East Africa

Kenya and Somalia are before the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday and for ten days. The effort is the demarcation of their maritime border, while important natural resources are at sea. For Somalia, its maritime border with Kenya follows the course of the land border and sinks into the sea to the southeast. For Kenya, on the contrary, its border with Somalia follows a horizontal latitude from west to east. However, in the triangle between the two routes there is 100,000 km² of maritime territory and…

The Gemfields group has announced the reopening of the Kagem emerald mine, one of the largest in the world. Closed for a year due to a pandemic, activity resumes at a time when the price of small green stones is starting to rise. Emerald from the Kagem mine is expected to return to the trading market this week. They will…

Tanzanian police have arrested a man for circulating posts saying President John Magufuli is in poor health. Magufuli has not been seen in public in two weeks and triggered unconfirmed reports from opposition leaders that he is unhealthy and unable to work. At least one man has been arrested for allegedly spreading false reports that Magufuli was seriously ill in the Kinondoni area of ​​Dar es Salaam, Kinondoni Regional Police Commissioner Ramadhani Kingai said at a news conference on Saturday. "There…

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,…