UMZIMKHULU: At a rural village in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, unemployed 19-year-old Nozuko Majola is trying to figure out if she has enough money for the one-hour ride to collect her much-needed HIV medication, usually delivered to her home that can’t be easily reached due to rough, untarred roads.
Majola is one of millions of patients in South Africa affected by US President Donald Trump’s global foreign aid freeze, raising worries about HIV patients defaulting on treatment, infection rates going up and eventually a rise in deaths.
In 2024, think tank Human Sciences Research Council released figures showing that Majola’s province recorded the second-highest HIV prevalence in the country, at 16 percent, with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week.
KwaZulu-Natal also had the highest number of people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, about 1.9 million. The country counts more than 7.5 million people infected with the virus that causes AIDS — more than any other nation.
There are 5.5 million South Africans receiving antiretroviral treatment, whose funding is now in question after Trump suspended the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. It contributes more than $400 million a year to South Africa’s HIV programs and nongovernmental organizations, about 17 percent of the total funding, according to the Health Ministry.
Globally, PEPFAR is credited with saving at least 26 million lives since its inception in 2003, according to the UN AIDS agency.
Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze, while the US Embassy in South Africa said PEPFAR projects would resume under a limited waiver. However, aid groups dealing with HIV have already shuttered with closure notices hanging at the entrances and PEPFAR-branded vehicles standing idle, with patients diverted to struggling health facilities.
Most of the PEPFAR funding is channeled through non-governmental organizations, which run programs that compliment health care services provided by the government.
For Majola and other HIV patients in the Umzimkhulu region, where unemployment is rife and most people rely on subsistence farming and government welfare grants, the aid freeze has disrupted their lives.
“Things will be tough around here, and a lot of people will default on their treatment because we really struggle with transport,” she said. “The mobile clinics hardly come here.”
The freeze has hurt various groups that can no longer provide treatment, causing an influx of patients to already overstretched public facilities. Along with the medication, these programs also allowed health personnel to test HIV patients in far-flung villages, which has been a lifeline for many, especially those afraid to visit public facilities due to the social stigma attached to HIV.
In addition, nearly 15,000 health workers whose salaries are funded through PEPFAR are left wondering if they have lost their livelihoods.
About an hour away in the district of Umgungundlovu, which the think tank says has the highest number of HIV cases in South Africa, HIV counselors gathered in a small office discussing how best to assist patients like Majola. A manager at a nearby health clinic wondered how to handle the administrative work that is piling up after PEPFAR-funded workers withdrew.
“People who were doing administration and data capturing, whose salaries were funded by PEPFAR, have left. We are a small facility and we cannot handle such a workload,” said the manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Nozuko Ngcaweni has been on HIV treatment for about 30 years. One of her children was also infected and died at age 17. She said the aid suspension already impacted her community and many missed their treatment.
“Not long ago, we said by 2030, we want to see an HIV-free generation. But if things remain as is, we will not achieve that. We will have to deal with deaths,” she said.
Mzamo Zondi, a provincial manager of the Treatment Action Campaign, which advocates for access to HIV treatment for the poor, has been monitoring the impact of the aid freeze in Umgungudlovu.
“Our response (to HIV) is likely to falter as we struggle to stop newly infected cases,” he said. “This is a matter of life and death.”
South African NGOs worry Trump’s aid freeze will cause HIV patients to default on treatment
https://arab.news/jdxps
South African NGOs worry Trump’s aid freeze will cause HIV patients to default on treatment
- There are 5.5 million South Africans receiving antiretroviral treatment
French ambassador arrives in Russia as tensions with Paris high
- Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko accepted Nicolas de Riviere's credentials
- Several European ambassadors are yet to arrive in Russia
MOSCOW: France’s new ambassador to Russia arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, several months after his predecessor left, as tensions between Paris and the Kremlin remain high over Ukraine.
The French embassy in Moscow said on social media Nicolas de Riviere arrived in the Russian capital.
According to Russian news agencies, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko accepted his credentials.
The previous French ambassador, Pierre Levy, left his post in August 2024.
Russia has singled out France — a key Ukraine ally — as a hostile European country.
Several European ambassadors are yet to arrive in Russia.
The EU has supported Kyiv during Moscow’s full-scale offensive and Russia has increased criticism of the bloc recently, accusing it of hampering US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the conflict.
