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washington — Access to independent media has been tightly restricted in Myanmar since the military coup in 2021. But now, the junta is also blocking VPNs, in what analysts say marks an escalation in censorship. The military — also known as the Tatmadaw — is now actively blocking virtual private networks, or VPNs, which help internet users bypass restrictions to access websites, as well as social media and messaging platforms. Analysts believe the junta may be using technology from a Chinese company to enforce the blocks. The move "poses a major threat to press freedom, activism and the ability of people to hold their government accountable," said Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN. The London-based organization tests the security of VPNs and researches internet and tech security. Block limits access to information The junta has threatened to block VPNs since it overthrew the civilian-led government more than three years ago. In late 2021, the Tatmadaw drafted, but did not enact, a cybersecurity law that could punish people with three years in prison if they used a VPN without official permission. The blocks, which began in late May, have dire consequences for internet freedom in Myanmar, where opposition to the military and its coup has largely been organized online, according to Migliano. "The VPN crackdown in Myanmar severely restricts citizens' access to independent and accurate information, reinforcing government control over the flow of information," Migliano told VOA. Several news outlets have reported that security forces are stopping people at random to inspect their phones for VPN apps. Around two dozen people were arrested and fined in early June after police found VPNs on their cell phones. In addition, Myanmar's Transport and Communications Ministry has blocked access to Facebook, Instagram, X and WhatsApp, according to media reports. Myanmar's military did not reply to VOA's request for comment. Myanmar's military is seeking to control the flow of information as a way to control the country, say experts. "They really want to control the narrative and spread their propaganda," Wai Phyo Myint, a Myanmar analyst at the digital rights group Access Now, told VOA. Experts say junta seeks 'digital dictatorship' The VPN crackdown is the latest example of what a group of United Nations experts in 2022 called the junta's efforts to establish a "digital dictatorship." "There's a battle in the digital space," one digital rights activist told VOA. The individual, who is from Myanmar but moved to Thailand after the coup, requested anonymity for security reasons. Part of the reason the military may have taken so long to target VPNs is because blocking is more difficult and expensive than other forms of censorship, according to Oliver Spencer, an expert on free expression in Myanmar. The military has already consolidated control over the country's telecommunications companies, imposed scattered internet shutdowns, revoked media licenses, and arrested dozens of journalists. The repressive environment led many independent news outlets to flee into exile. "They basically cracked down on the internet in all the ways that they could do more easily," Spencer said. That means blocking VPNs was the last main step the military could take to prevent the country's people from accessing websites and platforms that the Tatmadaw would rather hide from them, according to Spencer. Citing leaked documents, the activist group Justice for Myanmar reported in June that the military's enhanced censorship system uses technology from the Chinese network security company Geedge Networks to block VPNs. The Beijing-based company did not reply to VOA's email seeking comment. With this technology, authorities create a list of all known VPN domains and IP addresses they want blocked, according to Migliano. The simplest way to circumvent the block is to cycle through various VPNs, because some still work sporadically, Migliano added. Demand for VPNs has on average been more than 1,000% higher than it was in the month before the crackdown, according to research by Top10VPN. The largest uptick was on May 30, when demand was 2,333% higher, Top10VPN reported. Violence perpetrated by Myanmar's military against those resisting the coup means that not having access to independent, accurate information can be a matter of life and death, said Washington-based Wai Phyo Myint, Asia Pacific Policy Analyst for the AccessNow. In many cases, crucial information such as how to find safe places to avoid the military "got cut because of the VPN ban," she said. That's particularly concerning given the gravity of the violence perpetrated by the military, which stands accused by rights groups of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity since the coup. Spencer estimates that the crackdown now means that there are "millions and millions" of people who have no access to any information or any way to communicate electronically. "Instead of just attacking the media, which they've done until now, [the junta are] actually attacking the ways that the general public can communicate and can access information," Spencer said. "It's probably one of the largest attacks on freedom of expression in Myanmar since the coup."

