Tag: East Africa

Kigali, Rwanda - Bayingana Mark is trying on a crisp white shirt at the Biryogo market in Kigali's Nyariambo district, known for its small-scale traders selling second-hand clothes from all over the world. Mark, a trader and head of Biryogo market, tells Al Jazeera that the lull is due to a government-imposed tax on imported second-hand clothes last year. Those supportive of the Rwandan government's bullish ambition to develop local manufacturing see the decision as a boon for their trade. At least 20 percent of all used clothes in Rwanda are imported from the US. Opportunity for tailors Mukanyarwi Serafina cuts through a section of Kitenge cloth in her small tailor shop in the town of Nyamagambe in southern Rwanda. He says it was only a matter of time before everyone got used to the change. "It is a big opportunity for tailors," the 38-year-old says. While Jacque understands the demand for self-respect, he says the economy does not run on "dignity". Hundreds of workers cut fabric, check labels, operate sewing machines, and carefully monitor the "Made in Rwanda" products for quality. Originally starting out as an export-oriented manufacturing plant, mostly for clients in the US and Europe, this Chinese-owned factory has moved into producing garments for the local market.

Look at the effects of the droughts in Syria, Darfur and Ethiopia. But is there any evidence for this link between climate change and conflict? The UN Refugee Agency reported that over 20 million people were displaced in Africa in 2016 – a third of the world’s total. East Africa is also a region with a long history of conflict and displacement. Our study suggests that the failure of political systems is the primary cause of conflict and displacement of large numbers of people. No single factor To test the climate-conflict hypothesis, we focused on the ten main countries in East Africa: Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Refugees make up a maximum of one third of the total people displaced in East Africa showing that most people are displaced in their own country. But in contrast to total displaced people and conflict, variations in refugee numbers, were found to be significantly linked to the incidence of severe regional droughts. So, even though displacement of people is linked to poverty and poor governance, it takes extreme weather events to force those people across international borders. Good governance is about protecting and looking after the most vulnerable people in society.