How do peacekeepers operate in Africa? – DW – 05/30/2025
May 30, 2025
This year, the world marked International Day of UN Peacekeepers with an eye on the future of peacekeeping. But how do blue helmets currently operate in Africa, and what have their challenges been? Eddy Micah Jr. talks to Malawi Defense Forces Major Tadziwana Kapeni and DW's Ben Shemang in Abuja.
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a day ago
- DW
Amid Gaza's forced scarcities, Palestinians fight to survive – DW – 07/24/2025
Gaza's displaced are facing severe food shortages and limited aid amid the ongoing conflict. Aid deliveries remain limited, leaving many families struggling to access basic necessities in a worsening humanitarian crisis. Every day is filled with anxiety and exhaustion. The constant Israeli bombardment, lack of sleep and search for food are overwhelming for Gaza's displaced population. "The day revolves around thinking about where to find food for my family," said Raed al-Athamna, a displaced Palestinian father in Gaza City, who spoke to DW by phone since foreign journalists are not allowed in Gaza. "There is nothing to eat. There is no bread, as I cannot afford to buy flour. It is too expensive. Today, we had some lentils for the kids and my mom, but tomorrow, I don't know." Al-Athamna, who previously worked as a driver for foreign journalists in Gaza, said he no longer had the words to describe the situation. "There are Israeli airstrikes and shelling all the time. I've seen people fainting in the streets because they haven't eaten. Social media is full of videos of people just collapsing." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video DW last spoke with al-Athamna in May, just after the Israeli government first permitted some aid trucks into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade. At the time, he thought the situation could not get any worse for Gaza's 2.1 million people. Two months on, al-Athamna described the situation as "really bad. You cannot find a piece of bread, it is a very difficult situation. I am here with my grandkids, they are crying, they keep saying: 'We want a piece of bread.' And if you cannot give them anything, they don't understand. This breaks your heart." International health and aid organizations have repeatedly sounded the alarm over conditions and the lack of vital supplies in Gaza during the 21-month conflict. According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, almost 88% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders or designated as military zones. These areas include most of Gaza's agricultural land, concentrating the displaced population in increasingly limited space and complicating humanitarian access. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that a large proportion of Gaza's population was starving. "I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, it's man-made and that's very clear," he stated. Ross Smith, emergency director at the World Food Program (WFP), said Monday that Gaza's hunger crisis "has reached new and astonishing levels of desperation." He said that "a third of the population are not eating for multiple days in a row, this includes women and children." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Thursday, Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that so far in July 48 Palestinians had died from malnutrition, with 59 dying of malnutrition since the start of 2025. That number is up from 50 in 2024 and four in 2023 when Israel started its war against the Hamas militant group in Gaza following Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials have disputed such claims, characterizing them as propaganda. Eyad Amin, a father of three young children who has found shelter in Gaza City, is desperate. "Food is unavailable, and when it is available, it's very expensive," the 43-year-old told DW. Amin, a former stationery shop owner, managed to buy some vegetables but at prices most people cannot afford. "Today I bought two potatoes, two tomatoes, and a few green peppers. These simple items cost me 140 shekels [around €36/$42]," he said. Like most Palestinians in Gaza, Amin has no income but gets assistance from relatives abroad. Those without such support face greater hardship. Sherine Qamar, a mother of two children in northern Gaza City, relies on support from her parents. "We practically live without food, and what we eat is just to survive. We have all lost a lot of weight, I personally lost 15 kilograms [33 pounds] in the last four months," she said. Medical care presents additional challenges. "When my children get sick due to malnutrition or things like the flu, we cannot find any medicine in hospitals or pharmacies, and we have to wait long hours at international organizations and hospitals to obtain painkillers," Qamar told DW. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In March, Israeli authorities closed Gaza's crossing, citing concerns about aid diversion by Hamas. These restrictions were partially lifted in May, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming Israel was acting to prevent a "starvation crisis." Aid distribution shifted from established UN mechanisms to the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which distributes pre-packed food boxes from three locations in Israeli-controlled militarized zones. Currently, an average of 28 aid trucks enter Gaza daily, according to UN figures, which aid organizations have said falls short of population needs. MedGlobal, a US-based NGO operating nutrition centers in Gaza, reported that "cases of acutely malnourished children have nearly tripled" since the beginning of July. "There is no more buffer," John Kahler, MedGlobal co-founder and a pediatrician who worked in Gaza last year, told DW. "When you get a virus suddenly you have diarrhea, that will push you over the edge because you don't have any physical reserve left." "The terrible thing in Gaza," he added, "is that everyone knows that food supplies are just 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] away." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Israel's military body overseeing crossings, told DW that "950 aid trucks are waiting on the Palestinian side" of entry points. The body claimed that Israel does not restrict humanitarian aid to Gaza, but did acknowledge "significant challenges in collecting trucks on the Gaza side." The UN has repeatedly said the backlog at the crossing was due to multiple difficulties, among them the coordination with the Israeli military. Trucks cannot move without their authorization, to ensure they can travel relatively safely from the crossing to the warehouse and distribution centers without coming under fire from the Israeli military. Due to supply scarcity, looting has increased. On Sunday, a WFP convoy came under fire, resulting in casualties among people waiting for aid. In recent weeks, at least 875 people have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid at one of the distribution points by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation or while waiting for UN trucks carrying supplies, according to the UN. "I only went one time to get aid. But I don't go anymore. If you are hit or injured, no one helps you. You will just die there. There is nothing in the hospitals to help you either," said al-Athamna from Gaza City. He added that the broader situation has become impossible. "You either die being bombed, or you die not having food. They keep talking to politicians about a ceasefire, but nothing happens, and things only get worse. What are we supposed to do?"
DW
7 days ago
- DW
Germany updates: 19 injured in Düsseldorf fair fireworks – DW – 07/19/2025
A fireworks accident at Düsseldorf's city fair has injured 19 people, four seriously, after rockets veered into the crowd. Meanwhile, the German Red Cross says the country lacks basic crisis training. Join DW for more. A fireworks show at the Düsseldorf city fair, the Rheinkirmes, had to be cut short after 19 people were injured — four of them seriously — when rockets flew too close to the crowd. Emergency crews have said at least one child was hurt, as videos and witnesses showed fireworks exploding unusually low. In other news, Germany's Red Cross warns that the population is lacking in people with skills to deal with major emergencies, while German media responds to the latest deportation flight to Afghanistan.A fireworks display at the Düsseldorf Rheinkirmes — a type of town fair — has left 19 people injured, including four seriously. Emergency services confirmed the injuries late Friday after fireworks reportedly exploded unusually close to the ground. According to police, at least one child was among the injured. Eyewitnesses told German public broadcaster WDR that some rockets flew sideways or detonated low, with a few even landing in the Rhine River. One video from across the river shows explosions lighting up both the sky and ground at the same time. "I was at the fair watching the fireworks," said one witness. "Some rockets flew surprisingly low and exploded close to people. I wondered if that wasn't too near the crowd." Fire officials believe some rockets may have veered off course, with one misfiring directly into the crowd. Organizers initially kept the fair running to avoid panic but ended festivities early around 10:45 p.m. (2045 GMT). The event had been scheduled to continue into the early morning. The Rheinkirmes fair, the biggest to take place on the river, is rooted in an annual celebration of the city's patron saint Apollinaris. It started on July 11 and is set to end on Sunday. Germany has been falling short on preparing its population for major emergencies, according to the German Red Cross (DRK). Millions of people need training in first aid and self-reliance, said Heike Spieker, head of the DRK's National Relief Society. "To build these skills sustainably, four million people would need to be trained," she said. That level of preparedness would ensure people could help themselves and others during a crisis. The courses, supported by federal funding and offered by aid groups, go beyond first aid. According to the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, they cover how to act when power goes out or flooding follows heavy rain. To reach a "reasonable level" within five years, around 800,000 people would need training each year, Spieker said. "In reality, current funding covers an average of fewer than 100,000 participants per year," she added. She also criticized the government's current budget plans, saying they are "absolutely insufficient and contradict the political promises to strengthen civil protection." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video from the DW newsroom in sunny Bonn on the Rhine River. You join us as news comes in of a mishap at what was supposed to be a dazzling event at the Düsseldorf Rheinkirmes on Friday night, when a fireworks display went wrong. Emergency services said the rockets appeared to explode far too close to the ground, and 19 people were injured. According to police, at least one child was among those hurt. Follow along for the latest on what Germany is talking about on Saturday, July 19.
