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Africa Live: Anger as Sierra Leone cities remain in the dark for weeks - BBC News Africa Live: Anger as Sierra Leone cities remain in the dark for weeks - BBC News
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Paul Njie South Africa has now gone for 21 consecutive days without power cuts, the first time such a streak has been achieved in nearly two years.
BBC News "The last time Eskom achieved a similar milestone was in June 2022, with 20 consecutive days without load shedding," state-owned power company Eskom said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement added that Eskom would continue to suspend the power cuts, known locally as loads hedding, "until further notice".
The Central African Republic and France have agreed on a roadmap to boost bilateral cooperation, as both countries strive to revive strained ties. It attributed the stabilisation of power supply to reduced demand for electricity, adequate emergency power reserves and an improvement in its electricity generation capacity.
It follows a meeting in Paris on Wednesday between CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera and French President Emmanuel Macron. But some South Africans have voiced scepticism on social media, speculating that the reduced power cuts could be a scheme by the ruling government to appease voters, ahead of next month's crucial general election.
President Touadera’s visit to France, the second in over six months, signals growing efforts by both countries to smoothen relations, which were strained after the CAR government started heavily depending on military and political support from Russia. South Africa reached the height of its energy crisis last year, with several homes and businesses going without power for up to 16 hours a day.
Though the exact details of the agreement remain unclear, the roadmap “aims to establish the framework of a constructive partnership that respects the sovereignty of the state," according to a joint statement from both countries. Read more from South Africa:
It will also “contribute to stability, strengthen national cohesion as wide as possible and support the economic and social development of the country [CAR],” the statement added. South Africa election 2024: When is the poll and what is at stake for the ANC?
French influence in CAR has waned, despite Paris' condemnation of alleged gross human rights violations by the Russian paramilitary group, Wagner, in its former colony. South Africa election 2024: ‘You see skeletons’ - the deadly migrant crossing
France might use the new cooperation window to restore its stained image in the CAR, where anti-French sentiments have surged over the years.
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