Rome, Italy | AFP | The United Nations has approved an emergency loan of $22 million (20.3 million euros) in a bid to prevent another famine in drought and crisis-hit Somalia, its food agency said Tuesday. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is releasing the funds to the Food and Agriculture …
Read More »Five dead in Mogadishu bombing as PM unveils new lineup
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | At least five people were killed when a vehicle laden with explosives blew up in Mogadishu on Tuesday, a local official said, the latest attack in the troubled Somali capital. The blast occurred at a checkpoint near the presidential palace just as the Horn of Africa …
Read More »BORIS: Economic growth presents Uganda new opportunities
Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson has hailed Uganda for sustaining economic growth over the years. “The country seems to be growing well. The strong economic growth presents real opportunities,.” Johnson said after meeting Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday night. Other than trade and …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Somali pirates back on the radar
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The seizing of the Aris 13 tanker and its Sri Lankan crew on Monday — the first successful attack by Somali pirates since 2012 — came as little surprise to John Steed of the Oceans Beyond Piracy campaign group. International naval patrols and anti-piracy measures on …
Read More »UK’s Boris Johnson in surprise Somalia visit on way to Uganda
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson met the new Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in a surprise visit Wednesday to Mogadishu, the scene of frequent attacks by Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab Islamists, an airport official said. “The UK foreign secretary has arrived and he’s now meeting with the …
Read More »UN chief to visit East Africa as famine threatens region
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Kenya on Sunday for talks with leaders on regional issues, his spokesman said Friday, as South Sudan and Somalia face famine. Somalia is facing the threat of a famine while parts of northern South Sudan are …
Read More »Dying of hunger: What is a famine?
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | From ancient Rome to modern times, mankind has suffered devastating periods of hunger caused by drought, war or misguided politics. Last week South Sudan was declared the site of the world’s first famine in six years, affecting about 100,000 people. Here is an exploration of …
Read More »UN needs $4.4 bn for famine relief in four countries
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN aid agencies need $4.4 billion in emergency funding to address famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday. More than 20 million people face starvation in the four countries and action is needed now to avert …
Read More »Somali president inaugurated, says no quick fix for woes
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Somalia’s new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed sought to downplay high expectations of his new administration at his inauguration Wednesday, saying it would take decades to fix the nation’s many problems. “Our government is facing so many challenges and even though I will be doing my …
Read More »South Sudan suffering ‘man-made’ famine
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan on Monday declared famine in some parts of the country, with more than three years of war leaving nearly five million hungry in what aid groups called a “man-made” tragedy. Isaiah Chol Aruai, chairman of South Sudan’s National Bureau of Statistics, said …
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