Ghana: First to Deliver COVID Vaccines via Drones
ACCRA, 5 March 2021 - Ghana has become the first country anywhere in the world to use drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines at a national scale. Asuofua Health Center was the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines via Zipline’s drone delivery, with other health centres due...
Ethiopia: Joint Security Council Statement Fails
NEW YORK, 5 March 2021 – Russia and China used their veto power Thursday to block a joint statement on the armed violence in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. India joined Russia and China in ruling that the conflict is an internal matter. All three African...
Senegal: TV Shutdown and Internet Restored
DAKAR, 5 March 2021 - Access to social media platforms has been restored in Senegal, ending several hours of service disruption during which two TV stations were shutdown. The service disruptions - online and on TV - are connected to violent street protests that...
Rwanda: YouTuber Faces Insurrection Charges
KIGALI, 5 March 2021 – A Rwandese YouTuber, Yvonne Iryamugwiza, has been arraigned in court to face six charges, including public disorder and insurrection. Iryamugwiza first rose to prominence thanks to videos posted on her YouTube channel in which she sharply...
Tanzania: Catholics Demand Action on COVID
DAR ES SALAAM, 5 March 2021 - Sixty nuns and 25 priests have died in Tanzania in the last two months after showing symptoms of coronavirus, the Catholic Church in the country has revealed. Catholic leaders in the east African country invited Tanzanians to take...
Nigeria: Refugees Flee Conflict into Same in Niger
ABUJA, 5 March 2021 – Nearly 8,000 refugees fleeing violence in Nigeria are confronted by the same levels of violence in their new host communities in Niger, the United Nations refugee agency said Thursday. “Most of the refugees are women and children, displaced by...
South Sudan: Plane Crash Kills Ten People
JUBA, 5 March 2021 - Authorities in South Sudan confimed Wednesday that a small plane had crashed the evening before in its eastern Jonglei State, killing all ten people on board. South Sudan’s Minister of Transport Madut Biar Yel confirmed the crash which involved a...
South Africa: INTERPOL Seizes Fake COVID Vaccines
JOHANNESBURG, 5 March 2021 - Police in South Africa and China have seized thousands of fake COVID-19 vaccines from criminal gangs seeking to make a quick buck. More than 80 people have been arrested in operations coordinated by the international police organization...
Guinea: Ebola Outbreak at Risk of Spreading
CONAKRY, 5 March 2021 – The Ebola outbreak in Guinea is at a “very high risk” of spreading to neighboring west African countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Friday. Eighteen cases of Ebola were reprted as of Thursday, 14 of them confirmed, including...
Nigeria-Kenya-Rwanda: COVID Vaccine Rollout
NAIROBI, 5 March 2021 – Mass inoculation programs against the new coronavirus (COVID-19) have been launched in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda, news reports show Friday. The three countries received two million doses (Nigeria), just over one million doses (Kenya) and...
Seychelles: Opening to Visitors and Tourists
VICTORIA, 5 March 2021 – Seychelles plans to reopen to visitors and tourists from all over the world next March 25, irrespective of whether they are vaccinated or not. Until further notice, though, South African nationals will not be allowed to enter the island...
Ghana: Court Upholds Presidential Results
ACCRA, 5 March 2021 – Ghana’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the restuls of last December’s presidential election, leading to mixed reactions from the two main candidates. Opposition leader and runner-up in the election, John Mahama, disagreed with the process and...
Mali-Venezuela: Foreign Currency Deal
BAMAKO, 4 March 2021 – Venezuela’s cash-strapped govnerment turned to Mali last year to secure foreign currency, an investigation by Reuters news agency has revealed. Venezuela reportedly sent gold to Mali in Russian-owned planes, according to Julio Borges, a...
Senegal: One Killed in Street Protests
DAKAR, 4 March 2021 – At least one person has been killed in the street protests which erupted Wednesday following the arrest of Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Police are charging Sonko with disturbing public order after hundreds his supporters clashed...
Bukina Faso: Five Killed in Landmine Explosion
OUAGADOUGOU, 4 March 2021 – Five people, including a pregnant woman, have been killed in a landmine explosion close to Burkina Faso's border with Mali. The explosion blew up an ambulance in which the victims were traveling in Gaskindei. Officials say the ambulance was...
Ghana: New $1.6bn Trade Deal with UK
ACCRA, 4 March 2021 - Certain goods from Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK) will enjoy tariff-free access and tariff reductions, according to a new $1.6 billion trade deal sealed by the two countries. “This deal secures tariff-free access for products that British...
Ethiopia: 164 Civilians Slaughtered in Dengolat
DENGOLAT, 4 March 2021 - Church officials in Ethiopia’s Tigray region say 164 civilians were slaughtered in Dengolat, with most of them killed last November 30. “I' would rather die than have lived to see this," Beyenesh told AFP, tears rolling down her face as she...
Egypt: Building a $156.4M Solar Plant on the Nile
ABIDJAN, 4 March 2021 -The Egyptian government has secured $27.2 million in partial funding for its $156.4 million 200 MW photovoltaic solar power plant at Kom Ombo. The project, to be builit in Upper Egypt on the River Nile, will increase Egypt’s installed power...
Congo-Angola-Djibouti: Sputnik V Approved
BRAZZAVILLE, 4 March 2021 – Health regulatory authorities in Angola, Congo-Brazzaivlle and Djibouti have approved the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19. The three African countries on Wednesday became the latest in a fast expanding list of countries that have...
Djibouti: 20 Migrants Killed at Sea
OBOCK, 4 March 2021 - At least 20 migrants perished Wednesday after human traffickers on a boat pushed 80 people overboard along the coast of Obock in Djibouti. The migrants were en route to Yemen, according to the United Nations International Organization for...
Morocco-Algeria: Diplomatic Row Deepens
RABAT, 4 March 2021 – “Ninety-seven percent of fake news” about Algeria comes from Moroccan and Israeli sources, Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has told the magazine March 1. Morocco and Algeria disagree on the right of the disputed Western Sahara to...
Algeria: Macron Confesses Assassinations
PARIS, 4 March 2021 – The French army “tortured and murdered” Algerian nationalist, Ali Boumendjel, during Algeria’s war of indepdndence, French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted. Boumendjel was arrested during the Battle of Algiers in 1957, tortured and executed...
Africa: COVID Vaccines Delivered to Five Nations
GENEVA, 3 March 2021 – Five more African countries – Angola, DR Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda – received their first consignments of COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to Wednesday. The five bring to seven the number of African countries who have received vaccine...
Africa: Ramp Up of COVID Vaccine Supply
GENEVA, 3 March 2021 – Some 238.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be shipped to 142 countries by the end of May 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. Nigeria is expected to receive the second biggest delivery of vaccine doses by the end...
Egypt: Deal Needed Before GERD is Filled
CAIRO, 3 March 2021 - Egypt on Thursday reiterated its determination to workfor a fair, balanced, and legally-binding deal on how to manage the Ethiopian mega dam on the Nile River. Downstream countries – Egypt and Sudan - demand a binding deal before the start of the...