GENEVA — Thousands of refugees and migrants who risk their lives on dangerous land routes across the African continent are subject to violence, abuse and exploitation, according to a report released Friday by the U.N. Refugee Agency, International Organization for Migration and the Mixed Migration Center research group. The report is largely based on interviews of 32,000 refugees and migrants conducted between 2020 and 2023. The report says the number of people attempting perilous land crossings has increased, as have the protection threats they face since the first edition of the report was issued in 2020. With more people estimated to cross the Sahara Desert than the Mediterranean Sea, the report presumes that twice as many refugees and migrants die in the desert than at sea — although the statistics in the report seemingly belie that. “In total, 1,180 persons are known to have died while crossing the Sahara Desert for the period January 2020 to May 2024, but the number is believed to be much higher,” the report says. “During the same period, around 7,115 people were reported to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea.” Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR special envoy for the Western and Central Mediterranean Situation, clarified the seeming discrepancy between the numbers of reported land and sea deaths, noting that, “We do not have an accurate number of statistics of people who die along the land route because there is nobody collecting the bodies.” “We have better knowledge of shipwrecks because people are collecting the bodies when the shipwreck is close to the shore of the Mediterranean,” he told journalists in Geneva Thursday in advance of the publication of the report. “It is not based on hard data but based on the testimony of people,” he said. The report notes that “the eruption of new conflicts in the Sahel and Sudan, the devastating impact of climate change and new disasters and emergencies in the East and Horn of Africa are driving many more people now than in 2020 to cross Africa’s dangerous land routes in search of safety and better economic opportunities.” Among the litany of risks and abuses reported by refugees and migrants are torture, physical violence, arbitrary detention, death, kidnapping for ransom, sexual exploitation, enslavement, human trafficking, organ removal, robbery, and collective expulsions. In the survey of 32,000 refugees and migrants, 38% of the respondents cited physical violence as the main risk encountered during their journey. The risk of death, which was reported by 14% of the respondents in the previous report, has now increased to 20% and the risk of sexual and gender-based violence also has increased to 15% from 12.5% percent reported in 2020. “The risk of kidnapping seems to be a new one,” Cochetel observed. “It used to be mentioned by 2% of the respondents four years ago, now it is mentioned by 18% of the respondents. Almost one out of five claim that the journey involves that risk of kidnapping.” The report notes that across parts of the continent, refugees and migrants are increasingly encountering “insurgent groups, militias, and other criminal actors” and “where human trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, forced labor and sexual exploitation are rife.” Cochetel said he was surprised to see that the survey respondents indicated that they did not necessarily consider smugglers and traffickers to be the main perpetrators of violence. “We thought that they were the main troublemakers on the route,” he said. “In fact, it turns out it is more criminal gangs, that can sometimes include traffickers. But the perception by migrants and refugees, these are criminal gangs operating and it is also law enforcement authorities, non-state actors, which are normally armed groups abusing the people on the way.” Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Center, said it was regrettable to have to produce another report that yet again presents the “unimaginable levels of violence refugees and migrants are facing on these routes. It is unacceptable. … This remains a collective stain on our conscience.” He said all perpetrators of violence and other crimes against these vulnerable, desperate people must be held accountable “but, at the moment, much of this is happening in a situation of near complete impunity.” “We need to stop going after the very low-level pickup drivers in Niger, for example. We should really follow the money and catch the big guys, the ones that are responsible for all this violence,” he said. The UNHCR, IOM, partners and several governments have stepped up life-saving services and assistance for refugees and migrants traveling on the dangerous routes. But they say the humanitarian action is not enough. The organizations are calling for more concrete measures to protect and save the lives of those embarking on dangerous journeys. They say a greater push must be made to address the root causes of displacement and drivers of irregular movements.

