NEWS ANALYSIS

African leaders must push for solutions beyond military intervention ANALYSIS | ANTHONI VAN NIEUWKERK | In response to the deepening crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council established a panel of independent experts in 2023 to examine the situation and provide it with options to …

What it means for river basin states ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Last month on July 8, the South Sudanese parliament – the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) – ratified the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), a modern treaty that outlines the principles, rights and obligations for cooperation, management and development …

LOP Ssenyonyi under siege as parliament moves from Kampala   COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME |  In her two year tenure following corruption scandals and international sanctions, under pressure Speaker Anita Among has had to adopt various strategies to cope and survive. Her latest gambit, as the precincts of parliament remain …

Despite her straight-sets defeat by world No. 1 Sun Yingsha, 61-year-old table tennis veteran Ni Xia Lian has proven to be a beacon of resilience and inspiration for many. PARIS | Xinhua |  Amid the roaring applause at the South Paris Arena, 61-year-old paddler Ni Xia Lian waved to the …

Telecom Egypt, a leading telecommunications firm, has teamed up with Nokia to roll out 5G networks across the country’s major cities as the adoption of 5G technology across Africa accelerates. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Months after Egypt awarded its first 5G license to Telecom Egypt in a 15-year deal, …

PARIS | Xinhua |  Breaking through the waves reveals true gold. At the moment Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle touched the wall and broke the record, all doubts, grievances, and frustrations vanished. “Awesome! It feels incredible!” exclaimed Pan after roaring to China’s first swimming gold in Paris with a world record …

New satellite internet roll-out offer faster speeds SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s data market is experiencing a reset, with the aggressive rollout of satellite internet and intense competition promising faster and cheaper services, including markets with some of the world’s most expensive data plans. A year after the introduction …

Terrorism charges and new questions for Uganda Kenya relations ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | Thirty six activists of the Forum for Democratic Change who were arrested in Kenya on July 23 are facing terrorism charges in a baffling development that puts Kenya-Uganda relations under scrutiny. They were remanded to Luzira Prison …

A smaller force to stay behind as ATMIS exits ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME |  Lt. Gen. Sam Kavuma, the new Force Commander of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), arrived in Mogadishu on July 28 to oversee the last phase of a troop drawdown process that started five years ago. …

Technocrats blame Chinese veneer processors, local tree growers blame the technocrats COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT  | In May last year, President Yoweri Museveni banned the export of ‘unprocessed’ timber products scampering a hitherto booming wood industry. One year later, panic from Museveni’s Executive Order No.3 continues with no end in …