Rwanda: Singapore Opens Doors to the World
KIGALI, 3 March 2021 – Rwandan products, including coffee, tea and kawah, are now trading online in Singapore after debuting Monday on Singapore’s leading online supermarkets, Rec'Mart and Shopee SG. The platform makes Rwandese products available not only for...
Seychelles: Work Resumes on $100m Resort
VICTORIA, 3 March 2021 - Construction work has resumed on Seychelles’ first six-star tourism project – the development of the $100 million Waldorf Astoria Platte Island resort. The Hilton group has signed the management agreement for the new resort being built on the...
South Sudan: Threat to Shutdown Private Labs
JUBA, 3 March 2021 – Public health authorities in South Sudan have threatened to shutdown COVID-19 private laboratories over the issuance of fake test results. Last December, the country’s National Taskforce on Coronavirus gave permission to Mid-Blue, a private...
Tanzania: Zanzibar’s New First Vice President
DAR ES SALAAM, 3 March 2021 - Othman Masoud Othman has been appointed the new First Vice President of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, according to an order by Zanzibar’s President Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Masoud Othman replaces Maalim Seif Sharrif Hamad who...
Uganda: Man Murders Wife Over Birth Control
KAMPALA, 3 March 2021 – A 40-year-old man has been arrested and is set to be charged with the murder of his wife reportedly because she took family planning pills without his consent. Police in Amuru District in northern Uganda arrested Robinson Ojok after his wife,...
Nigeria: Hundreds of Kidnapped Girls Released
ABUJA, 2 March 2021 – Two hundred and seventy-nine schoolgirls who were kidnapped last week in northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara were released Tuesday. The number of 279 released is 38 students fewer than the 317 students initially said to have been kidnapped....
Ethiopia-Cameroon: US Wants Investigations
WASHINGTON, DC, 2 March 2021 – The US State Department has urged Ethiopia and Cameroon to allow international investigations into allegations of atrocities. In a phone call with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, U.S. Secretary of State called onEthiopia to...
Mozambique: Amnesty Decries War Crimes
LONDON, 2 March 2021 – Mozambique’s army, private military contractors and jihadist militants in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado have committed war crimes, Amnesty International has alleged. “All three have committed war crimes, causing the deaths of...
DR Congo-Cameroon: Hope for HIV/AIDS Patients
KINSHASA, 2 March 2021 – Scientists say the discovery of a large group of people in DR Congo whose bodies naturally control HIV – the virus which causes AIDS – raises hopes of a cure. Whereas less than one percent of people worldwide are usually able to suppress the...
Zimbabwe: COVID-19 Restrictions Relaxed
HARARE, 2 March 2021 – The government of Zimbabwe has relaxed COVID-19 restrictions which have been in place since last January 5. Markets and businesses can reopen and schools and universities have been put on notice to prepare to resume in-person classes on a date...
Cameroon: Pedophile and Rapist Soldiers Gone Wild
ACCRA, 2 March 2021 – Pedophiles and rapist Cameroonian soldiers have ramped up acts of rape and sexual exploitation of girls, women, and children, a recent study and media reports show. Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) belatedly published details of the mass rape,...
Ghana: Countering False Info on Vaccines
ACCRA, 1 March 2021 – Authorities in Ghana say they are both deeply concerned and launching a campaign to counter false information about the pandemic and vaccines. Gjhana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, who became the first person to be inoculated in the country, is...
South Sudan: Mask Enforcement Measures
JUBA, 1 March 2021 - Authorities in South Sudan's capital, Juba, have introduced a new measure dubbed "go back home" and aimed at enforcing mask-wearing in the South Sudanese capital. Under the measure, officials or security agents from Juba City Council are empowered...
Ethiopia: Fixers for Foreign Journalists Detained
MEKELLE, 1 March 2021 – Four local fixers for foreign media outlets in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have been detained by the military, the BBC reported Monday. Fitsum Berhane, a fixer for the French News Agency (AFP) and Alula Akalu, a fixer for the Financial Times, were...
Nigeria: Fifteen Killed in Sokoto State
SOKOTO, 1 March 2021 - At least 15 people were shot dead and dozens others were injured Monday morning during a raid by unidentified gunmen on a village in the northwestern Nigerian state of Sokoto. Most of the victims died heroes, according to eyewitness accounts and...
Malawi: Tear Gas Fired to Disperse Students
LILONGWE, 1 March 2021 – Riot police fired tear gas to disperse students who blocked traffic in Lilongwe Monday, calling for a reopening of schools. In Lilongwe, the students used rocks, tree branches and whatever other obstacles they could raise to prevent traffic...
Zimbabwe: Vice President Steps Down
HARARE, 1 March 2021 – Zimbabwe’s second vice-president, Kembo Mohadi, has resigned a week after denying accusations of sexual impropriety. The audio recordings first published by ZimLive are of phone conversations reportedly featuring Mohadi soliciting sex. “I am a...
Kenya: Mother Beheads One-Year-Old Son
NYANZA, 1 March 2021 - A 23-year-old woman in Ng’ope village, is facing murder charges for reportedly beheading her one-year-old son allegedly because her son refused to be breastfed. Ng’ope is in Konyango Sub-Location in North Kabyoch Location, close to Lake Victoria...
Ethiopia: US Deeply Concerned by Tigray
WASHINGTON, DC, 1 March 2021 – The U.S. government has expressed concern and appealed to the African Union to help resolve the dispute in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. “We are deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken...
Togo: Bollore Fined for Bribery in Port Deal
PARIS, 1 March 2021 – French industrial group Bollore reached a settlement Friday on a decade-old case of bribery and corruption in Togo, a judge in Paris ruled. Under the deal, the Bollore conglomerate will pay $14.5 million after admitting guilt in the financial...
Africa: Two Years in Prison for Sarkozy
PARIS, 1 March 2021 - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced Monday to three years in prison, two of them suspended, on corruption and influence peddling charges. The verdict was handed down in Paris by Judge Christine Mee, the presdent of the tribunal,...
DR Congo: Militiamen Kill Ten in the East
KINSHASA, 28 February 2021 – At least ten people have been killed by a militia in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), the army said Sunday. Members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia group beheaded eight people in the village of...
Sudan: Russian Warship Enters Port Sudan
PORT SUDAN, 28 February 2021 – A Russian warship, Admiral Grigorovich, entered Port Sudan Sunday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported Sunday. It is the first warship ever to enter Port Sudan where Russia is planning to build a naval base. Russian President Vladimir...
Chad: At Least Two Killed in Raid
N’DJAMENA, 28 february 2021 – At least two people were killed when Chadian security forces tried to arrest the opposition leader Yaya Dillo at his home in the capital, N’Djamena. Dillo immediately contradicted the death toll, telling reporters that five members of his...
Kenya: Lifting Visa Restrictsions for South Sudan
NAIROBI, 28 February 2021 – Kenya will remove all visa restrictions to South Sudan, according to an announcement by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The announcement was made Saturday in Nairobi during the virtual East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit....