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BAMAKO, Mali — Mali's army and Russian mercenaries killed dozens of civilians during a military operation last month in northern Mali, civil organization and community members alleged Friday, amid a surge in violence after the ruling junta broke off a peace agreement with rebel groups. The killings took place from June 20 to 29 in Abeibara in the Kidal region, the civil society groups and residents said. The Malian military says it has no knowledge of the alleged killings, but says military operations are taking place throughout the country. The region is a former stronghold of a rebellion by militants in the Tuareg ethnic group who are fighting the army in a conflict where civilians increasingly have become the main victims. Some of the militants have formerly been allied with al-Qaida. Hamadine Driss Ag Mohamed, son of Abeibara's village chief, told The Associated Press on Friday that Malian soldiers and fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner had killed 46 civilians. "The Malian and Wagner soldiers executed old men and shepherds and stole everything they found in the camps such as money and valuable jewelry," he said. Mali and its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger have long battled insurgencies by armed groups, including many allied with the al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and have sought military help instead from Russia's mercenary units, such as the private security company Wagner and its likely successor, Africa Corps. In December 2023, a United Nations peacekeeping force created 10 years earlier and aimed at stabilizing Mali after a Tuareg rebellion in 2012, withdrew from the country at the request of the junta, which called the mission a failure. Following last month's violence in Abeibara, images of lifeless bodies and incinerated campsites circulated on social networks for several days. The Associated Press has not been able to verify them. Citizen's Observatory for Monitoring and Defending the Human Rights of the Azawad People, a civil society organization also known as Kal akal, said in a statement Friday that there were at least 60 civilians killed in the Abeibara area and that they were buried in mass graves. The group denounced "a vast campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Russians of the Wagner group, in the company of the Malian army." A spokesman for the Malian army, Colonel Major Souleymane Dembele, said the military was unaware of the alleged killings. "It's true that there are military operations underway throughout the national territory," Dembele told the AP over the phone. "But I have no information on these accusations." More than a decade of instability has followed the Tuareg rebellion, though in 2015 the Tuareg rebel groups signed a peace deal with the government that was welcomed by the United Nations. But following the military coup in 2020, Mali's junta broke the peace agreement with the Tuareg rebel groups and attacked their stronghold of Kidal in 2023. Since then, Kidal has been plagued by violence, particularly against civilians.

Britain’s Labour party swept into power Thursday, issuing a resounding defeat for the Conservatives leading the country for 14 years. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized for loss in a speech Friday morning before resigning. Shortly thereafter, Keir Starmer addressed the nation as its new Prime Minister. Who is Starmer? VOA’s Henry Ridgwell shares details about his past and what impacts the new government may have on the world stage. What are the key challenges NATO is facing as it prepares to meet in Washington next week? Retired General Philip Breedlove, former Commander of U.S. European Command, and the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations shares his thoughts. Keyna’s President William Ruto announced steep cuts after he agreed to withdraw a controversial tax plan that led to weeks of protests.

nairobi, kenya — Many Kenyan towns and cities have returned to an uneasy calm after weeks of protests of tax increases during which dozens of people were reportedly killed. Youth organizers successfully pressured the government to drop the tax plans. The success has been largely credited to nontribal youth, in contrast to previous demonstrations that were easily labeled as tribal demands by the political and security establishments. On Friday, Kenyans buried Rex Massai at his home in Athi River, some 30 kilometers east of Nairobi. The 29-year-old was the first to be killed in the anti-tax protest that began June 18. The protests forced President William Ruto to withdraw the 2024 finance bill, passed by the parliament last week, after demonstrators stormed the parliament building and burned a section of it. Protesters argued that the bill, meant to raise taxes on food items, fuel and motor vehicles, would make life difficult as they continued to deal with the high cost of living. But what began as a protest of the tax increase has created bad blood between Kenyan youth and politicians, who they accuse of failing to do their legislative work, mismanaging public money and bad governance. Protesters told VOA they were fighting for their rights. One said they must “rise up and fight for our rights.” Another said this is a new generation, one that must fight for its rights. The youth accused their parents of tribalism and accepting bad governance, while saying politicians have made their lives harder. Despite the criticism, the older generation has also fought for multiparty democracy and the new constitution. Each time they came out to push for political, social and economic reforms, they were labeled tribalists wanting to grab power through the back door. According to political experts, for decades, the state has used ethnicity to sow division and create fear among communities. However, in the current protest, the demonstrators say they are leaderless and tribeless and want to change how the country's affairs are run. Martin Andati, a Kenyan political commentator, told VOA it has been difficult for the state to deploy old tactics against the youth protest. "They are used to normal mobilization, Raila [Odinga] kind of arrangement, where you call for a press conference and say you will be on the streets,” Andati said, referring to the former prime minister and 2022 presidential candidate against Ruto. “These ones were doing it differently, largely on social media, which is not controlled by the state, so it became very difficult for the state to manage them because they are playing mind games, and it was more about intellect than physical mobilization." Odinga has been on the front lines of Kenyan protests and political change despite losing the presidential election five times. Lecturer and economics expert Samuel Nyandemo said hard economic times have united Kenyans regardless of their ethnicity. "The economic challenges facing all the youths in this country is felt in one perspective that this has been occasioned by poor governance,” Nyandemo said. “For the youth to now salvage the country they now said, ‘Let's unite regardless where you come from because nobody is safe unless they fight that common enemy of poverty, impunity and poor governance.’" Kenya’s government blames the country's economic challenges on foreign loans, mostly from China. The government says it is using more than half of the revenue it collects to repay those debts. As pressure mounts on Ruto and his government, the president formed a task force Friday to audit the public debt, which has largely been shrouded in secrecy.