COVID-19 restrictions affecting humanitarian aid to Africa
Several African countries need humanitarian aid due to food shortages that are partly caused by natural disasters such as drought and cyclones. In recent weeks, humanitarian organisations have voiced their concerns about how COVID-19 measures may affect the supply of humanitarian aid in Africa.
When implementing measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it is evident that most African governments did not cautiously consider the social impact of said measures. For example, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) “warns that curfews and lockdowns will make women more vulnerable to gender-based violence and domestic abuse”.
Strategies have been put in place to conduct home testing or sanitise commonly utilised streets/roads in some African countries. But there is rarely talk about a strategy (if there is one) that speaks to how these forms of abuse will be minimised during this period. Nonetheless, the period raises other areas of concern like access to humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian aid to Sudan during COVID-19
The close of entry and exit points (such as international airports) have had a negative effect on humanitarian aid. “The United Nations [UN] and its partners are putting in place alternative plans to ensure the continuity of humanitarian assistance in Sudan, as measures taken by the Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are having an impact on aid access, deliveries, and services,” the UN News explained.
Sudan is one of the worst affected countries by the restrictive measures, as 9.2 million people need humanitarian assistance: three million of them are refugees and internally displaced people.
To contain the spread of the virus, Sudan implemented measures such as the closing of its borders and airports, halting all long-haul bus trips between cities and states, as well as imposing a nationwide curfew from 20:00 (1800 GMT) to 06:00 (0400 GMT) local time.
On Tuesday, 7th April, Unmask Africa’s COVID-19 tally indicated that the country has twelve cases of the epidemic and two deaths. The government is gradually moving towards a nationwide lockdown as it says that the country is not currently ready for a full-scale lockdown.
COVID-19 “could also lead to a food security crisis”
Shenggen Fan, former Director-General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, writes, “COVID-19 is a health crisis. But it could also lead to a food security crisis if proper measures are not taken.”
The statement carries truth in many low-income countries, especially those in Africa where food shortages are not novelties.
In Southern Africa, the overwhelming drought and two cyclones that occurred last year have left 45 million people vulnerable to hunger. Botswana, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe are facing food shortages.
The food-assistance branch of the UN, World Food Programme (WFP), last week had to negotiate a humanitarian corridor through South Africa to maintain the flow of food aid to these countries. Food vessels will land on South African shores for goods to then be transported to those abovementioned nations.
A lack of safety-nets makes the situation worse. “Safety-net systems are critical lifelines to help stem the negative economic and nutritional impacts of COVID-19,” according to Chase Sova, acting Head of Public Policy for WFP in the United States of America.
“Many developing countries, however, lack safety-net systems to fill that void. In fact, less than 20 percent of people living in low-income countries have access to social protections of any kind, and even fewer have access to food-based safety nets,” he added.
According to the UN, Africa may be two to three weeks away from the peak of the virus’s outbreak in the region. Therefore, the continent likely faces a long road ahead before the flattening of the curve.
Unmask Africa’s tally further outlines that Africa has registered an overall of 10,512 cases, 1,020 (9.7%) recoveries, and 491 (4.7%) fatalities. 53 of the continent’s 58 countries, dependencies and other territories have confirmed infections.
Last remarks about COVID-19 outbreak
Rosewood – The disruption in the supply chains and drop in demand for some goods has proven positive at a few ends.
One of them is rosewood, which has seen a drop in export. Its logs have been illegally obtained from West African forests, loaded into trucks and then exported to China, where they are utilised for domestic furniture. This is an expanding market. The practice has left trails of devastation in northern Sierra Leone and southern Senegal forest.
Elections – By Postponing its parliamentary election that was scheduled for August due to COVID-19, Ethiopia has laid the ground for other African countries (such as Burundi, Ivory Coast and Malawi) to behave accordingly in the upcoming months. The act was a sharp contrast to Mali hosting its long-delayed parliamentary election despite warnings of insecurity and the spread of the virus.
Government Debt – The distressed debt conditions of many Africa countries are surfacing as their fiscus are being stretched to accommodate the health and economic demands of their populations in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
South Africa, for instance, was further downgraded to ‘BB’ from ‘BB+’ with a negative outlook by ratings agency Fitch. One of the reasons included “the lack of a clear path towards government debt stabilisation”, according to Fitch. On the other hand, Zambia has sought for experts from its local banks to advice about how to restructure its $11.2 billion debt.
Reporting by Gaby Ndongo. Editing by Kupa Kambasha. Feature image by Mike from Pexels.