Rwanda: State Gaffe in Case against Hotel Rwanda Star
KIGALI, 28 February 2021 – The government of Rwanda may have acted illegally, certainly inappropriately, in the case it is currently bringing against a prominent dissident. Rwanda’s Justice Minister who doubles as the country’s Attorney General, Johnston Busingye,...
Algeria: 37 Arson Fires so Far in February
ALGIERS, 28 February 2021 - Algeria has suffered 37 forest fires in the course of February 2021, according to the north African country’s Director-General of Forests, Ali Mahmoudi. Citing the unsual occurrences of the fires in the middle of the winter season, Mahmoudi...
Ethiopia: US Aid Freeze Unrelated to Mega Dam
ASMARA, 28 February 2021 – The U.S. government says its freeze on security and development assistance to Ethiopia is not linked to the dispute over filling Ethiopia’s mega dam. Former U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of aid flows to Ethiopia at the...
Eritrea: Clandestine Training for Somali Soldiers
ASMARA, 28 February 2021 – Somalia’s government sent thosuands of recruits to be trained in a clandestine program in Eritrea, news reports said Saturday. Mogadishu embarked on the training in order to have troops in sufficient numbers to deploy in replacement of...
Ethiopia: Refugees in Sudan Urged to Return
ADDIS ABABA, 28 February 2021 - The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew on Thursday urged Ethiopian asylum seekers in Sudan to return home. Andargachew asserted that the refugees will be safe from any political persecution. The Human Rights Council has...
Nigeria: Zamfara Closes Boarding Schools
JANGEBE, 27 February 2021 – Authorities in Nigeria’s Zamfara state have closed all boarding schools in an effort to stem a spate of school abductions. The closure was announced Friday, as security and military authorities said they had launched a vast search and...
Cote d’Ivoire: COVID Vaccine Doses Delivered
ABIDJAN, 27 February 2021 – Half a million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX initiative have been delivered to Cote d’Ivoire. This is the second consignment of COVAX-donated vaccines to be delivered in any African country after the first...
Zimbabwe: Nurses Reluctant to Inoculate
HARARE, 27 February 2021 – Nurses associations in Zimbabwe say their members are reluctant to receive COVID-19 vaccines received from China. A full week after Zimbabwe’s vaccination campaign launched prioritizing healthcare workers, the uptake among nurses has been...
Senegal: MP to Face Rape Charges
DAKAR, 27 February 2021 - Lawmakers in Senegal have stripped an opposition MP of his parliamentary immunity opening the way for him to answer possible rape charges. The MP from Senegal’s main opposition political party, Ousmane Sonko, has denied the allegations of...
Niger: RFI Reporter Targeted in Violence
NIAMEY, 27 February 2021 – The home of a Radio France International (RFI) correspondent in Niger has been attacked and burnt in post-election violence. Moussa Kaka and his family were not harmed in the attack, but their house was badly damaged. RFI on Friday said Kaka...
Eritrea: AU Urged to Deny Bid for Rights Council
NEW YORK, 27 February 2021 – Human Rights Watch has called on the African Union (AU) to deny support to Eritrea’s bid to run for re-election on the UN Human Rights Council. African countries should “stop allowing Eritrea to whitewash its own record of abuse,” the New...
Kenya: COVID Vaccines Expected Next Week
NAIROBI, 27 February 2021 – Kenya will receive its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses next week, according to a statement by cabinet. Authorities in Nairobi have not said which of the vaccines Kenya will be receiving. Earlier this month, Kenya’s health ministry...
Somalia: Opposition Postpones Street Protests
MOGADISHU, 27 February 2021 – Somali opposition presidential hopefuls have postponed for at least one week, rallies to protest delayed presidential elections. The rallies were initially scheduled to hold this weekend in the capital, Mogadishu. They will now be held...
Algeria: UK Strain of COVID Detected
ALGIERS, 27 February 2021 – Algeria has recorded two cases of the UK strain of COVID-19, the state-run medical institute specialized in epidemiology said Friday. The cases were found last February 19 in PCR sample tests, according the Pasteur Institute of Algeria. One...
Rwanda: Coffee and Chili Exports to China Surge
KIGALI, 27 February 2021 - Coffee and chili farmers in Rwanda say their exports to China have grown exponentially and could expand more, a special report in The Africa Report highlights. The spike in coffee and chili exports has been attributed to deals sealed between...
Sudan-Ethiopia: Hot Words on Border Dispute
KHARTOUM, 27 February 2021 – The Sudanese government has said Khartoum will not give up an inch of its territory, as the border dispute with Ethiopia persists. Sudan is not willing to make compromises that affect its sovereignty and borders, the state-run Sudan News...
Tanzania: Zanzibar Bans Unlicensed Guest Houes
ZANZIBAR CITY, 27 February 2021 – The government of the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar has banned the use of unlicensed guest houses by tourists. “It is high time such deals are stopped because they deny the government of revenue,” Zanzibar’s Second Vice President...
Algeria: Protests as Algeria’s Hirak Returns
ALGIERS, 27 February 2021 – Thousands of people poured into the streets of the Algerian capital, Algiers, on Friday as the “Hirak” resumes after a hiatus imposed by COVID-19 restrictions. The ban on public gatherings is still in place, but thousands gathered in...
Egypt: CPJ Slams Cairo on Press Freedom
CAIRO, 26 February 2021 – The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) has challenged Egypt to live up to the standards of democracy in which press freedom prevails. “Egypt… portrays itself as a democracy, but authorities’ actions belie that...
Ethiopia: WFP Issues $106 Million Appeal
ROME, 26 February 2021 - The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has appealed for $106 million needed in food assistance for citizens in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. According to WFP, three million people are food insecure in Tigray which has a population of...
Rwanda: Hotel Rwanda Star on Trial
KIGALI, 26 February 2021 – The hero of Hotel Rwanda, the Hollywood movie on the 1994 Genocide, has failed in his effort to move his trial from Rwanda to Belgium. Paul Rusesabagina, 66, a Belgian national of Rwandese descent, has argued since the beginning of...
Mali: Bamako Denies Minister was Kidnapped
BAMAKO, 26 February 2021 – The government of Mali has denied reports Friday that its minister for reconciliation has been kidnapped by unidentified insurgents. The rumors Bamako debunked held that Colonel Ismael Wague was abducted by unidentified gunmen. The...
Nigeria: 317 Schoolgirls Kidnapped in Zamfara
JANGEBE, 26 February 2021 - Unidentified gunmen have abducted more than 300 schoolgirls from a boarding secondary school in Jangebe, a town in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Zamfara. The abduction unfolded Friday morning, according to eyewitnesses and local security...
Mozambique: Funnel Caterpillars Devouring Crops
MAPUTO, 26 February 2021 – Authorities in Mozambique’s central province of Zambezi say funnel caterpillars have entirely destroyed crops on farms covering about 143 hectares (353 acres). The worst-hit farming communities are in the Mocuba district of Zambezi province,...