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Nairobi, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday ordered significant cuts in the federal budget along with other government reforms to pay off a crushing debt burden in a move seen as a concession to popular disapproval of a tax bill that sparked violent protests. Following weeks of protests during which dozens of people reportedly were killed, Ruto withdrew a finance bill intended to raise $2.7 billion — most of it from tax increases — to pay off debt. Ruto instead offered a compromise: a plan is to cut $1.39 billion from the budget and borrow the difference. To make it work, Ruto said, his government will eliminate 47 state corporations with overlapping or duplicative functions and reduce by 50% the number of government advisors, among many other actions. Filling the positions of chief administrative secretaries is suspended, Ruto said, and government funds will not be used for the operations of the offices of the first lady, the spouse of the deputy president and the prime cabinet secretary. And there's more. "Public servants who attain retirement age of 60 shall be required to immediately proceed on retirement with no extensions,” Ruto said. Also, government purchase of new motor vehicles is suspended for 12 months, except for security agencies, and all nonessential travel by state and public officers is suspended, the president said. Some of the actions were on a list of demands made by protesters. Ruto also said he has appointed an independent task force to carry out a comprehensive, forensic audit of the country's public debt. "This audit will provide Kenyans with clarity on the extent and nature of our debt and how public resources have been expanded and also recommend proposals for managing public debt in a manner that is sustainable and does not burden future generations," he said. Nearly 40 people died and 360 were injured nationwide since the protests started three weeks ago, according to Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights.

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Central African Republic officials are pleading with civilians to go back to their villages, after up to 10,000 civilians were displaced this week by fighting between rebels and C.A.R. forces.   Officials say a rebel group known as the Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation, or 3R, has relaunched hostilities in the central African nation. This week, military sources said 3R rebels attacked nearly 10 villages between the towns of Bocaranga and Bazoum in northeastern C.A.R., near the Cameroon border.  The C.A.R. military says bodies of five government troops and six civilians have been found in villages since the attacks began Tuesday. The military says it is still searching for bodies and transporting injured civilians to hospitals for treatment.  On Thursday, officials said several hundred troops and humanitarian workers were deployed to the villages to push back the rebels and protect civilians.  Glwadys Siopathis led a delegation of humanitarian workers to villages affected by the fighting. She says about 10,000 civilians — including children — are hiding in the bush, and are hungry, thirsty and malnourished. She says a majority are reluctant to return to their homes because they believe rebels have simply retreated and could again attack villages for supplies.  The C.A.R. says that besides its troops, forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, or MINUSCA, have been deployed to protect civilians and their goods.  Both forces say huge quantities of ammunition were seized and several rebels were either neutralized or captured, but did not give further details. The C.A.R is pleading with civilians to return to villages where they will be protected by government troops.  Bruno Yapande, C.A.R.’s territorial administration minister, says the government of the Central African Republic has ordered its military to immediately seal border areas where rebels traditionally attempt to pass through when attacked by government troops.   He says several border security checkpoints have been erected to sort out rebels who disguise themselves as cattle ranchers or infiltrate civilian communities to escape to neighboring countries.  Yapande spoke Friday on C.A.R. state TV. He did not say which countries the rebels may be attempting to escape to, but the C.A.R. shares borders with Cameroon, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo and Chad.  Last week, Cameroon and C.A.R. officials met in the C.A.R.'s capital, Bangui, and signed an agreement to jointly combat what they describe as increasing insecurity and criminality caused by armed gangs and rebels operating in towns and villages along their border.  The C.A.R. says the 3R, formed in 2015, is one of several rebel groups in the central African state. 3R rebels claim that they protect Muslim cattle ranching populations from regular attacks by Christian anti-Balaka militias.  C.A.R. officials say the rebel group has several hundred armed fighters who fight to control villages on the C.A.R. border and regularly escape to eastern villages in Cameroon when attacked by government forces. The C.A.R. accuses the rebel group of killing, maiming, raping, looting, and regularly displacing civilians from the villages.  The Central African Republic descended into violence and political chaos in 2013 when Muslim-led Seleka rebels seized power and forced then-President Francois Bozize from office in the majority Christian nation. A Christian-dominated militia called the anti-Balaka fought back, with both the Seleka and anti-Balaka being accused of targeting and killing civilians.  The U.N. says fighting in the C.A.R. has forced close to a million Central Africans to flee to neighboring countries, including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Chad.

