Cholera in Haiti and Africa: The Peacekeepers’ Footprint

By Dady Chery Haiti Chery Like the plantain weed, Plantago major, which so reliably matched the movements of European settlers through North America that it became known as “the white man’s footprint,” the cholera epidemics of the last 15 years … Continue reading →

Ebola Outbreak: Zombie Apocalypse or Boon for Vaccines?

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. As early as 1995, researchers at the University of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, discovered that extremely sick Ebola-infected patients, including ones who had been comatose, could be saved by transfusions of blood from individuals who had recovered from the same Ebola infection.

Continue reading →

Will Namibia’s Newfound Wealth of Groundwater Serve People or Mining?

By James Anderson, Alertnet. About 0.16 cubic mile of groundwater, at least 100 times the amount of renewable freshwater in Africa, lies below the continent’s driest country: Namibia. The battle is on for access to the newfound water by the population versus the water utilities and mining industry.

Continue reading →

Egypt, Ethiopia Mull Nile Dams Dispute

UPI via Terra Daily Editorial Comment. Finally there is a move afoot to reconsider the water agreements between Nile countries. The previous agreements for sharing the Nile waters had been unfair and involved the U.K. bullying upstream countries for the … Continue reading →

Dutch Court Opens Door to Legal Accountability for Peacekeepers

By Thalif Deen, IPS | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. A landmark ruling by a Dutch court in July 2011 holding the Netherlands government liable for the failings of its soldiers on a U.N. peacekeeping mission may be used as a precedent for criminal liability involving sexual violence, according to human rights groups.

Continue reading →