Tag Archives: Bashir

AMA

For Somalia, Building Climate Resilience is Key to Unlocking Long-Term Growth and Jobs

MaraviPost

Washington, USA, 05 March 2026 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- A new World Bank Group report finds that cost‑effective and smart development investments, particularly in climate-smart agriculture, resilient cities, disaster risk management, and stronger institutions, could cut projected economic losses for Somalia by half and deliver more stable, productive jobs for its people.

Launched today by the Government of Somalia and the World Bank Group, the Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) for the Federal Republic of Somalia emphasizes the importance of linking adaptation to employment and productivity, which can enable Somalia to convert resilience investments into job opportunities, advancing its ambition to reach middle‑income status by 2060.

“Our focus is to ensure that climate action directly benefits our communities while building a stronger, more resilient Somalia,” said Bashir Mohamed Jama, Minister of Environment and Climate Change for Somalia. “Our priority is to ensure that climate resilience supports economic stability and opportunity for our people. This report provides valuable analysis to guide coordinated action across sectors and strengthen collaboration with our partners”.

Somalia is among the countries most vulnerable to climate shocks. Without urgent action, climate change could reduce Somalia’s GDP by up to 13.5 percent by 2060, compared to a scenario without climate impacts, undermining growth and employment and exacerbating fragility.

“Building a climate‑resilient Somalia is a shared responsibility. Through coordinated leadership, evidence‑based policy, and strong partnerships, Somalia can turn climate challenges into opportunities for employment and productivity,” said Hideki Matsunaga, World Bank Country Manager for Somalia. “With smart investments, particularly in resilient rural livelihoods, climate‑smart cities, and stronger institutions, Somalia can break the cycle of vulnerability, create jobs, and unlock its development potential.”

Somalia has made important strides in state‑building and macroeconomic stabilization, completing the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative debt relief process in 2023 and acceding to the East African Community in 2024. However, decades of conflict, weak institutions, recurrent droughts and floods continue to erode livelihoods, displace millions, and strain public services. The report emphasizes that integrating climate and development strategies can reduce vulnerability while supporting private‑sector‑led growth and job creation, shifting from crisis response toward sustained economic opportunity.

Investments in early warning systems, disaster preparedness, water management, and climate‑smart agriculture are not only cost‑effective, but they are also essential for protecting lives, supporting growth, and sustaining jobs and livelihoods in communities affected by conflict and displacement. Analysis shows that higher‑quality growth and targeted climate action can sharply reduce economic losses from climate change compared to a business‑as‑usual scenario.

At the same time, the report notes that while Somalia will continue to rely on external funding in the near term, over the longer term it will need to take stronger leadership in planning, implementing, and financing climate action. Deepening partnerships with the private sector will be essential to translate resilience investments into durable employment and reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Word Bank Group.

Contacts
In Nairobi:
Lydia Gachungi
lgachungi@worldbank.org

In Washington:
Daniella Van Leggelo Padilla
dvanleggelo@worldbank.org

About Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs)
The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) are new core diagnostic reports that integrate climate change and development considerations. They will help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost adaptation, while delivering on broader development goals. CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so. The reports suggest concrete, priority actions to support the low-carbon, resilient transition. As public documents, CCDRs aim to inform governments, citizens, the private sector and development partners and enable engagements with the development and climate agenda. CCDRs will feed into other core Bank Group diagnostics, country engagements and operations, and help attract funding and direct financing for high-impact climate action.

The post For Somalia, Building Climate Resilience is Key to Unlocking Long-Term Growth and Jobs appeared first on African Media Agency.

Lifestyle

U.S. sanctions on ICC prosecutor cripple tribunal’s work

Maravi Post Reporter

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen.

The Hague-based court’s American staffers have been told that if they travel to the U.S. they risk arrest.

Some nongovernmental organizations have stopped working with the ICC and the leaders of one won’t even reply to emails from court officials.

Those are just some of the hurdles facing court staff since U.S. President Donald Trump in February slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, according to interviews with current and former ICC officials, international lawyers and human rights advocates.

The sanctions will “prevent victims from getting access to justice,” said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

Trump sanctioned the court after a panel of ICC judges in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

Judges found there was reason to believe that the pair may have committed war crimes by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Staffers and allies of the ICC said the sanctions have made it increasingly difficult for the tribunal to conduct basic tasks, let alone seek justice for victims of war crimes or genocide.

A spokesperson for the ICC and for Khan declined to comment. In February, ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane said that the sanctions “constitute serious attacks against the Court’s States Parties, the rule of law based international order and millions of victims.”

Order targets chief prosecutor

The February order bans Khan and other non-Americans among the ICC’s 900 staff members from entering the U.S., which is not a member of the court. It also threatens any person, institution or company with fines and prison time if they provide Khan with “financial, material, or technological support.”

The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations, not just the one into Israel’s leaders.

The ICC had been investigating atrocities in Sudan and had issued arrest warrants for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges that include genocide. That probe has ground to a halt even as reports mount of new atrocities in Sudan, according to an attorney representing ICC prosecutor Eric Iverson, who is fighting the sanctions in U.S. courts. Iverson filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking protection from the sanctions.

Iverson “cannot do, what I would describe as, basic lawyer functions,” said Allison Miller, who is representing Iverson in the suit.

American staffers at the organization, like Iverson, have been warned by its attorneys that they risk arrest if they return home to visit family, according to ICC officials. Six senior officials have left the court over concerns about sanctions.

One reason the the court has been hamstrung is that it relies heavily on contractors and non-governmental organizations. Those businesses and groups have curtailed work on behalf of the court because they were concerned about being targeted by U.S. authorities, according to current and former ICC staffers.

Microsoft, for example, cancelled Khan’s email address, forcing the prosecutor to move to Proton Mail, a Swiss email provider, ICC staffers said. His bank accounts in his home country of the U.K. have been blocked.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.

Staffers at an NGO that plays an integral role in the court’s efforts to gather evidence and find witnesses said the group has transferred money out of U.S. bank accounts because they fear it might be seized by the Trump administration.

Senior leadership at two other U.S.-based human rights organizations told the AP that their groups have stopped working with the ICC. A senior staffer at one told the AP that employees have stopped replying to emails from court officials out of fear of triggering a response from the Trump administration.

The cumulative effect of such actions has led ICC staffers to openly wonder whether the organization can survive the Trump administration, according to ICC officials who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

One questioned whether the court would make it through the next four years.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/96/22/07/ED_PYR_1496227_20250515090103.mp4
Regional

Sudan blames allies of ex-president Bashir for failed coup

Maravi Post Reporter

A transitional government made up of the military, civilian representatives and protest groups have been ruling as part of a power-sharing agreement.

“We’re not going back… there are people trying to turn back the hands of time,” said Information Minister Hamza Baloul in a statement read on state TV.

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The Sudanese government has said the situation in the country is now “under control” but there are still agitations among some citizens.

Sudan’s transition to democratic regime is still facing deep political divisions and chronic economic problems.

It is yet to be seen how far this current transitional government could withstand any move to dismantle what has already been built so far.

Source: Africa Feeds