Cameroon: Using Rape as a Weapon of War
NEW YORK, 26 February 2021 – Cameroonian soldiers raped at least 20 women and girls in an attack on a village in the occupied Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia, a rights group said Friday. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said its researchers have gathered evidence on the...
Eritrea: Asmara Denies Killing Hundreds in Tigray
ASMARA, 26 February 2021 – The government of Eritrea has dismissed reports that its forces have been involved in mass killings in Ethiopia as preposterous. Eritrean troops slaughtered hundreds of civilians over a two-day period last November in the holy city of Aksum...
Ethiopia: Woman Acquitted in Hundessa Case
ADDIS ABABA, 26 February 2021 - The federal high court in Addis Ababa on Thursday acquitted Lamroi Kamal, one of the suspects in the assassination of Oromo artist Hachalu Hundessa. Kamal and three other suspects are on trial for their alleged involvement in the...
Djibouti: First Skyscraper in the Works
DJIBOUTI CITY, 26 February 2021 - Russian architect, Alex Wizhevsky, has presented the construction design of Djibouti-Towers, the first skyscraper planned in the Horn of Africa nation. The complex, to be built as three inter-locked structures, will rise 43 floors -...
Algeria: Critics Say Change is not Real
ALGIERS, 26 February 2021 – The recent reshuffle of the government in Algeria amidst a return to widespread dscontent in the form of street protests are signals all is not well. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune claims that the reforms his administration is...
Egypt: US Senatorial Hopeful Wants Reconciliation with Israel
CAIRO, 26 February 2021 – A U.S. senatorial aspirant planning to run in 2022 against U.S. Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, has urged Egypt to reconcile in good faith with Israel. “The President of Egypt has the power to change the dynamic between Egypt and Israel,” says...
Rwanda: 386 Police Officers Fired
KIGALI, 25 February 2021 – Rwandan National Police has dismissed about 386 police officers for gross misconduct, the Kigali-based newspaper, The New Times, reported Thursday. The fired officers include 18 senior sergeants, 104 sergeants, corporals, and constables,...
Uganda: Bobi Wine’s Armored Car Headache
KAMPALA, 25 February 2021 – Ugandan pop star turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has until next March 31 to prove if his armoured car was a dsonation from friends. Wine risks losing the newly-acquired vehicle to the state of Uganda if he cannot prove...
Djibouti: KSrelief Launches Mediacal Campaign
DJIBOUTI CITY, 25 February 2021 – The Djibouti-based Saudi Arabian relief and humanitarian center has set up an effort to help patients in crisis-hit countries around the world. The program will offer specialized surgeries at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and...
Libya: Tripoli Seeks Maltese Support
TRIPOLI, 25 February 2021 - Libyan prime minister-elect Abdul Dabaiba has asked for more support from the government of Malta as it tries to transition back to peace. Dabaiba said he held positive talks Wednesday with the foreign minister of Malta, Evarist Bartolo....
Algeria: 200000 Sinopharm Doses Delivered
ALGIERS, 25 February 2021 - The Algerian government received 200,000 doses of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Sinopharm, on Wednesday, officials in the capital, Algiers, said Thursday. “There will be further deliveries of anti-Covid-19 vaccines until the country’s needs...
Tunisia: Street Protests Called for Feb. 27
TUNIS, 25 February 2021 – Tunisia’s majority political party, Ennahda, has called for nationwide street demonstrations beginning next February 27. The goal of the protests is to “rptoect the Constitution and democracy of the country and to accelerate development and...
Algeria: Net Exporter of Gasoline Again
ALGIERS, 25 February 2021 - Algeria has returned to being a net exporter of gasoline, the first-time it is doing so in the last decade, the Algerian Press Agency reported Wednesday. SONATRACH, the country’s state hydrocarbon company and sole domestic refiner of the...
Eritrea: Not Involved in Border Dispute
KHARTOUM, 25 February 2021 – Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has said his country is not involved in the ongoing border dispute between neighboring Ethiopia and Sudan. Thursday, Afewerki urged Ethiopia and Sudan to embrace peaceful solutions that serve peace,...
Ethiopia: Fires Raze 508 Structures in Gijet
GIJET, 25 February 2021 – Fires that appeared to have been deliberately set have destroyed more than 500 structures this week in and around Ethiopia's Gijet town. Satellite imagery shared with media outlets lend credence to reports that fighting and atrocities...
Nigeria: Seven-Day Ultimatum to Kill Pastor
PEMI, 25 February 2021 - Terror group, Boko Haram, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerian government, demanding ransom to release a pastor or kill him. The hostage, Rev. Pastor Bulus Yakuru, has not been seen or heard from since his abduction in December...
Ghana: President First to be Inoculated
ACCRA, 25 February 2021 – Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addos will receive the first jab of the new coronavirus vaccine in Ghana, the Ghanaian presidency said Tuesday. “President Akufo-Addo will be the first to be vaccinated,” a presidential advisor on health, Dr...
Nigeria: New British Royal Air Force Record
LONDON, 25 February 2021 – A Nigerian-British, Joel Eleojo Adams, has set a new groundbreaking record within the British Royal Air Force. Last February 11, the Nigerian native, born in Kogi State, became the first Non-British to be commissioned as an Aero-Systems...
Senegal: Terror Groups Expanding in West Africa
DAKAR, 25 February 2021 – Senegalese authorities and the United Nations say they have documented the infiltration of parts of Senegal by indivduals affiliated to al-Qaeda. A United Nations Security Council report published last February 3 said elements of the...
Mali: Two Soldiers Killed in Ambush
MOPTI, 25 February 2021 - Two soldiers have been killed and at least seven others injured in an ambush on a military convoy in the northern region of Mopti, an army statement said Wednesday. The attack by suspected jihadists targeted the convoy of an army resupply...
Egypt: Two Sentenced for Rape of TikToker
CAIRO, 25 February 2021 - Egypt’s Economic Court sentenced two people to two years in prison with labour for spreading videos involving the rape last May of an underaged Egyptian. The two, Mazen Ibrahim and Shaimaa Shaker, were found guilty of uloading videos defying...
Eritrea-Ethiopia: Probe of Refugee Abuse in Tigray
GENEVA, 25 February 2021 - The United Nation's special rapporteur on Eritrea wants a probe into possible involvement of Eritrean forces in the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Speaking Wednesday before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the envoy,...
Tanzania: Government Admits COVID is Real
DODOMA, 24 February 2021 – The Tanzanian government has finally acknowledged the existence of COVID-19 and has introduced measures to fight the virus. The announcement comes months after Tanzanian President John Magufuli and his cabinet insisted that the virus had...
Ethiopia: UNHCR Blamed for Doing its Job
ADDIS ABABA, 24 February 2021 – Ethiopian military officials are furious with soldiers who disobeyed orders last weekend to come back home from South Sudan, calling them “traitors”. The Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) said the 15 Tigrayan members of the ENDF...
Algeria: Drareni Vows to Fight for Press Freedom
ALGIERS, 24 February 2021 - Fresh out of prison, Algerian journalists Khaled Drareni has vowed to continue fighting for press freedom, describing it as “sacred, untouchable”. Drareni was released from prison last February 19 thanks to a presidential pardon. “I hope...
