Eye on Africa

On Wednesday, March 31, the head of the Congolese mining company Gécamines launched a new subsidiary called the General Company of Cobalt. ECG aims to establish the state monopoly on the purchase, processing, conversion, sale and export of artisanal cobalt, which corresponds to 20% of the total cobalt mined in the country. Democratic Republic of Congo is the leader in the sector with 67% of world…

French Defense Minister Florence Parly visited Mali on Thursday and defended an air strike by France in the African country earlier this year that UN investigators say killed 19 civilians attending a wedding party. The Chief of Defense's visit, which had been planned for a long time but was not made public for security reasons, came two days after the UN mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, released a report on the air strike on 3 January. The report said the strike affected a wedding celebration for…

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in London last Tuesday for medical reasons caused controversy in his country. The main opposition leaders and the medical world see it as a direct result of the government's failure to fix a failing health system. On social networks, many voices are raised to condemn the former general, who…

France faced increasing calls from rights groups on Thursday to launch an investigation into an airstrike by its forces in Mali that a UN investigation said killed 19 civilians at a wedding party. UN investigators released a report on Tuesday on the January 3 strike, concluding that it had killed 19 civilians and three gunmen near the central Mali village of Bounti. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in Mali and neighboring West African countries to fight militants linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh,…

On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, the ICC Board of Appeal reaffirmed the decision to acquit war crimes and crimes against humanity in favor of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé. After more than ten years of proceedings before the ICC, the former Ivorian president and his former youth minister, who live in Belgium and the Netherlands respectively, are therefore cleared. The question now arises as to their…

Somalia: Northeastern State warns of conflict along Somalia's border AXADLE, Northeastern State - The state of Northeastern State has warned of the ongoing security crisis along the border with Somaliland, which has often caused gaps between Garowe and Hargeisa, with both sides claiming territories in Sanaag and Sool, located in the far north. In the last few months, heavy fighting…

More than 8,100 people have reached security outside the northern Mozambican city of Palma a week after it was besieged by militants, the UN said on Wednesday as thousands more remained stranded. Armed militants looted the coastal city on March 24, ransacked buildings and beheaded residents as thousands fled into the surrounding forest. Dozens have been killed and many more are still missing after a coordinated attack that is seen as the biggest escalation of an extremist uprising that has hit Cabo…

More than 8,100 people have reached security outside the northern Mozambican city of Palma a week after it was besieged by militants, the UN said on Wednesday as thousands more remained stranded. Armed militants looted the coastal city on March 24, ransacked buildings and beheaded residents as thousands fled into the surrounding forest. Dozens have been killed and many more are still missing after a coordinated attack that is seen as the biggest escalation of an extremist uprising that has hit Cabo…

At the beginning of the intermediate marketing campaign, producers will sell their beans at 750 CFA francs per kilo instead of 1000 CFA francs in October last year. The announcement was made by the Coffee and Cocoa Council, which manages the sector. The enthusiasm of the Ivorian cocoa producers will have lasted less than six…

The plot gets thicker as Somalia's Prime Minister Roble frustrates Jubaland and Northeastern State's leaders MOGADISHU, Somalia - Efforts to clear up the current dead end in Somalia were a nod on Wednesday, with questions now being asked whether it is Villa Somalia or federal member states that are trying to postpone the election, but the former apparently takes a lot of blame.…