East Africa

Uganda has been restricted since mid-June ahead of the new wave of Covid-19 hitting the country. Among the restrictive measures are the transport ban, the closure of worship and schools and the curfew at 7 pm. In the food markets, suppliers must also spend the night in their stalls to prevent the spread of the virus. Difficult conditions while customers are becoming increasingly scarce.…

Ethiopia announced this Monday, July 19, the end of the filling of its controversial large pond called the "Renaissance" (GERD). This replenishment had begun discreetly at the beginning of the month, despite warnings and concerns from Sudan and Egypt and despite the lack of agreement between the three major coastal countries on the exploitation of water from the Nile. But now the dam will be prepared…

Turkish-trained soldiers graduate in Somalia amid ongoing battle MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia welcomed another contingent of Gorgor's troops on Sunday after successfully completing their training at the Turkish-run military school in Somalia, as the country bolsters its troops in the fight against al-Shabaab militants. Turkey is one of Somalia's security partners and has worked hard to ensure…

Ethiopia has completed the filling of a massive dam on the Blue Nile River for a second year, an official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, in a move that is likely to raise further tensions with Egypt and Sudan, which have long protested against project. "The first filling was already made last year. The second is already ready today. So today or tomorrow, the second filling will be announced," the official said, adding that there is now enough water stored to start producing energy. The…

Somali opposition team calls for emergency meeting ahead of elections MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Union of Presidential Candidates called for a special meeting on the upcoming elections, raising concerns about the exercise, just days before the country heads to the much-anticipated election. The electoral team issued a statement on the elections, giving a final timetable that will be respected for…

While an opposition platform announced a street raid to protest the law on opposition status, the latter was approved by the Supreme Constitutional Court earlier this month. as reported from Antananarivo, Laure VerneauThe opposition will be parliamentary or not. This means that the opposition leader must be a member of…

Red Cross begins visiting ENDF troops detained in Tigray, northern Ethiopia NAIROBI, Kenya - The International Committee of the Red Cross began visiting members of the Ethiopian armed forces in the Tigray region earlier this week, the organization said, just days after Addis Ababa pledged to prosecute Tigray defense forces . Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, TDF is advancing south,…

An AU report on the future of AMISOM in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia - A report released by an independent team assessing the future of AMISOM in Somalia exposed some of the underlying factors, which could after all delay the long-awaited exit of the nation's team from the Horn of Africa, after a decade of peacekeeping. According to the report which was exclusively seen by Garowe Online, the…

Tensions are rising between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia as the latter is determined to begin the second phase of filling the Great Renaissance Dam (GERD) upstream of the Blue Nile in July. In the absence of a binding agreement, Khartoum and Cairo sent a letter to the UN Security Council condemning a unilateral decision that would jeopardize "peace and stability in the region". Sudan, on the front lines,…

In Ethiopia, the Tigray War threatens to spread to other parts of the country. The Tigrayan rebels have already launched an offensive against the neighboring Amhara region. Following a call from the Prime Minister, other Ethiopian provinces are mobilizing their troops. The rebel forces in Tigray are making sure they launch an attack in another province to stop the arrival of these reinforcements.…