YEAR IN REVIEW: February 2017 Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Following on the November 27, 2016 attack by the army on his palace in Kasese, the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu king, Omusinga Wesley Mumbere,  faced a slew of arrests, detentions, and court appearances that culminated in his being blocked from returning …

YEAR IN REVIEW:  February 2017 Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | For the second time in two cycles, Uganda’s biggest opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), missed out on having a slot among the team of nine to represent Uganda in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). And, once …

January Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | January is known as a ‘dry month’ both literally and figuratively, therefore when news broke of a shady bonus payment to government officials, there was a sustained ire and condemnation from the public. The intense backlash set the pace for a year dominated by …

Accra, Ghana | AFP | Joseph Awuah-Darko sits on a stool at one of the world’s largest electronic waste dumps, watching polystyrene and insulation cables burn on the blackened ground. “It’s survival and dystopia,” says the 21-year-old British-born Ghanaian, surveying the stretch of wasteland around him as dense plumes of …

YEAR IN REAVIEW: January, 2017 Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Jan 9: President Yoweri Museveni restructured command of the army; naming Maj. Gen. David Muhoozi to the top job of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) with Maj. Gen. Wilson Mbadi as the Deputy CDF. But the real attention was on …

Yaounde, Cameroon | AFP | A Cameroon court on Wednesday freed dissident author Patrice Nganang, accused of threatening President Paul Biya on social media, and ordered him to be expelled from the country, media reported. The court in the capital Yaounde ordered an end to legal proceedings against Nganang, which …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Long queues formed at petrol stations across Nigeria Tuesday, with motorists sometimes waiting up to 24 hours to fill up their tanks, as Africa’s number one oil producer faces a crippling fuel shortage. “I couldn’t travel. I would have loved to travel to Osun State …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The United States carried out an air strike on Christmas Eve against the Shabaab Islamist group that left 13 dead, according to a statement released Wednesday. “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab militants on the morning …

New York, United States | AFP | Colombian pop star Shakira on Wednesday cancelled the remainder of her world tour because of a problem with her vocal cords and said she hoped to be back on stage in June of next year. “Though I very much hoped to be able …

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuela saw almost 70 newspapers, TV and radio stations close in 2017 while attacks on journalists rose, the main union representing the media said Wednesday, accusing the socialist government of trying to “silence” the press. The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) said 46 radio …