The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish. A recent yearslong drought in Kenya killed millions of livestock…Fish were long viewed as part of the snake family due to their shape, and thus inedible. Their smell had been unpleasant and odd to the Maasai, who call semi-arid areas home…In Kajiado county near Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, the local government is supporting fish farming projects for pastoralists — and encouraging them to eat fish, too…The Kajiado government’s initiative started in 2014 and currently works with 600 pastoralists to help diversify their incomes and provide a buffer against the effects of climate change. There was initial reluctance, but the number of participants has grown from about 250 before the drought began in 2022. (AP)

Flagrant rights violations by Sudan’s warring parties require the deployment of an “independent and impartial force” to protect millions of civilians driven from their homes, UN experts said Friday. An independent fact-finding mission uncovered “harrowing” violations by both sides since April last year “which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” they said…”Given the failure of the warring parties to spare civilians, it is imperative that an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay,” [Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the fact-finding mission,] said. (AFP)

The Ethiopian government has freed seven Oromo Liberation Front, or OLF, members who have been in prison for more than four years. A spokesperson for OLF Lemi Gemechu told VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that the seven were released on Thursday from the different prisons where they had been held…Some of the released detainees are members of the executive committee while others are central committee and executive members of the OLF…Meanwhile, the family of Taye Dendea, the detained former Ethiopian state minister of peace, has expressed their disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision to deny him bail…The former state minister was arrested in December last year after he posted comments criticizing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Police accused him of collaborating with groups aiming to destabilize Ethiopia. (VOA)

The United States Government through its Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Kefeta National Youth Saving and Credit Cooperatives (SACCO) on September 5, a youth-led, youth-managed and youth-owned financial institution that will provide financial solutions friendly to young people and will support young entrepreneurs. The launch took place during the two-day Youth Development Learning Forum held September 5 and 6 at the Skylight Hotel. 

Kefeta’s SACCO mobilizes savings and provides access to affordable credit to assist the economic well-being of young people with a creative mix of youth-tailored financial products. The National SACCO puts their member’s interest first and provides a level of service generally unavailable to young people at other financial institutions. (Press release)