met with strong opposition; tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets. He has been in power for 20 years. The ailing president postponed next month’s presidential elections and announced that a new Constitution would be drafted. But not everyone is convinced that he will step down. Algerians were soon back on the street to demand that the entire regime resigns.
Bemba hits back at ICC
The former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-pierre Bemba, is suing the International Criminal Court for nearly $75-million, after the ICC acquitted him of war crimes last year. Bemba’s lawyers want compensation for what they say was his unlawful 10-year detention, legal fees and losses as a result of the alleged mismanagement of his assets that were seized by the court.
Floods hit Malawi
Floods in Malawi, worst in the south of the country, have killed 56 people. This number is expected to rise, according to the country’s department of disaster management affairs, which recorded 577 injuries. Three people have been reported missing. Malawian President Peter Mutharika has declared a state of emergency in the areas hit hardest by the flooding, which followed the formation of a “tropical disturbance” over the Mozambique Channel earlier in the week.
Côte d’ivoire to boost housing
In a bid to relaunch their social housing programme, Côte d’ivoire is recruiting international operators “with proven financial and technical ability to build 10 000 to 20 000 houses yearly”, Minister of Urbanism Bruno Nabagné Koné announced on Tuesday. Of the
150 000 houses supposed to have been built by November last year, only 10 429 were completed. — Briefs compiled by Aaisha Dadi Patel, Eyaaz Matwadia and Sarah Smit from AFP, Reuters, the North Africa Post and Ecofin Agency