Europe and Kyiv are worried that Washington and Moscow would strike a deal on the conflict without their involvement.
Russia and the US have warmed ties since Trump called Putin shortly after taking office, resuming dialogue between the two countries.
Last month, Russia appointed Alexander Darchiev, a long-time diplomat that has made hawkish statements on the West, as Moscow’s new ambassador to the US as ties with Washington warm under Trump.
Trump has not yet named a new US ambassador to Russia.
South African diplomats meet US counterparts over ‘misconceptions’
- Trump has also cut financial aid over what he alleged was an anti-white land policy and offered refugee settlement to the white Afrikaner minority
- Trump’s right-hand man is South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who has in the past echoed far-right conspiracy theories about a ‘white genocide’
JOHANNESBURG: Senior South African diplomats have met their US counterparts in Washington to clarify “misconceptions” that have soured relations since President Donald Trump took office, South Africa’s government said on Tuesday.
The meetings were intended to explain South African policies so the Trump administration “positions itself as a strategic partner,” the foreign ministry said.
The new US government has torn into various South African policies, culminating in the expulsion of Pretoria’s ambassador Ebrahim Rasool last month.
Trump has also cut financial aid over what he alleged was an anti-white land policy and offered refugee settlement to the white Afrikaner minority that he has claimed is being persecuted.
“The delegation clarified key issues and misconceptions,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We believe that these dialogues will assist to refine the current administration’s understanding of South Africa’s position on critical matters, fostering a more nuanced perspective.”
The aim was for the Trump administration to position “itself as a strategic partner in a manner that avoids conflagration of our national interests against those of our strategic partners across the world.”
The South African officials addressed “misconceptions on what has been presented by some as race laws designed to undermine minority rights,” the statement said.
This included explaining a new Expropriation Act to show that it was not designed to facilitate unlawful land seizures, as alleged.
Trump’s right-hand man is South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who has in the past echoed far-right conspiracy theories about a “white genocide” in the country.
The South African delegation also briefed the UN General Assembly on the country’s ambitions for its presidency this year of the G20 group of leading economies which carries the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” the statement said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to attend the first G20 foreign ministers meeting in February, saying it had an “anti-American” agenda.
The General Assembly “overwhelmingly endorsed the priorities and theme of the South African G20 Presidency,” the statement added.
The United States is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner and Pretoria is anxious to preserve this exchange.
Other disagreements between the two are over some of South Africa’s foreign policies, including its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.
Germany sees Ukraine truce efforts as deadlocked, while China says the talks are encouraging
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial”
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that the latest version of the mineral deal remained under discussion
KYIV: Germany’s chief diplomat on Tuesday described US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a truce in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine as deadlocked, while China’s foreign minister said that it was encouraging that the talks between Washington and Moscow on finding a settlement are continuing.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, arriving in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, said that “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia on forging a ceasefire deal, European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial.”
Trump on Sunday scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing frustration at the continued fighting in a war that he had pledged to swiftly stop.
Trump insisted progress was being made in the negotiations, but said that he would consider imposing further sanctions to put pressure on Moscow and accused Zelensky of trying to back out of a deal with the US on access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that the latest version of the mineral deal remained under discussion and that Ukraine had conducted its first round of consultations on that version.
Putin has effectively refused a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting, despite Trump’s prodding. Also, a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea that could allow safer shipments has fallen foul of conditions imposed by Kremlin negotiators.
“We consider the models and solutions proposed by the Americans quite seriously, but we can’t just accept all of them as they are,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
Moscow is holding out on a deal to ease shipping in the Black Sea in order to “stall efforts toward a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West,” according to an assessment Monday by the Institute for the Washington-based Study of War think tank.
Trump has signaled that he could consider new oil sanctions on Russia — a development Ukraine would view favorably.
“I believe we have reached the point where stronger sanctions are needed, because I believe the Russians are breaking the promises they made to America,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Baerbock in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“For us, decisive action is crucial. Words are not enough,” Zelensky added. “We are the ones who suffer.”
Putin previously has ruled out a temporary break in hostilities, saying that it would only benefit Ukraine and its Western allies by letting them replenish their arsenals. He has insisted that Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that would ensure a lasting settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Tuesday that a breakthrough in negotiations isn’t imminent.