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HARARE, ZIMBABWE — The U.N. and the African Union are urging countries on the continent to invest in natural disaster insurance because conditions like droughts, cyclones, diseases and floods are becoming more frequent with climate change. Zimbabwe received an insurance payout of $32 million from the AU’s African Risk Capacity agency, or ARC, for the devastation the country suffered from the El Nino-induced drought. In a speech Thursday in Harare, Edward Kallon, the United Nations resident coordinator for Zimbabwe, encouraged countries to take part. “Given the increasing frequency and intensity of climatic shocks, investing in prevention, mitigation and proactive strategies is no longer a choice but an imperative,” he said. “Such investments yield substantial returns by mitigating disaster impacts, safeguarding lives and ring-fencing developmental gains.” In Zimbabwe, Kallon said, the investment helps expand access to Africa Risk Insurance for small farmers and SMEs, or small-to-medium enterprises, which are the backbone of Africa’s agricultural system. In addition, he said, the investment aids in implementing advanced systems that provide timely alerts and equipping communities with education and training on disaster preparedness. After the drought caused by El Nino, Zimbabwe is bracing for La Nina. Forecasters predict it will spark flooding in the 2024/2025 rainy season expected by October. “ARC’s collective goal is to enhance Africa’s resilience by providing Africa Union member states with tailored services to cover risks such as drought, tropical cyclones, floods, and disease outbreaks and to devise sustainable risk financing solutions,” said Anthony Mathae Maruping, chairman of the African Risk Capacity group board. “ARC will continue to leverage its continental stature, expertise and robust partnerships to bolster Zimbabwe’s readiness to respond to these threats using cutting-edge early warning tools. Similar interventions are and will be accorded to other African member states in similar situations,” he added. From the $32 million payout, Zimbabwe’s government received $16.8 million, while about $15 million went to two aid organizations: the Start Network and the World Food Program. "The WFP’s $6 million ARC payout is a vital lifeline for communities in Zimbabwe facing the devastating impacts of the El Nino-induced drought,” said Francesca Erdelmann, the WFP representative in Zimbabwe. "This timely support will enable us to provide essential food assistance and prevent negative coping strategies, ensuring that vulnerable populations can withstand these difficult circumstances. We will be able to support 200,000 people in three districts." Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s minister of finance, said the government will take care of other districts hit by the drought.

SYDNEY — Australia said Thursday a $1.35 billion deal with U.S. technology giant Amazon to build three secure data centers for top-secret information will increase its military’s “war-fighting capacity.” The data centers are to be built in secret locations in Australia and be run by an Australian subsidiary of the U.S. technology company Amazon Web Service, the government said. The deal is part of Australia’s National Defense Strategy, outlining its commitment to Indo-Pacific security and maintaining “the global rules-based order.” The country has a long-standing military alliance with the United States and is a member, with the United Kingdom, U.S., Canada and New Zealand, of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Australian officials said the project would create a “state-of-the-art collaborative space” for intelligence and defense agencies to store and gain access to sensitive information in a centralized network. Andrew Shearer, director-general of Australia’s Office of National Intelligence, said in a statement that the project would allow “greater interoperability with our most important international intelligence partners.” Similar data clouds have been set up in the United States and Britain, allowing the sharing of information among agencies and departments. Richard Marles, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, told reporters that highly sensitive national security data will be safely secured in the new system. “If you consider that any sensor which is on a defense platform, which in turn feeds that data to a high tech capability, such as the Joint Strike Fighter, which will use that to engage in targeting or perhaps to defend itself from an in-coming threat, or ... to defend another asset, such as a ship — all of that is top secret data,” Marles said. The government said the Amazon Web Services storage system will use artificial intelligence to detect suspected intrusions and to retrieve data. Richard Buckland, a professor in CyberCrime, Cyberwar and Cyberterror at the University of New South Wales, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the storage plan has risks. “Putting more data together in a central spot and sharing it widely as people intend to do obviously increases the risk of a data breach,” he said. In a statement, Amazon Web Services’ managing director in Australia, Iain Rouse, said the system would “enable the seamless sharing of classified data between Australia’s National Intelligence Community and the Australian Defense Force.” The so-called top-secret cloud is scheduled to be in operation by 2027.

