East-Africa

Zimbabwe’s ruling party youth wing has urged Parliament to reject a reported US$3.6 million offer from businessman Wicknell Chivayo, warning the move could fuel perceptions of private interests exerting undue sway over state institutions. The ZANU PF Youth League said it had seen social media posts suggesting Chivayo intended to donate US$3.6 million to Parliament, but argued such a contribution would be inappropriate. Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs John Paradza stressed that Parliament must remain independent and…

More than 200 civilians held by an armed group tied to the Islamic State in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been freed in a joint military operation, officials said, marking one of the largest recent rescues in the volatile region. Ugandan forces, operating alongside the Congolese army, struck a camp run by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant organization that originated in Uganda. The Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF) said the raid targeted the ADF, a Ugandan group active in eastern Congo…

By BRUHAN MAKONGMonday April 20, 2026 The African Union has sharply criticised Israel’s appointment of a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move risks stirring fresh instability in the Horn of Africa and does nothing to alter its view that the territory remains part of Somalia. The African Union has condemned reports that Israel has appointed a diplomatic envoy to the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia, insisting that any unilateral recognition of the territory is “null and…

Monday April 20, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) says it has detained 138 people it believes were tied to terrorist and extremist networks, alleging the group was preparing violence ahead of the country’s 7th general elections. In a statement released Saturday, the agency said those arrested were helping organize and sustain armed cells designed to undermine peace and stability and interfere with the electoral process. The detentions, it said, came during coordinated…

Princess Kasune Zulu — once a child bride and later one of Zambia’s first public figures to reveal her HIV status in the late 1990s — is now driving a sweeping shift in criminal justice. Her ministry has spearheaded a law that makes sexual offences non-bailable, placing her at the forefront of a landmark legal overhaul. Under the reform, all sexual offences are now non-bailable. With the passage of the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act No. 4 of 2026, suspects accused of grave crimes in Zambia — including child…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) – The African Union Commission has sharply criticized Israel’s decision to name a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move risks upsetting an already fragile regional balance. In a statement released on Sunday, the Commission restated the African Union’s position on Somalia, reaffirming its support for the country’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. It also made clear that the bloc does not regard North Western State of Somalia as an independent…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A diplomatic move by Israel has drawn sharp criticism from 12 Muslim-majority countries, which say the appointment of a representative to North Western State of Somalia violates Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. In a joint declaration released in Islamabad on April 18, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia and Kuwait denounced the step as a “flagrant violation” of the unity…

Saturday April 18, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia sharpened its warning Friday to outside powers wading into the country’s internal disputes, with its ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union saying interference could trigger consequences tied to the vital Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Ambassador Abdullahi Warfaa delivered the message in a post on X after Israel appointed an ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared breakaway region in northern Somalia. “Any country interfering in Somalia's internal affairs…

By Abdulkarim AbdulleSaturday April 18, 2026 A recent article from Ethiopia’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) on Baidoa has drawn a sharp rebuttal, with critics saying it distorts events on the ground and misreads Somalia’s constitutional security structure. Although the original piece attempted to place developments in South West State within a wider regional security debate, its argument leaned on conjecture, selective history, and a flawed reading of the Federal Government of Somalia’s responsibilities. The central…

Efe Ozkan and Seyit KurtSaturday April 18, 2026 State Minister Ali Mohammad Omar says Mogadishu rejects recognition of breakaway region, warns of security risks in Red Sea corridorANTALYA / ISTANBUL Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs has accused Israel of undermining Somali sovereignty after recognizing a region within North Western State of Somalia, saying the move could deepen instability in a strategically sensitive part of the Horn of Africa. Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,…