The Advocacy Network for Africa (AdNA), the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars (USA), and the African Studies Center at Michigan State University held this roundtable at the Chicago African Studies Assn Mtg Roundtable IX-AN-27) “Lessons from the Covid-19 Epidemic for the Next Pandemics in Africa and Needed Responses from the U.S. and Globally” On Saturday, Dec 14, 2024

Roundtable Members included:

Bonnie K Holcomb, Senior Research Associate, The George Washington University, ICPS / Advocacy Network for Africa Forum (ADNA Forum)

Matthew Kavanagh, Director, Global Health Policy and Politics Initiative, O’Neill Institute; Georgetown University School of Health

Pauline Muchina, Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Africa Region, American Friends Service Committee

Chair: David Wiley, African Studies Center, Michigan State University Respondent, Imani Countess – Director – U.S./Africa Bridge Building Project

Dear President Biden,

I write with deep concern over the situation in Sudan. The crisis is deepening, with no end in sight for the suffering of civilians in Sudan. Heavy weaponry including artillery, tanks and jet aircraft have been used in densely populated areas in Khartoum, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. The conflict has quickly spread across the country, making it difficult to seek safety. Human rights and aid organizations – including Amnesty International – are reporting that civilians are bearing the brunt of the fighting. Food and fuel prices have soared, and there are power and water outages.  And the healthcare system has collapsed, with 60% of Khartoum’s hospitals closed.

With the lives of so many civilians at risk, I urge you to appoint a Presidential Envoy who can lead U.S. diplomatic efforts with Sudanese and regional partners to develop a robust policy response that centers itself on protecting civilians.

Specifically I ask you to appoint a Presidential Envoy who will report directly to you and lead a robust cross agency U.S. Government response. Given the magnitude of the crisis, a Presidential Envoy is necessary to lead a coordinated international community response.

This unfolding crisis is happening at the same time as the 20-year anniversary of the atrocities committed in Darfur. Civilians there remain at the mercy of the same security forces who committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur and other parts of Sudan. Longstanding impunity has allowed those suspected of war crimes in Darfur to remain in leadership positions today, contributing to the current violence in Sudan.

I implore you to take action – the Sudanese people must have our support.

David Wylie, Association of Concerned African Scholars

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Take action yourself in this Amnesty International effort at:  Amnesty International USA | Amnesty International USA (amnestyusa.org)

Dear President Biden and Secretary Yellen,

The U.S. economy has created more than 12 million jobs since President Biden took office, thanks to the sound policies and leadership of your administration. But there is general agreement that the risk of recession is substantial. 

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates dramatically, and the impact of those increases is ongoing. This policy is intended to cause an increase in unemployment and appears to have contributed to the current instability in the banking system.

These conditions in the U.S. could worsen the already expected decline in growth and employment around the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s April World Economic Outlook concludes that “Risks to the outlook are heavily skewed to the downside, with the chances of a hard landing having risen sharply.” The IMF estimates that 56% of low-income countries are in or at high risk of falling into debt distress.

Downturn and recession around the world would eliminate many export-related jobs in the United States and reduce growth and employment here. From January 2020 to May 2021, the U.S. economy lost an estimated 2.2 million export-related jobs due to the fall in global demand for U.S. exports, as this demand fell during the pandemic and recessions in many countries. While some of these jobs have since been recovered, the current global downturn could reverse this recovery, potentially threatening the livelihoods of millions of U.S. workers. 

Unfortunately, if more action is necessary to counteract economic slowdown and recession, a divided Congress is unlikely to be able to provide a new round of effective economic policies. But your administration can take effective action on its own by supporting a new issuance of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) at the IMF. 

SDRs have zero cost to the U.S. federal budget or taxpayers. A new SDR issuance would create more than $200 billion worth of international reserves for developing countries, helping to stabilize global economies and U.S. export markets and therefore preserve and create U.S. jobs that would otherwise be lost to a global recession. 

During the pandemic in August 2021, the U.S. supported the IMF’s issuance of $650 billion worth of SDRs. This measure was by far the single most important action taken to support the economies of developing countries in the face of combined global health, debt, economic, and climate crises. The amount of assistance received by developing countries from this SDR issuance was more than all of the development aid from high-income countries to developing countries over the span of a year. In the first year after the allocation, over 100 low- and middle-income countries used their SDRs in some form, including to stabilize currencies and avert balance of payments crises, to repay debts to the IMF, and to purchase critical imports such as food, vaccines, and personal protective equipment, including from the United States. Based on the Bank for International Settlements’ research on the relationship between mortality and global recession, the 2021 issuance very likely saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

Notably, this issuance did not benefit U.S. adversaries. Countries that are subject to financial sanctions or whose governments are not recognized by the IMF — including Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela — have not been able to use a single SDR from the 2021 issuance. Cuba and North Korea are not IMF members and are therefore ineligible for SDRs. And China has over $3 trillion in foreign reserves and therefore could not use SDRs under current IMF rules.

Leading your administration now to support a new issuance of at least $650 billion in SDRs is a simple, cost-free, and effective way of supporting the economic recovery of the U.S., while saving many lives in developing countries and mitigating the effects of a global recession. So long

Association of Concerned Africa Scholars (USA)

David Love’s article, “Deportation of African and Other Black Immigrants Is Quietly Increasing And No One Is Taking Note” (Altanta Black Star March 20, 2017) investigates a topic ACAS is following closely. Immigrants living in the US are increasingly insecure and worried about real dangers presented by the new strategies used under the Trump administration to harass, detain, and deport immigrants.

As Love writes: “Since the 2016 election, the ICE raids on Black immigrant communities have intensified. For example, in January, 86 men and women were deported to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, after being detained and imprisoned, as Africanews.com reported. In November, 108 immigrants were deported to Ghana and 20 people also were deported to Liberia, while 53 others were processed for deportation. Earlier this month, ICE deported 130 people to Senegal, six times the number recorded by the agency in its 2016 report.”