East Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia - One of Somalia's leading candidates, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, has accused the outgoing government of creating enmity and mistrust in the country in the midst of elections. "The extroverted regime, however, created conditions for hostility and suspicion, which in turn has deepened distrust and risked the entire state and peacebuilding project," Warsame said in a Twitter post Sunday. The former Minister of Planning stressed the importance of holding peaceful and inclusive elections in the…

The UAE sends envoy to North Western of Somaliaamid strained ties with Mogadishu HARGEISA, Somalia - The northern breakaway region of North Western of Somaliareceived an envoy from the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in a move that could further jeopardize the relationship between Abu Dhabi and Mogadishu over several issues concerning Hargeisa's recognition. President Muse Bihi…

Talks between FMS leaders and opposition underway in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Council of Presidential Candidates, chaired by former Presidents Hassan Sheikh and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, will hold a meeting with Northeastern State and Jubaland leaders in Mogadishu on Sunday morning. Negotiations come amid stalemate over the country's election process, which led to the delay in…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali-based al-Shabaab militants targeted a senior military official in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, on Saturday night in the latest wave of violence against officials and members of the military, who are essential in security operations. Reports show that it took place around Afisyooni, where Somali leaders were to convene a meeting on the crisis ahead of elections this week. This is the second attack in the area, an indication that the militants are eager to paralyze talks. According to…

NAIROBI, Kenya | In yet another unprecedented move, Kenya has withdrawn from the International Court of Justice case ahead of a hearing scheduled to begin on Monday after months of postponement as requested by the Nairobi authorities. In 2019, the case was adjourned twice and Nairobi managed to get the third adjournment in March 2020, but the court refused to issue a fourth adjournment this year, arguing that the issues raised by Kenya were not "substantive". And reports now show that Nairobi will not participate in…

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, March 10, condemned "ethnic cleansing" in western Tigray, citing the presence of Eritrean forces and the nearby Amhara region. Charges strongly rejected by Addis Ababa. "These are completely unfounded and false accusations, and nothing can be defined as targeted ethnic…

More than 250,000 people received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Rwanda in one week. The country launched a vaccination campaign on Friday, March 5, after receiving about 340,000 doses as part of the Covax initiative, mainly from the Astra-Zeneca laboratory, but also from the Pfizer laboratory. For a week, photos of injections have followed each other in the media. There were first the nursing staff and the elderly, then prisoners, refugees, some motorcycle taxis, but also the staff of the national airline,…

Véron Mosengo-Omba, Director of the FIFA Members' Association Division, replaces Moroccan Abdelmounaïm Bah as Head of Administration (Secretary-General) of the African Football Confederation (CAF). Patrice Motsepe, the new president of the CAF, has also elected his five vice-presidents: Senegalese Augustin Senghor (1st), Mauretanian Ahmed Yahya (2nd), Djiboutian Suleïman Waberi (3rd), Cameroonian Seydou…

NAIROBI - Ethiopia on Saturday dismissed U.S. allegations that there has been ethnic cleansing in Tigray, pushing back against recent criticism of its military operation in its northern region by the new government in Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that he wanted to see Eritrean forces and those from the Amhara region replaced in Tigray by security forces that respect human rights and do not "commit acts of ethnic cleansing". "(The accusation) is a completely unfounded and false…

In Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina has announced that he will no longer appear before the judges. At the sixth hearing of his trial, on Friday 12 March, the opponent considered that he did not benefit from a fair trial and therefore refused to continue to participate. Once again, the Court rejected the objections raised by Paul Rusesabagina's lawyers. They had requested another six months to prepare his defense and investigate this file, according to them, particularly complicated, given that the opponent appears along with…