Egypt: Calls for Delayed School Resumption
CAIRO, 24 February 2021 – Egyptian teachers, parents and activists have called on President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to postpone the reopening of schools, fearing a spike in COVID-19. The campaign on Twitter is using the hashtag “President, please, students will die”....
Ghana: COVID Vaccine Doses Delivered
ACCRA, 24 February 2021 – The global vaccine sharing initiative, COVAX, has made its first delivery of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Ghana, the first country to benefit from the initiative. The delivery – a first batch for Ghana – contains 600,000 doses of the...
Mozambique: Probe into Dead Dolphins
BAZARUTO, 24 February 2021 – Officials in Mozambique have opened an investigation into the mysterious deaths of over 100 dolphins in Bazaruto Island, in the country’s southern part. Tests on the dead dolphins have, so far, not revealed any “problem with the skin,...
Algeria: Goudjil Elected Speaker of Parliament
ALGIERS, 24 February 2021 – A 90-year-old veteran of Algeria’s struggle for independence from France, Salah Goudjil, was Wednesday elected speaker of the Algerian National Assembly. Goudjil received the votes of 126 members of parliament, with only one abstention. He...
Tanzania: Former Central Bank Governor Dies
DAR ES SALAAM, 24 February 2021 – Officials at the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) have confirmed the death Monday of former BoT governor, Prof. Benno Ndulu. Ndulu died at dawn Monday, 22 February 2021, while receiving treatment at the Hubert Kairuki Hospital in Dar es Salaam,...
Tanzania: Minister Debunks Rumors He’s Dead
DODOMA, 24 February 2021 - A video put out ostensibly to debunk rumors that Tanzania’s finance minister, Philip Mpango, was dead has been widely criticized for its lack of tact. So persistent had the rumors become that even President John Magufuli was drawn in last...
DR Congo: Slain Italian Envoy Flown Home
ROME, 24 February 2021 – The mortal remains of Luca Attanasio, the Italian envoy killed in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), has been flown back to Rome. Attanasio’s body along with the remains of his bodyguard, Vittorio Iacovacci, left the...
Nigeria: Ten Killed in Boko Haram Attack
ABUJA, 24 February 2021 – At least ten people have been killed and 47 others injured in an attack Tuesday by suspected Boko Haram militants in Maiduguri, capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State. The attackers fired rocket propelled grenades into densely...
Algeria: Journalist Khaled Drareni Freed
ALGIERS, 23 February 2021 – The release from prison, thanks to a presidential pardon, of Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni was confirmed Tuesday by several news outlets. During nearly a year in custody, Drareni became the symbol of the fight for press freedom in...
Seychelles: Payments to Etihad Airways Suspended
VICTORIA, 23 February 2021 - The Seychellois national carrier, Air Seychelles, will not make payments this year as part of its partnership with Etihad Airways, State House said Tuesday. Further negotiations between the two airlines will be held to discuss the mode of...
Sudan: Pound Strengthen Against US Dollar
KHARTOUM, 23 February 2021 – The Sudanese pound strengthened against the U.S. dollar on the black market on Tuesday, two days after a steep devaluation. The dollar traded stable, for the official rate of 370 pounds. That is better than the trade rate of 380 to 385...
DR Congo: Hutu Rebels Deny Killing Italian Envoy
GOMA, 23 February 2021 - Rwandan Hutu rebels have denied accusations that they were behind the killing Monday of Italy’s envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Luca Attanasio. The bodyguard of the Italian envoy, Vittorio Iacovacci, and a Congolese...
Sudan: GERD is Built on Sudanese Land
KHARTOUM, 23 February 2021 – A former member of Sudan’s negotiating team on the controversial filling of Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile alleges the dam is on Sudanse land. The ex-negotiator, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mufti, said Sudan granted the land to Ethiopia in 1902....
Uganda: Singer Detained for Possible Trafficking
KAMPALA, 23 February 2021 – Police in Uganda are holding a singer, Amelia Nambala, on susupicion of human trafficking after she was napped with 48 passports. Hotel guards at Sheraton Hotel in the capital, Kampala, called in police detectives after hotel scanners...
Niger: Bazoum Wins Presidential Ballot
NIAMEY, 23 February 2021 – Mohamed Bazoum, 61, has won Niger’s presidential runoff, the west African country’s electoral commission announced Tuesday. Bazoum, a former foreign affairs and interior minister, was credited with 55.75 percent of the votes cast in last...
Burundi-Tanzania: Still No Plans to vaccinate
NAIROBI, 23 February 2021 – Burundi and Tanzania are the only members of the six-nation East African Community (EAC) bloc who still have no plans to inoculate against COVID-19. The four other EAC members - Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda have already started...
EAC: Four Nations to Launch COVID Inoculation
ARUSHA, 23 February 2021 – Three of the six member states of the East African Communitiy (EAC) have launched COVID-19 inoculation campaigns. The EAC inter-governmental organization headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, brings together Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan,...
Libya: Minister Escaped Assassination
TRIPOLI, 22 February 2021 - Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha on Monday said he escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday, February 21, 2021. Bashagha said his convoy was fired on by armed individuals inside an armed vehicle which attacked his motorcade as he...
Egypt: Millions AstraZeneca Vaccines
CAIRO, 22 February 2021 – Egyptian authorities say they will receive 6.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the country’s health minister, Hala Zayed said Monday. Inoculation will prioritize the elderly, healthcare workers, those with underlying health...
Algeria: Country-wide Protests
ALGIERS, 22 February 2021 – Thousands of Algerians poured into massive street demonstrations on Monday, marking the second anniversary of 2019 “Hirak”. The street protests were ongoing earlier last year, suspending action only after the oubreak of the new coronavirus...
South Sudan: Peacekeepers Seek Asylum
JUBA, 22 February 2021 – At least 15 Ethiopian soldiers members of the peacekeeping contingent to South have refused to return to Ethiopia, choosing instead to seek asylum. The soldiers, orginally from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region demanded asylum Monday in the...
Libya: 156 Migrants Rescued in Raid
KUFRA, 22 February 2021 – Judicial authorities in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, are investigating six traffickers arrested in a raid in which 156 African migrants were also set free. Detained in a house transformed into a private prison in the city of Kufra, the...
Tunisia: Parliament Speaker Asked to Resign
TUNIS, 22 February 2021 - The Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi should leave politics,, a former leading member of the speaker’s Islamic movement. He should resign especially because Islamists have failed to offer an alternative to the state boosting...
Niger: Seven Electoral Workers Killed
NIAMEY, 22 February 2021 – Seven members of the electoral commission in Niger were killed in a landmine explosion Sunday which injured an additional three electoral workers. The car in which the team was traveling drove over an improvised explosive device in the...
Nigeria: Seven Killed in Plane Crash
ABUJA, 22 February 2021 – Seven people have been killed in a Nigerian military plane which crashed Sunday morning short of the runway of the Abuja International Airport. A spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force tweeted that the plane developed engine failure. It was...