DW
25-06-2025
- DW
Local journalism in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, mainstream media rarely cover life outside the big cities. DW Akademie supports young journalists like Naimur Rahman to use the newest techniques to report on local issues. The light of the setting sun filters through the dense foliage, as lanterns are pulled up on wooden poles. Hundreds of candles lie scattered in the grass like clusters of white flowers. Around them, sitting cross-legged, women and men are praying. Some are wearing traditional dress, others in their checked shirts look as if they have just come from the office. They are members of Buddhist minorities who are performing a yearly purification ritual in the hills of the Rangamati region in southern Bangladesh. The lanterns may light up the sky, but just 300 kilometers away in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, hardly anyone knows of the ritual. In 2021, the then 22-year-old student Naimur Rahman produced a video about the tradition in Rangamati. The largest English-language newspaper in Bangladesh, The Daily Star, published the report , introducing the ritual to the website's many users in Dhaka. The country's mainstream media rarely report on how people live outside of urban centers. But if people know nothing about each other, they run the risk of becoming embroiled in disputes, even bloody conflicts. Unfortunately, this has already occurred several times in Rangamati in the past. A way to build bridges between communities, Rahman's video was the result of a three-year fellowship program at DW Akademie, which teaches aspiring media professionals in Bangladesh the most up-to-date digital skills. In 2023, Rahman reported on Chittagong's shipbreaking yards for a story exploring the industry's environmental and human health impacts Image: Saim Bin Mujib/DW A new look at one's own country Rahman was one of the first 28 recipients of the "Local Media Hub Fellowship" selected by DW Akademie from all over the country. The word "local" was key to the program, as the aspiring journalists were expected to bring with them an enthusiasm for their regions and their cultural richness. They then set out to cover places where the country's major newspapers and television stations do not send correspondents. Rahman reported live from the Bangladesh–Myanmar border in February 2024 amid crossfire between Myanmar's Junta forces and the Arakan Army Image: Mong Sing Hai Marma/DW Even as a schoolboy, Rahman roamed the streets with a camera in his hand. Taking part in the DW Akademie training courses, he received training on a range of digital tools needed for modern reporting, including interviewing, data journalism, mobile reporting, multimedia storytelling, constructive journalism, fact-checking and artificial intelligence. Rahman also learned how to turn relevant topics into gripping stories and how to appropriately verify information from the Internet. Julfikar Ali Manik, one of Bangladesh's best-known investigative journalists and one of the project trainers, was pivotal in helping Rahman during his research in Rangamati. According to Rahman, Al Manik showed him how to connect with people of completely different walks of life and get them to tell their stories. "This early, practical foundation gave me the confidence to grow in this field," said Rahman. Impressive career Naimur Rahman's young career has already seen multiple successes and he attributes this to the DW Akademie fellowship. 'It led directly to a job interview that helped me get my current position at The Daily Star,' said the multi-award-winning Rahman. "I now work there as an assistant producer in the multimedia department." As part of his work for the Daily Star, Rahman also researched human rights violations surrounding the political upheaval in Bangladesh in the summer of 2024. He conducted interviews with mothers whose young sons were killed in the protests, visited hospitals and collected information on official death tolls. He now also works as a field producer, video journalist (VJ) and cameraman for international media outlets. After completing his bachelor's degree, Rahman went on to complete a diploma in film and TV in 2024. New round has already started The current DW Akademie scholarship program started in 2024, with 30 new participants. This time, 15 students and 15 young media professionals have been selected. In addition to two years of training, they will also be able to work in tandems and support each other. Rahman is certain that, like him, the new participants will continue to benefit from the experience and contacts made after completing the program. The Local Media Hub Fellowship group of 2024-2026 during a training on AI in journalism Image: Istiaq Muhit "The fellowship brought me together with a vibrant network of colleagues and mentors from across the region and broadened my view of journalism beyond national borders," Rahman said. "Participating in collaborative projects, workshops and receiving feedback from international trainers helped me to understand the importance of ethical reporting, inclusive storytelling and target group orientation." All of this has inspired him to tell stories with a social impact and to work to make underrepresented voices heard. Rahman also wants to pass on the knowledge he has acquired over the years to others and now works as a trainer and mentor himself, including for DW Akademie. Author: Patrick Batarilo The fellowship program is part of DW Akademie's thematic program 'Journalism of the Future' and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). DW Akademie has been working in Bangladesh since 2014, primarily to modernize the university education of aspiring journalists.
