Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi strongly rebuked Ethiopia on Tuesday, accusing Addis Ababa of stalling negotiations over a mega-dam being built on the Nile and moving ahead with plans to start filling the reservoir before reaching a deal. “A timeline must be set to finish up negotiations, so it does …
Read More »Ethiopia reports first two deaths from coronavirus
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia on Sunday announced the first two deaths of patients suffering from COVID-19, as officials ramped up testing to get a clearer picture of the outbreak there. The first victim was a 60-year-old Ethiopian woman who had spent six days in intensive care, a health …
Read More »The mighty River Nile, threatened by waste, warming, mega-dam
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Early one morning in Cairo, volunteers paddle their kayaks across the Nile, fishing out garbage from the mighty waterway that gave birth to Egyptian civilisation but now faces multiple threats. Egypt’s lifeline since Pharaonic days and the source of 97 percent of its water is …
Read More »Museveni calls for urgent meeting on River Nile
Museveni calls for equitable use of River Nile Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said all the countries that share the Nile, the world’s longest river should use her waters for the benefit of all, not at the detriment of others. Museveni was on Friday speaking …
Read More »Humanitarian agencies fear looming locust catastrophe
Damage to crops and pasture already reported across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Humanitarian agencies are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in eastern Africa as a result of the ongoing desert locust invasion around the region. Eastern Africa hosts about 14 million refugees, the majority …
Read More »COMMENT: The futility of Pompeo’s anti-China message in Africa
COMMENT | Ronald Kato | When US secretary of state Mike Pompeo began his Africa trip in mid-February, it was clear that countering China’s influence on the continent was top of his agenda. Yet from Senegal to Angola, he had restrained himself from the hard-hitting attacks on China that have come …
Read More »Ethiopia: 29 injured in ‘bomb attack’ at pro-Abiy rally
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | A “bomb attack” on a rally in support of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed injured nearly 30 people Sunday, a police official said, in the latest sign of instability ahead of elections in August. The incident occurred in the town of Ambo, located roughly …
Read More »Ethiopia, Egypt delay deadline in River Nile dam row
Washington, United States | AFP | Ethiopia made progress with Egypt and Sudan in US-brokered talks in easing concerns over a hotly contested mega-dam on the Nile, with a tentative agreement to fill it only during the rainy season. The three countries had set a deadline of Wednesday to reach …
Read More »Ethiopia asks South Africa to mediate Nile dam dispute
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday asked South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in a long-running dispute with Egypt over a massive dam being built on the Blue Nile River. Ethiopia’s ties to Egypt have soured since the east African country launched …
Read More »DEADLOCK: Ethiopia and Egypt fail to clinch Nile dam deal
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia and Egypt failed to resolve a long-running dispute over a massive dam being built on the Blue Nile River during the latest round of talks this week. Officials said Thursday that some progress had been made, though they remained at odds over major sticking …
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