Ethiopia: Overwhelming Needs in Tigray
MEKELLE, 22 February 2021 – People affected by the deadly armed conflict ongoing in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region are facing “overwhelming” needs, the Red Cross has said. The issue is not just that the needs are overwhelming. It is also and especially that they...
South Sudan: Pressure to Join Nile Basin
JUBA, 22 February 2021 – South Sudan is under pressure from Ethiopia to sign on to the 2010 Nile Basin agreement that is opposed by both Ethiopia and Sudan. South Sudan needs to protect its share of the Nile river, the deputy Ethiopian head of mission to South Sudan,...
Libya: Losing Millions of Dollars to Fraud
LONDON, 22 February 2021 - Libya may be losing millions of dollars a year through fraudulent use of its Letters of Credit system, the London-based NGO Global Witness said Saturday. Global Witness used financial disclosures published on Facebook by the Central Bank of...
DR Congo: Italy’s Envoy Killed in Convoy
GOMA, 22 February 2021 – The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), was killed Monday in an attack on a joint convoy with the UN in eastern DR Congo. Ambassador Luca Attanasio, 43, was killed alongside his bodyguard, 30-year-old Vittorio...
Africa: Stevie Wonder Moving to Ghana
Musical legend Stevie Wonder says he is moving permanently to Ghana where he believes he is better valued and respected, compared to his native United States. News reports Sunday cited the 22-time Grammy winner as telling Oprah Winfrey last November that he has...
Sudan: Currency Devalued in Hope of Debt Relief
KHARTOUM, 22 February 2021 – Sudan’s central bank on Sunday sharply devalued the country’s currency in an effort to arrest a galloping economic crisis and in hope of debt relief. Under the devaluation, the government of Sudan abandons its longstanding fixed exchange...
Africa: Russia Offers 300m COVID Vaccine Doses
ADDIS ABABA, 21 February 2021 - Russia has offered 300 million doses of the country’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, the African Union-created task force has confirmed. The doses will be available in May 2021, a weekend statement from the task force read in...
Ethiopia: Conditions for Peace Talks in Tigray
MEKELLE, 21 February 2021 – Former leaders of Ethiopia’s Tigray region have said they will participate in peace talks only if Ethiopian federal forces and other “invading forces” withdraw. The conditions are listed in aa statement broadcast by a media outfit close to...
Africa: Grim Milestone in COVID-19 Deaths
NAIROBI, 21 February 2021 - Africa has surpassed a grim milestone, reporting a combined death toll of over 100,000 from the new coronavirus pandemic as of last Friday. “We are beginning to normalize deaths,” the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and...
Tanzania: WHO Wants COVID Data Shared
DODOMA, 21 February 2021 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Tanzania to take COVID-19 more seriously, including acknowledging it is real and sharing data on it. The east African nation is one of only a few countries in the world to not share data, to...
Chad: Jailed for Saying President is Sick
N’DJAMENA, 20 February 2021 – A criminal court in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, has sentenced an activist to three years in prison for claiming President Idriss Deby Itno is very ill. The activist, Baradine Berdei Targuio, is the leader of the Chadian Organization...
Egypt: African Constitutional Conference
CAIRO, 20 February 2021 – A preparatory meeting is underway Friday in Cairo, Egypt, ahead of the fifth high-level African constitutional conference scheduled for later this year. The conference is scheduled for July 2021 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It will bring...
South Sudan: Still Staggering Levels of Violence
GENEVA, 20 February 2021 – The violence in South Sudan has intensified over the last few months, with hundreds of civilians killed or displaced, a report by experts has concluded. United Nations human rights experts, who completed and have submitted the report to the...
Algeria: Mass Street Protests Return
KHERRATA, 20 February 2021 – The massive street protests that rocked Algeria, leading to the ousting of the former government in 2019, are back. Hundreds of thousands of people joined the protests Saturday, chanting in support of a “free” and “democratic” Algeria, and...
Cameroon: Probe into Presidential Champagne
YAOUNDE, 20 February 2021 – Judicial authorities in Cameroon have opened a probe into allegations that champagne ordered by the presidential palace is on sale in the black market. The allegations was first raised in a front-page article published Thursday by the...
Mauritius: Wrecked Ship Parts to be Recycled
PORT LOUIS, 19 February 2021 – Work is underway in the dismantling of a huge oil tanker ship which ran aground last July on the reefs of Pointe-d’Esny off the coast of Mauritius. The Japanese vessel was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of oil at the time of the accident,...
Africa: Makhtar Diop First African to Head IFC
WASHINGTON, DC, 19 February 2021 – The World Bank Group (WBG) has named one of its long-time vice presidents. Senegalese-born Makhtar Diop, as managing director of its private sector arm (IFC). Diop, who is the first African to lead the International Finance...
Algeria: Pro-Democracy Activists Released
ALGIERS, 19 February 2021 – A dozen pro-democracy activists were released from jail Friday in Algeria, the first batch of persons released after presidential pardons. In a speech late Thursday, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced dozens of pardons....
Morocco-Algeria: TV Mocks King as Tensions Rise
RABAT, 19 February 2021 – Tensions are high between Morocco and neighboring Algeria after an Algerian television channel Echourok News mocked the King of Morocco. The program depicted Morocco’s King Mohamed VI as a puppet in a program broadcast last February 12. Many...
Egypt: Birth Control Promotion Approved
CAIRO, 19 February 2021 – The national body responsible for issuing religious edicts in Egypt on Thursday said it had no objection to birth control programs. Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta, as the body is known, said it was okay with the state taking whatever means and measures...
Eritrea: Asmara Denies Axum Massacres
ASMARA, 19 February 2021 – The Eritrean government has laughed off as “outrageous lies” a story by the Associated Press alleging the massacre of hundreds of people in Tigray by Eritrean forces. Thursday’s story by the Associated Press said Eritrean soldiers in Tigray...
Africa: World’s Worst Hoarders of COVID Vaccines
WASHINGTON, DC, 19 February 2021 – Canada tops the list of rich countries that are hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, followed closely by the United States and the United Kingdom. Canada has secured 8.9 doses per hear, or enough to vaccinate everyone in Canada five times...
Africa: $4bn from USA for COVID Vaccines
WASHINGTON, DC, 19 February 2021 - U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $4 billion in support to the global vaccine-sharing initiative known as COVAX. Biden said an initial $2 billion will be released by the end of February 2021, with the rest of the funding becoming...
Africa: France Backs COVID Vaccines for Africa
Africa: France Backs COVID Vaccines for Africa LONDON, 19 February 2021 - French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe and the United States to allocate up to five percent of their COVID-19 vaccine supplies to less developed nations. “Transferring three...
Somalia: Gunfire Rocks Mogadishu Amidst Protests
MOGADISHU, 19 February 2021 – Heavy gunfire, blasts and explosions rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Friday as opposition leaders defied a ban on public gatherings to protest delayed elections. The term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, popularly known as...
