On our radar

Protesters force China’s hand on COVID restrictions
 
The Chinese government has relaxed some COVID-19 lockdown measures after thousands of citizens in cities across the country came out in mass protest against its restrictive policies. Meanwhile, 10 people were killed in an apartment fire in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, where protesters blamed strict local lockdowns for impeding firefighters’ progress. Protests in China aren’t nearly as rare as the mainstream media tends to paint them (Freedom House has documented hundreds in recent months), but the breadth of these demonstrations – and their focus on President Xi Jinping and the central government – is unprecedented. In response, the government has rolled out “emergency” level censorship on its already tightly restricted internet, though it is also set to further loosen its COVID restrictions. The country’s strict zero-COVID policy has led to protracted and often excessive lockdowns, with severe impacts on the economy at a time when urban youth unemployment is at a record high. Public health experts warn that China can’t afford the surge of hospitalisations and deaths that would likely accompany a complete rollback of restrictions, partly due to its relatively low vaccination rate and lower-efficacy jabs. The government has announced expanded vaccinations for the elderly, but it is yet to roll out its own mRNA vaccine, and it is still refusing to import foreign vaccines with higher efficacy rates.
 
Humanitarian to-do list: Shrink needs, so costs don’t break more records
 
As the UN unveils its eye-watering projections for what crisis response will cost in 2023 (a record $51.5 billion), a more unsung slice of the humanitarian world is meeting to finetune strategies its proponents hope will keep soaring needs and costs in check. The Global Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Humanitarian Action runs 6-8 December in Berlin and online, bringing together backers of the buzzword-turned-policy known as anticipatory action. The idea – forecast risks and respond early so they don’t explode into a crisis – sounds simple. But it’s a lot more complex in practice. Which data will trigger the right response? What about harder-to-predict hazards like flash floods or rapidly intensifying cyclones? What about conflict areas? Many anticipation-tinged projects are in the pilot phase, and a handful tend to be repeatedly cited (cash/Bangladesh floods, any others anyone?). But it’s clear that humanitarian leaders and big donors are putting their weight behind anticipatory action. And with good reason. For now, re-tooling the emergency aid system toward prevention is one of the few levers they have to limit more broken-record funding appeals in 2024 and beyond.
 
Alleged M23 massacre overshadows DR Congo peace talks
 
A third round of peace talks between the Congolese government and local rebel movements opened last week. But the M23 armed group – which has seized large chunks of territory in recent months – was not invited. A government spokesperson said the insurgents must vacate occupied areas before they can join the talks. More than 50 armed and civil society groups are reportedly present at the dialogue, which is being held in Kenya under the auspices of the East African Community. Those attending have been told to cease hostilities and join a new programme to disarm, demobilise, and reintegrate combatants into society. Congolese officials say the process is progressing well, though events last week were largely overshadowed by accusations of a massacre and ceasefire violations by the M23. Almost six million people are currently internally displaced in DR Congo – one of the highest numbers in the world.
 
Aid access is slow going in Tigray
 
A month after the two parties signed a ceasefire agreement, the truce between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is holding. But while aid flows into Tigray are scaling up, deliveries still aren’t matching needs. The World Food Programme said last week that access to some areas remain off limits, while analysts have detailed new procedures that may be slowing down relief efforts. Media reports have also highlighted cases of UN vehicles encountering security problems and army roadblocks. Essential services, including banking and electricity, remain switched off, with no date set for restoring them, according to the government. Progress appears to hinge on security arrangements, including the return of federal authorities to Tigray and the disarmament of TPLF fighters. But that process is complicated by Eritrean and Amhara forces, which were allies to the government during the conflict and are reportedly still committing atrocities in Tigray.
 
Rivals get reacquainted in Côte d’Ivoire reconciliation drive
 
An exiled former militia leader acquitted by the International Criminal Court has returned to Côte d'Ivoire amid a reconciliation drive between the country’s political elites. Charles Blé Goudé was the right-hand man of former president Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal in 2010 to concede electoral defeat to current President Alassane Ouattara triggered a civil war that left thousands dead. Blé Goudé was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for his role in the conflict, but Ouattara approved his return. Gbagbo was also invited home in 2021 (after another acquittal by the ICC) and was given a presidential pardon in the name of social cohesion. Gbagbo met with Ouattara and Henri Konan Bédié – another big-hitter in Ivorian politics – back in July for a dialogue supposed to ease tensions ahead of general elections in 2025. But Côte d’Ivoire’s old guard still harbour political ambitions, and broader social reconciliation remains elusive.
 
Venezuela talks yield much-needed aid boost
 
Negotiations barely got started in Mexico between representatives of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his political opposition before the United States announced the loosening of oil sanctions imposed on the regime. The move, allowing Chevron to begin pumping oil again, comes amid global energy shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Profits would go to Venezuelan creditors in the US, not the state oil firm, PDVSA. No imminent rapprochement is expected between Maduro and the opposition, but the talks have yielded a “social protection agreement” that should unfreeze billions of dollars in state funds from the international financial system. The money is to be gradually released from a UN-managed fund for healthcare and the power grid, though few specifics have been provided. According to the UN’s latest humanitarian response plan, 9.3 million Venezuelans are expected to be in need in the coming year. Poverty and hunger are widespread, while 7.1 million have escaped since 2015 to try their luck abroad. Read our reporting for more on how the pandemic fallout has worsened the situations of the most vulnerable, both inside and outside Venezuela.

How India’s caste system keeps Dalits from accessing disaster relief
 
Dalits sit on the bottom rung of the world’s oldest hierarchical system – one which continues to have a strong hold over Indian society. Even though around 280 million people – some 20% of India’s population – are considered Dalits, they’re heavily discriminated against during disaster response, often barred from accessing shared water and sanitation facilities, and forbidden from entering certain shelters. But as Dalit journalist Suprakash Majumdar reports, caste “apartheid” doesn’t stop there: Many so-called “untouchables” are still ostracised – hit hardest by disasters because they have to live in unsafe dwellings in the most at-risk areas. After disaster strikes, they’re often also the last to receive assistance. Their cruel predicament is perhaps best exemplified by Binni Kandi in Odisha. When her mud hut home was blown away by Cyclone Fani in 2019, she was refused compensation because it didn’t exist anymore, and because she didn't have any documents to prove ownership.

Lovely bronzes in Lewisham… but where are they really from? 
 
In a historic move that could push other museums to return looted art and artefacts, the Horniman Museum in Lewisham, southeast London, has agreed to release 72 bronzes stolen in 1897 by British troops from Benin City, present-day Nigeria. The Horniman said its move to return the relics to Nigeria in batches was a “moral and appropriate” response. It follows a decision by New York’s Met museum in September to return 16 pieces to Egypt. However, Egyptians haven’t been as lucky in getting the Rosetta Stone back from the British Museum. The stone, stolen by French troops in 1799 and acquired in 1801 as a spoil of war by the British, provides a roadmap in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The decision to return the Benin bronzes came the same week as royal fallout from claims of racism against Lady Susan Hussey. A close confidante of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Hussey resigned from her role as a senior Buckingham Palace aide after questioning Ngozi Fulani, a Black British charity boss, about where she was “really” from. The repeated questioning came after Hussey reportedly moved Fulani’s hair to see her name tag. Fulani, 61, was born and raised in Kilburn, northwest London. While we’re on the subject of the palace, what about all the precious gems that “belong” to Britain’s royal family? (hint: none come from Lewisham)

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