Three important weaknesses that have impeded progress and way forward ANALYSIS | VERA SONGEWE & ISHAC DIWAN | The recent protests in Kenya reflect the frustrated aspirations of young people for higher-quality social services and better economic opportunities. It also highlights the difficulty – in Kenya, and across the developing …
Read More »Ethiopia unrest displaces 12,000: UN agency
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | Unrest in Ethiopia’s western Gambella region has displaced at least 12,000 people, a UN agency said Friday. In its Ethiopia Situation Report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) disclosed that at least 12,000 people were displaced due to recent violence …
Read More »South African gov’t extends deployment of soldiers following last month’s unrest
Cape Town, S.A. | Xinhua | Parliament of South Africa on Tuesday said it had been informed by President Cyril Ramaphosa about extending the mission of troops who were authorized to fight against last month’s unrest. The South African government deployed 25,000 army members since July 12 in cooperation with the …
Read More »Officer charged with murder as violent protests sweep US
Minneapolis, United States | AFP | Violent protests erupted across the United States late Friday over the death of a handcuffed black man in police custody, with murder charges laid against the arresting Minneapolis officer failing to quell boiling anger. Demonstrators clashed with police for a fourth straight night in …
Read More »Coronavirus fails to halt conflict in DRC’s powder-keg east
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | Coronavirus has swiftly gained status as the world’s No. 1 threat but in eastern DR Congo, one of Africa’s most volatile regions, militia killings and ethnic violence are an older and — for now — far greater source of dread. Some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 …
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 »Pompeo pledges ‘collective’ approach to African troop presence
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the United States favoured a “collective” approach with its allies when deciding on troop numbers deployed in Africa against jihadist insurgents. “We’ll get it right, we’ll get it right collectively, I’m convinced of that,” Pompeo told reporters …
Read More »Sudan ready to hand Bashir to ICC for Darfur crimes
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan has agreed to hand ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir and others to the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, a member of Khartoum’s ruling body said Tuesday. The Hague-based ICC has charged Bashir and three of his former aides with genocide, crimes …
Read More »US wants to reduce presence in Africa, warns top officer
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The United States wants to reduce its military presence in Africa, Washington’s top military officer said, as France hosts Sahel leaders as it seeks to bolster the fight against jihadists in the region. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said …
Read More »Rwanda backs DRC army crackdown on Hutu rebels
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Rwanda on Monday backed DR Congo’s military crackdown on Hutu rebels, who accuse the neighbouring nations of trying to “massacre” them and “balkanise” the DRC’s volatile east. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group operates freely in the North …
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