Algeria: Jihadists Get Death for Beheading
ALGIERS, 18 February 2021 – Eight jihadists were sentenced to death Thursday by an Algerian court for the kidnapping and beheading six years ago of French mountaineer Herve Gourdel. Only one of the eight, Abdelmalak Hamzaoui, who is in custody, was present in court...
Uganda: An American Conned $6 million
KIBULI, 18 February 2021 - Two Ugandan police deserters have been accused of setting up a gold scam in which they conned $6 million out of an American national, Abastaios Belesis. The American, a mineral dealer, said he met the two while seeking to buy gold in large...
Sudan: Kushayb ICC Trial for War Crimes
KHARTOUM, 18 February 2021 – The trial on war crime charges of former militant leader, Ali Kushayb, is set to start at the International Criminal Court (ICC). As a non-party to the Rome Treaty, the Sudanese government on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding...
Djibouti: Substandard Concrete on Navy Airfields
SAN DIEGO, 18 February 2021 – A contractor has pleaded guilty to selling substandard concrete, which was used in building airfields in U.S. Navy bases in Djibouti. The guilty plea was made Wednesday before a federal judge in San Diego, USA, by Colas Djibouti, A French...
Eritrea: Afwerki Concerned Over Tigray
ASMARA, 18 February 2021 - Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki has expressed concern about the situation in Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to an interview on state media. “We are contributing in accordance to our obligation,” Afwerki said in the interview,...
Malawi: Arrested for Using Bank Notes on Bouquets
BLANTYRE, 18 February 2021 - Police in the Malawian town of Blantyre have arrested four men who used bank notes to decorate Valentine’s Day bouquets, news reports say. Police were led to the men by photos of the bouquets wrapped in bank notes posted on social media...
Rwanda: Drone Delivery of Meds and PPEs
KIGALI, 18 February 2021 – The drone firm Ziplline will deliver medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to health centers and hospitals across Rwanda. Supplies will be delivered on a non-stop basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to...
South Sudan: Delegates Refuse to Vacate Hotels
JUBA, 18 February 2021 – Delegates attending peace talks in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, have refused to vacate hotel rooms after they were declared “personae non gratae” for non-payment of accumulated bills. The notice to vacate was issued last February 4 by...
Uganda: Journalists Beaten, Injured by Soldiers
KAMPALA, 18 February 2021 – Military authorities in Uganda have decried the beating of journalists by military police, saying the act was neither justified nor sanctioned. Uganda’s army chief, Gen. David Muhoozi promised during a press briefing at the army...
Senegal: First 200,000 COVID Vaccine Doses
DAKAR, 18 February 2021 – Senegal has received its first 200,000 doses of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Sinopharm, officials in the capital, Dakar, said Wednesday. The elderly, healthcare workers and persons with underlying health conditions will be prioritized in the...
Somalia: Protests Called as Election Stalemate Persists
MOGADISHU, 18 February 2021 – The Somali capital, Mogadishu is hosting a meeting Thursday and Friday to discuss the country’s elections stalemate. The meeting was convened Wednesday by Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. On Twitter, the presidential palace in...
Tanzania: Two High-Profile COVID Deaths
ZANZIBAR, 18 February 2021 – The Vice President of Zanzibar and a top aide of the president have become the most high-profile officials to succumb to COVID-19 in Tanzania. The first vice-president of the country’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, Seif Sharif...
Nigeria: Defense Minister Encourages Vigilantes
ABUJA, 18 February 2021 – Nigeria’s Defense Minister Bashir Magashi has encouraged citizens to face up to armed gangs and not just cut and run from them in fear. “We shouldn’t be cowards” when confronted by gunmen, Magashi told reporters, explaining that armed gangs...
Ambazonia-Cameroon: Congress Requests TPS or DED
WASHINGTON, DC, 17 February 2021 – The U.S. Congress called Wednesday on President Joe Biden to grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to Southern Camerooians aka Ambazonians and Cameroonians. The request urges the Biden...
Egypt: Family of Rights Activist Intimidated
WASHINGTON, DC, 17 February 2021 – Many family members of Egyptian-American human rights activist Mohamed Soltan have been detained after raids Sunday on their homes. The raids by Egyptian authorities targeted the homes of six of Soltan’s relatives in Mounofiya and...
Mauritania: Entrepreneurs in Sahel Seek Support
NOUAKCHOTT, 17 February 2021 – Entrepreneurs in the Sahel region want their countries to expand access to credit, promote job creation in agribusiness, and push for industrialization. The recommendations were made Tuesday during a video conference workshop attended by...
Egypt: More Shipments of COVID Vaccines
CAIRO, 17 February 2021 – Egypt has received three shipments of the Sinopharm and AstraZaneca coronavirus vaccines, respectively from China and the United Kingdom. Egypt’s health and population minister, Hala Zayed, told reporters Tuesday that the country awaits...
Ethiopia-Sudan: Turkey Welcome to Mediate
ANKARA, 17 February 2021 - Ethiopia would appreciate the Turkish government's mediation on the Ethio-Sudanese border dispute, an Ethiopian foreign ministry official said Tuesday. “War is not an agenda. If mediation is offered by Turkey, Ethiopia will appreciate it,”...
Sudan-Ethiopia: Fate of Girls and Women Refugees
UM RAKUBA CAMP, 17 February 2021 – Women and girls fleeing the armed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have suffered high levels of sexual violence, according to aid workers. Some of the victims of sexual assault and gang rape include teenage girls who arrive...
Libya: Turkish Troops Not Withdrawing
JEDDAH, 17 February 2021 - Turkey says its troop will remain in Libya in keeping with the 2019 Ankara-Tripoli bilateral military agreement. The Turkish position was confirmed by Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, speaking to the state-run Turkish Radio...
Chad-Morocco: Support for Regional Defense
N’DJAMENA, 17 February 2021 – Morocco committed Tuesday to work with the five Sahel member states in the promotion of regional security. Rabat made the commitment Monday in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, during the opening day there of the Seventh Summit of Five...
Morocco: Drones Ordered from Israeli Firm
RABAT, 17 February 2021 - Morocco has reportedly ordered drones from Israel’s BlueBird Aero Systems, according to a posting on an Israeli defense website. The deal is the first of its kind from the firm, a designer and developer of Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems...
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Returns Funds Received in Error
RIYADH, 16 February 2021 – An Ethiopian expatriate in Saudi Arabia returned a sum of $17,330 (SR65,000) which had been mistakenly transferred into his bank account. Ghazi Al-Dosari, a citizen in the Wadi Al-Dawasir governorate in the Riyadh region, told Okaz Saudi...
Egypt: World’s Oldest Brewery Unearthed
CAIRO, 16 February 2021 - Archaeologists in Egypt have unearth the remains of a mega brewery, likely more than 5,000 years old and believed to have served thousands of gallons of beer for royal rituals. It is being called “the world’s largest beer factory,” news...
Algeria: Mass Protests Resume in Kherrata
ALGIERS, 16 February 2021 – Tens of thousands of Algerians demonstrated Tuesday in the northern town of Kherrata, demanding political change in the north African country. “A civilian state, not a military state” and “The gang must go,” chanted tens of thousands of...
