Melissa Chemam

Bristol, Marseille, Paris

Writer, Reporter and Producer at Freelance

*Journalist: on the Global South, mostly Africa (@RFI_En - ex BBC, CBC, DW, Velvet Film, F24...) *Writer: on cultural activism, African & diaspora art, protests

Articles

Two years of devastation: Sudan’s war claims thousands and displaces millions

2 weeks ago | modernghana.com | Melissa Chemam

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo—known as Hemedti. In just two years, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over 13 million people, and sparked what many are calling the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded.
Ghana fails to protect women forced to flee from witch hunts, report finds

3 weeks ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Melissa Chemam

Women accused of witchcraft living in the Kpatinga camp in Ghana, December 2023. Ghanaian authorities have failed to protect the human rights of hundreds of women accused of witchcraft, Amnesty International has warned. Attacks by their accusers are forcing them to flee their communities in fear for their lives, taking shelter in camps with rudimentary facilities.
Ghana fails to protect women forced to flee from witch hunts, report finds

3 weeks ago | rfi.fr | Melissa Chemam

The human rights NGO interviewed 93 people who had been accused of witchcraft living in four camps in northern Ghana over the last two years – 82 of them women, most aged 50 to 90. The resulting report, entitled Branded for Life, details how those sheltering in these camps, run by traditional priests, have poor access to health services, food, clean water and economic opportunities.
DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds

4 weeks ago | rfi.fr | Melissa Chemam

The report found that Traxys, a multibillion-dollar company based in Luxembourg, bought at least 280 tonnes of coltan from Rwanda in 2024, with evidence suggesting a significant proportion is connected to the war in eastern DRC. The report is based on customs data and testimony from two smugglers and sources in government, civil society and the mining sector. The main mines exploiting coltan in the Great Lakes region of central Africa are found in the Rubaya area of eastern DRC.
DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds

4 weeks ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Melissa Chemam

Coltan linked to conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys, a Global Witness investigation has revealed. The report found that Traxys, a multibillion-dollar company based in Luxembourg, bought at least 280 tonnes of coltan from Rwanda in 2024, with evidence suggesting a significant proportion is connected to the war in eastern DRC.
HT Syndication: DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds

4 weeks ago | htsyndication.com | Melissa Chemam

France, April 18 -- Coltan linked to conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys, a Global Witness investigation has revealed. The report found that Traxys, a multibillion-dollar company based in Luxembourg, bought at least 280 tonnes of coltan from Rwanda in 2024, with evidence suggesting a significant proportion is connected to the war in eastern DRC.
NGOs call on Europe to act as Sudan war hits grim two-year mark

1 month ago | modernghana.com | Melissa Chemam

The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 13 million and created what has been described as "the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded". As the catastrophe unfolds, NGOs say that Europe needs to step up its intervention on both a political and humanitarian level.
NGOs call on Europe to act as Sudan war hits grim two-year mark

1 month ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Melissa Chemam

The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 13 million and created what has been described as "the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded". As the catastrophe unfolds, NGOs say that Europe needs to step up its intervention on both a political and humanitarian level.
Melissa on the Road

1 month ago | melissa.substack.com | Melissa Chemam

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Biopic explores the life and legacy of Frantz Fanon, a century after his birth

1 month ago | modernghana.com | Melissa Chemam

Soldier, psychiatrist, philosopher... who was Frantz Fanon? A new film by director Jean-Claude Barny seeks to answer that question in a year that marks a century since the birth of one of the most influential figures in 20th-century anti-colonial thought. Barny, who hails from Guadeloupe, said it was important to understand Fanon's Caribbean culture, his Western culture, his African culture, but also to view him as a man "capable of absorbing all cultures" – and of detaching himself from them too.