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Jakarta, Indonesia — Every weekday, Andika Hidayatullah weaves his motorbike through congested roads in Indonesia’s crowded capital from his home in the satellite city of Depok. He says all the traffic makes what should be a 40-minute commute almost twice as long.  “A car should be used with four occupants,” says Hidayatullah, 26. “But most workers here drive a car to their workplace by themselves, and that causes huge traffic.”  A report issued by the global public health organization Vital Strategies based on research by the Bandung Institute of Technology says vehicular emissions are Jakarta’s biggest source of air pollution — just one in a range of urban congestion problems that are prompting calls for better coordination between the city and its surrounding communities.  There were days last year when Swiss company IQAir ranked Jakarta’s air as the most polluted of any major city in the world.  Willy Sastrawijayadi, 37, says the polluted air makes him feel ill some days. “It affects the respiratory system, whether it’s coughing or feeling kind of like you have the flu.”  The city has about 10 million residents, but the greater Jakarta region has more than 30 million. When it comes to cities with the world’s worst road traffic congestion, navigation specialist Tom Tom ranked Jakarta 30th last year. First place is considered the worst among 387 cities in 55 countries. Jakarta has commuter trains and buses available, but old habits are proving hard to break.  “Public transport is currently much better than, let’s say, 10 or 20 years ago,” says Ahmad Gamal, associate professor in urban planning at the University of Indonesia.  “What has not happened is people starting to leave their motorbikes and their cars.”  Gamal adds that one of the underlying reasons behind these quality-of-life issues is because Jakarta and its surrounding communities have not worked hand in hand to coordinate on a regional level.   “Jakarta gets all of the offices, gets all of the industries; but most of the housing projects, they probably need to go a little bit farther [out] because the land is much more expensive in Jakarta,” Gamal says. “So, naturally, the adjacent areas in their best interests in promoting development [were overbuilt].”  Gamal adds that overdevelopment in upstream communities leads to rivers overflowing downstream in Jakarta, flooding urban neighborhoods. “So much of the land upstream is overbuilt and unable to absorb much of the water.”  After heavy storms, Zainudin, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, and his neighbors along the Ciliwung River have to clean out mud that’s 30 centimeters thick inside their homes. “We’ve gotten used to dealing with this,” says Zainudin, 58, noting that he’s lived by the river his entire life.  Along the coast in North Jakarta, the government is extending a seawall. Just on the other side of it is the Wal Adhuna Mosque, which is no longer used because it’s always flooded. Small portions of North Jakarta have already been washed over by rising sea levels due to climate change and now it’s a race against time to prevent more of the city from being lost. About 40% of Jakarta is below sea level. “The northern part of Jakarta is facing the biggest challenge because the sea is rising while the land is actually sinking,” Gamal says.  Gamal points to the fact that many Jakartans get their water from illegal wells tapping the ground water which is a major reason why the city is now sinking. The government is building pipes to get more of the public water supply across the city, but Gamal says that project could take 30 years to complete.  The national government is laying plans for an agglomeration council for Greater Jakarta to coordinate all of its local and regional governments.  But Gamal says it’s not clear yet if this council will have the authority it needs to succeed.   “It is going to work if it is a superseding authority on top of these regional governments, listening to their needs but capable of creating plans that are binding for them.”  Meanwhile, people like Andika Hidayatullah say they’re just hoping the government figures it out. “I’ve had enough of all the traffic and bad air,” he said.

Jakarta will lose its status as Indonesia’s political capital this year. But the city — which is facing a host of problems — will remain the country’s commercial capital. Dave Grunebaum reports from Jakarta on some of the issues and potential solutions.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.