AFRICA

Beijing, China | AFP |  China has officially opened its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, state media said Tuesday, a major step for the country’s expansion of its military presence abroad. Chinese military personnel, officials and guests attended a flag-raising ceremony and military parade to mark the occasion, the …

Why citizens have good reasons to be fed up with their politicians and what needs to be done about it COMMENT |TAHIRU AZAAVIELE LIEDONG| A few months ago, a video in which a street boy blamed bad leadership for Nigeria’s socio-economic problems, went viral on social media in the country. …

To call China a colonial power is to diminish the true horrors that were faced by the colonised COMMENT|HANNAH RYDER|A few months ago, a New York Times magazine cover was emblazoned with the question “Is China the World’s New Colonial Power?” The notion that China is a twenty-first-century coloniser is …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Elections in Kenya are a fraught business, with polls beset with claims of rigging and intimidation, some subtle, some not, and this year’s vote on August 8 is no different. A decade after a disputed election led to the country’s worst electoral violence with over …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenya’s election campaign enters a tense final week Tuesday, with a tight race between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga leading to intensified personal attacks and rigging accusations. The longtime political foes face off at the polls for a second consecutive time on …

AMISOM recognizes Ugandan police officers for their contribution to stability in Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia | AMISOM MEDIA |  –The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has feted a contingent of Formed Police Unit (FPU) from Uganda who have completed one year of service in Somalia. The officers were decorated with African Union …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP |  The ruling coalition of Senegal’s President Macky Sall won a widely expected landslide in a legislative election, his prime minister said Monday, bolstering Sall’s prospects for re-election in 2019. The Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition swept all but three of the country’s 45 electoral departments, …

Malawi issues warrant of arrest for former president Banda Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Malawi police on Monday issued an arrest warrant for former president Joyce Banda in connection with the country’s “Cashgate” corruption scandal, which involved large-scale looting of government coffers. “Malawi fiscal and fraud police have unearthed credible …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Twenty candidates will contest presidential elections in Liberia in October, among them a former warlord, a footballer and a fashion model, as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf steps down after two terms, the electoral commission said Monday. There is no obvious frontrunner to replace the Nobel Prize-winning …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | An official charged with overseeing Kenya’s electronic voting system was found dead just over a week before the country goes to the polls, the commission’s chairman said Monday. The body of Chris Msando, a top information technology manager at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), …