NEWS ANALYSIS

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Emmerson Mnangagwa appeared well-placed to reprise his leading role in Zimbabwe after returning to the country in the wake of the army’s takeover, prompted by his sacking by President Robert Mugabe. Nicknamed “Ngwena” (The Crocodile) because of his fearsome power and ruthlessness, the 75-year-old has …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | The European Union on Tuesday joined an international chorus urging Liberian political parties and its electoral commission to end “unnecessary delays” and elect a new president. A second round of voting to choose a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was suspended indefinitely by the …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo opposition leaders on Tuesday said President Faure Gnassingbe “declared war on the Togolese people” by accusing them of orchestrating violence in massive anti-government protests across the West African country. At least 16 people have been killed and more than 200 injured since late August in …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Military vehicles took to the streets of the Zimbabwean capital and prolonged gunfire was heard near the presidential residence early Wednesday as questions mounted over Robert Mugabe’s grip on power, even as the army denied a coup in a state broadcast. Tensions between the 93-year-old …

How coffee marketing arrangement is putting more money in farmers pockets, improving quality Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGWA | 80-year old widow Anna Kyamulabi grows coffee on her half acre farm in Bulwanyi village, near Kyengera in Wakiso District. She is a Fairtrade producer, although it unclear if she knows …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe was reeling Tuesday after the army warned it could intervene if President Robert Mugabe continued to purge veteran ruling party figures in an apparent effort to help his wife succeed him. Both the ruling party’s youth wing and the main opposition party called for …

But is there a catch? Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Tackling cancer requires high investment in training and infrastructure says Meg O’Brien, the Managing Director Global Cancer Treatment at the American Cancer Society. She told The Independent on Oct.25 that her organisation has brokered a deal with two pharmaceutical companies …

Foreign Minister fingered in dodgy deal in Seychelles Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Days after it emerged that Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa set up a company in a tax haven, the move continues to be scrutinised. Apparently, in 2012 Kutesa hired Appleby, a company renowned for creating offshore account …

MPs say Museveni is panicking Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME, FLAVIA NASSAKA | With opposition politicians currently traversing the country chanting ‘Togikwatako’- the brand of the resistance to the constitutional amendment aimed at removing the presidential age cap of 75, the campaign appears to have engulfed the nation. Ibrahim Semujju …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | From a Yemeni missile attack to the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, the “Cold War” between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has been heating up. Experts believe the risk of a direct military clash is low, but why have tensions escalated now and how …