Uganda: Bobi Wine Lists 243 Missing People
KAMPALA, 16 February 2021 – Ugandan pop artist turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, on Monday released a list of 243 people reportedly abducted by government forces. Wine said on Twitter that he has hundreds of other names that his team is...
Rwanda: Flights to USA Via Ghana
KIGALI, 16 February 2021 – Rwanda’s national carrier, Air Rwanda, plans to use the Ghanaian capital, Accra, as its hub to fly to the United States starting next December. RwandAir says it has already secured authorization from the Ghanaian government to use Accra as...
Burundi: Aid Agencies Seek $222 Million
BUJUMBURA, 16 February 2021 – The United Nations Refugee Agency and 33 partners have launched an appeal for $222 million to attend to over 315,000 Burundian refugees in 2021. The funds will enable humanitarian organizations to provide critical needs: food, shelter and...
South Sudan: Gunmen Injure Six in Abyei Attack
ABYEI, 16 February 2021 - An opposition official has been injured in an attack on his convoy as he returned from a trip to Warrap state, one of South Sudan’s 34 federated states. The official, Monykuch Mawien, was recently nominated by the SPLM-IO to Abyei...
Sudan: State of Emergency over Soaring Food Prices
KHARTOUM, 16 February 2021 - Seven regions of Sudan have declared states of emergency following violent protests against soaring food prices, news reports said Tuesday. Food was looted from markets and shops, and buildings were vandalized and burnt during the protests...
Uganda: Arrested for Beating Museveni’s Effigy
KAMPALA, 16 February 2021 – A Ugandan man was arrested in the capital, Kampala, for beating an effigy of the country’s president, Yoweri Museveni, police confirmed Tuesday. Police say they have charged the man with the offense of creating public nuisance. “The man,...
Seychelles: $250 Million Hotel Won’t be Stopped
VICTORIA, 16 February 2021 – Seychelles will not stop construction of a five star, $250 million Anse a la Mouche Hotel, despite protests by concerned citizens and environmentalists. “The government has no intension of stopping this project. The project will continue...
South Sudan: Eighteen Killed in Tonj Clashes
JUBA, 16 February 2021 – At least 20 people, a majority of them women and children, have been killed in inter-communal clashes in South Sudan's Tonj North County, authorities confirmed Tuesday. “Some villages were also burnt to the ground… [and some of the victims]...
Rwanda: France Complicit in 1994 Genocide
KIGALI, 16 February 2021 – A declassified telegram shows that the French government was complicit in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. The confidential cable published Sunday by the French investigative website Mediapart show that the French government failed to arrest...
Algeria: Early Legislative Elections
ALGIERS, 16 February 2021 – Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is preparing to dissolve parliament soon and call for early legislative elections, a news report said Monday. Tebboune is “preparing to… dissolve parliament in the coming days,” Echorouk newspaper...
Algeria: Lifting Some COVID Restrictions
ALGIERS, 15 February 2021 – Algerian authorities say mosques and hotels can resume activities as part of a scaling back of of COVID-19 restrictions. “We are proceeding with the opening of all mosques on national territory and this is occurring under the rigorous...
Djibouti: French Troops in Training
DJIBOUTI CITY, 15 February 2021 – French troops have picked Djibouti to organize training sessions in the desert alongside local troops, according to reports. French and Djiboutian troops are practice air defense while elite units of their armies are doing assault...
Sudan-Ethiopia: Juba Mediate Border Dispute
KHARTOUM, 15 February 2021 – Sudan and Ethiopia have welcome South Sudan’s efforts to mediate their border dispute. “Ethiopia emphasizes that the border issue, which has been there for a long time, should be handled by the different mechanisms that the two countries...
Ethiopia: Airline to Resume 737 MAX Flights
ADDIS ABABA, 15 February 2021 – Ethiopian Airlines will resume 737 MAX 8 flights next July after regulators approved changes to the aircraft which killed 157 people in a 2019 crash. “We have made a thorough analysis - technically, operationally, commercially - and we...
Libya: Explaining Gaddafi’s Assassination
CAIRO, 15 February 2021 – The NATO-led intervention which toppled Muammar Gaddafi in Libya ten years ago was a bid to take control of Libyan resources, a former official said Monday. “It was a planned effort by Western countries to destroy Libya in an attempt to gain...
South Africa: Land Borders Reopen
JOHANNESBURG, 15 February 2021 - South Africa has reopened its land borders with neighboring nations after closing them last month to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At least 20 border posts reopened Monday, with officials working hard to avoid tightly-packed crowds...
Mozambique: Red Cross Pledges More Support
MAPUTO, 15 February 2021 – The Red Cross has pledged to scale up its humanitarian programs in 2021, notably the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado. More than 500,000 people have fled the upsurge of violence in Cabo Delgado since the beginning of the conflict...
Nigeria: Wole Soyinka Warns of Famine
ABUJA, 15 February 2021 - Nigerian Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka has warned of famine in Nigeria unless the conflict between cattle herders and other farming communities cools down. “If we are not careful… we are going to have a famine when farmers cannot go...
Uganda: Museveni Suspends EU Fund
KAMPALA, 15 February 2021 – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the suspension of a European Union fund that promotes democracy and good governance. The fund has been “used to finance activities and organizations designed to subvert government under the...
Algeria: In Custody Rape Allegations
ALGIERS, 15 February 2021 – Rights groups in Algeria and lawyers are demanding investigations into allegations of rape and torture of opposition supporters while in custody. The coalition, known as the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees (CNLD), follows...
Nigeria: Okonjo-Iweala is WTO Boss
GENEVA, 15 February 2021 – The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday formally appointed Nigerian-born Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as director-general. She is the first African and first female to hold the position, but also the first American to hold the position given...
Kenya: Unions Protest Fuel Price Hikes
NAIROBI, 14 February 2021 - Kenya’s Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) has condemned an increase in the price of petroleum products coming into effect Monday. “Kenyans have endured enough pain trying to make ends meet since the advent of COVID-19 and any...
South Sudan: Gen. Olony Keeps Faith with Machar
JUBA, 14 February 2021 – An opposition commander whose nomination to lead South Sudan’s oil-rich Upper Nile state failed to be approved says he will keep faith with President Salva Kiir. General Johnson Olony, who was nominated by Kiir to the governorship of the Upper...
Sudan: Nile Dam Mediation could Expand
KHARTOUM, 14 February 2021 – Sudan has called for a broadening of mediation in negotiations over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Khartoum says it would like to see the United States, European Union and the United Nations join the African...
Tanzania: Cable Car for Kilimanjaro
ARUSHA, 14 February 2021 – The Tanzanian government has approved construction of a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest summit. Although the project was first approved in May 2019 in an effort to boost tourists’ visits to Kilimanjaro by 50 percent, actual...
Guinea-DR Congo: Another Ebola Outbreak
CONAKRY-KINSHASA, 14 February 2021 – Officials in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in their countries. Guinean officials on Saturday declared that they are dealing with an Ebola epidemic after at least three people were...
