East Africa

What's cooking in the Tigray region two years after peace was declared? Back in the day, the Pretoria agreements were supposed to put a lid on the Tigray conflict, which had claimed close to 600,000 lives. Ethiopian troops, alongside their Eritrean buddies, had faced off against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Eritrea didn't sign the peace deal, though, and its soldiers are still hanging around like uninvited guests. Folks in these border areas feel like they've been hung out to dry. That's what Clothilde Hazard, our…

“A handshake in Istanbul colored the air with new possibilities,” noticed observers as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan last September . The meeting seemed to signal a thaw in icy relations and was a precursor to subsequent talks between Turkey and Egypt, centering on Africa and Libya. On a lively Monday, officials from both countries gathered to address mutual concerns. On the table were discussions about the Horn of Africa and simmering tensions in the Red Sea, alongside the…

Kismayo (AX) — In a significant turn of events, a military tribunal in Jubaland on Monday handed clan elder Hassan Mahamud Salah a five-year prison sentence, finding him guilty of conspiring with the militant faction Al-Shabaab. The case highlights the ongoing struggle against terrorism in the region. Presiding over the case, Colonel Abdullahi Mahamud Ibrahim pronounced the verdict, articulating the court's unwavering position on affiliations with Al-Shabaab. "This is a cautionary tale for those who dare to aid terrorist…

Rwanda is on the verge of officially declaring its Marburg outbreak as resolved after successfully discharging the very last patient who had fully recovered. Over the course of this health crisis, the nation witnessed more than 60 cases of infection, leading to 15 tragic fatalities, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). With a significant number of individuals having emerged victorious against the virus, the mortality rate now sits at a concerning 23%. Furthermore, it's noteworthy that there haven’t been any…

On a bustling November day in 2024, citizens lined up at polling stations throughout Hargeisa and across North Western State of Somalia. Each of them was eager to participate in this pivotal moment—the presidential elections of this self-governing, albeit unrecognized, region. As the day waned, the clang of the ballot boxes ceased and doors of polling stations across North Western State of Somalia closed at precisely 6 pm, with the North Western State of Somalia National Electoral Commission (NEC) confirming the smooth…

Just a few days after Donald Trump clinched the presidential election in the United States, Meg Whitman, the Ambassador to Kenya, decided to step down from her position. In a candid chat with her team at the US embassy, Whitman said, "I informed them today that I submitted my resignation to President Joe Biden. It has been an honor to work for the American people, especially in strengthening our bond with Kenya." Reflecting on the time she spent in her role, starting from 2022, Whitman shared her experiences in enhancing…

Tragic news has emerged from Mozambique, where police reportedly opened fire, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals during a demonstration in Namicopo—a densely populated area in Nampula province. This grim incident has pushed the total number of fatalities attributed to police actions to nearly 50, following a series of protests that ignited on October 21, 2024. The turmoil in Mozambique shows no signs of abating, especially in the wake of recent electoral disputes. Venancio Mondlane, the leader of the opposition…

On a sunny day in Nairobi, Kenya, the Central Bank Governor, Patrick Njoroge, exhibited crisp Kenyan shilling bills during a vibrant news conference at the Central Bank on June 3, 2019. The financial air was palpable with speculation as these colorful slips of currency held center stage. Photo credits to REUTERS/Baz Ratner. Recently, the Kenyan shilling took a bit of a nosedive when pitted against the dollar. A local trader spilled the beans, saying that this wasn't just a Kenyan phenomenon – the dollar was flexing its…

Mogadishu (AX) — In Tuesday's bustling corridors of Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre sat down with a notable Kenyan delegation, opening the gateway to diplomatic interventions aimed at untangling the political snafu between Somalia's federal government and Jubbaland's head honcho, Ahmed Madobe, regarding the looming electoral festivities.The Kenyan synergy was spearheaded by heavyweights like former IGAD Secretary General Mahbub Moalim, the erstwhile IGAD Special Envoy for Somalia, Ambassador Mohamed Abdi…

Somalia's President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, gathered with Germany's Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin from November 5-6, 2024. The photo credits: Hannes P. Albert / picture alliance. Recently, Germany and Somalia unveiled a new agreement, sparking varied reactions and opinions. Historically, similar attempts to repatriate migrants have often faced challenges and shown limited success, as noted by several experts. On November 6, after their meeting in Berlin, Scholz and Mohamud declared their intention to return more…