“The issues that we are discussing in connection with the Ukrainian settlement are quite complex and they require a lot of additional efforts,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
New drone attacks on energy facilities
Meanwhile, deadly attacks by both Russia and Ukraine have continued, and they are gearing up for spring campaigns in their war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
Overnight, Russia fired no Shahed drones at Ukraine for the first time in more than five months, according to authorities.
But Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation branch of Ukraine’s Security Council, detected no change in Russian strategy.
“For now, this means nothing,” he said on Telegram.
Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching new drone attacks on energy facilities in Russia’s Belgorod region and in the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Zelensky accused Russia of failing to uphold its commitment to a ceasefire targeting the energy infrastructure.
“I’ve asked our side to pass information through various institutions about Russia’s breaches of the agreement not to strike energy facilities,” he said, adding that the reports have been sent almost daily. “We’re sharing this information with the United States, and we see that America is beginning to understand it.”
Ukraine’s European backers say they will keep supporting Kyiv’s efforts to defeat Russia’s invasion. Zelensky said a closed-door meeting with military officials from several partner countries will take place Friday to further discuss the possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine as a part of future security guarantees.
“It will be the first in-depth meeting... based on proposals prepared by the Ukrainian side,” he said.
‘A fair, long-term, binding peace’
Putin is getting military help from North Korea and Iran.
China, too, has given diplomatic support to Russia and has provided economic help through trade in energy and consumer goods.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Moscow, was quoted as saying Tuesday that “certain results have been achieved” in Washington’s attempt to stop the war as US-Russia relations have improved under Trump.
Beijing supports the goal of “a fair, long-term, binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties involved,” he said in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
At the start of his meeting with Putin, Wang said they would discuss future relations. “The China-Russia relationship will not stand still, but will only become more and more extensive,” he said.
Last US soldier who went missing in Lithuania found dead
- Hundreds of local and foreign troops and others including engineers and divers had been involved in the operation
- The army did not specify where exactly the soldier was found
VILNIUS: The last of the four American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania last week was on Tuesday also found dead, the US Army said, without providing additional details.
The three other soldiers were found dead on Monday after rescuers recovered their M88 Hercules armored vehicle from a swamp. Hundreds of local and foreign troops and others including engineers and divers had been involved in the operation.
Lithuanian authorities received a report last Tuesday that the soldiers went missing during a military drill at a training ground in the eastern city of Pabrade, near the border with Belarus.
“The fourth US Army Soldier... was found deceased near Pabrade, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1,” US Army Europe and Africa’s public affairs office said in a statement.
“The Soldier’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin,” it added.
The army did not specify where exactly the soldier was found.
Hundreds of people gathered at the US embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday evening to pay their respects to the four soldiers, who had been in Lithuania for two months.
Carrying US flags, people laid flowers, lit candles and held a minute of silence for the soldiers.
Lithuania’s defense ministry expressed “deep sorrow” over the death.
“We extend our condolences to the families of all four soldiers lost in this tragic accident and thank all those involved in the search efforts,” it added on social network X.
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the “brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts.”
“The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen,” he said on X.
“We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”
Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops stationed on a rotational basis.
Mali, Burkina, Niger foreign ministers due in Moscow for talks
- Sahelian countries are led by juntas who seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023 and have turned away from former colonial power France and moved closer to Russia
- Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and its successor Africa Corps are helping the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) battle extremists
ABIDJAN: The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are due in Moscow this week for the first talks between their countries’ newly created confederation and Russia, they said in a statement.
The three Sahelian countries are led by juntas who seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023 and have since turned away from former colonial power France and moved closer to Russia.
They quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the beginning of the year, accusing the regional bloc of being subservient to France, and have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), originally set up as a defense pact in 2023 but which now seeks closer integration.
The three foreign ministers will be in the Russian capital on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of their counterpart Sergei Lavrov to “take part in the first session of AES-Russia consultations,” the ministers said in a statement posted on Facebook by the Malian foreign ministry, which holds the presidency of the confederation.
“This meeting is part of the shared desire of the heads of state of the AES confederation and the Russian Federation to extend their partnership and their political dialogue at the confederal level and to place them at the heart of their diplomatic, development and defense agenda,” they said.
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and its successor Africa Corps are helping the AES countries battle extremists, whose attacks have killed tens of thousands of people in the three countries.
Moscow has also concluded defense agreements with Mali, Burkina and Niger and has supplied military equipment.
It also cooperates with the AES on energy and mining.
