Eye on Africa

Somalia delivers closing arguments in maritime border dispute THE HAAG, The Netherlands - Somalia asked the United Nations Supreme Court to overturn Kenya's request for a latitude maritime border stretching into the Indian Ocean in a decades-old legal dispute between the two East African nations. Kenya abruptly withdrew from the case, days before they were due to start on Monday,…

UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists Jamal Farah Adan in Somalia UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the killing of Somali TV journalist Jamal Farah Adan in Galkayo, central Somalia, on March 1. "I condemn the killing of Jamal Farah Adan. I call on the authorities to investigate this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice. Attacks on journalists constitute…

Africa mourns the death of the Tanzanian president Tanzanian President John Magufuli, 61, died Wednesday, triggering mourning and condolence messages from African capitals. Earlier Wednesday, in a televised statement, Tanzania's Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said: “With great sadness, I announce that our brave leader, President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, passed away today at…

Salaam Somali Bank helps small businesses grow MOGADISHU, Somalia - Salaam Somali Bank (SSB) continues to provide free microfinance to small businesses in the country as part of a grant program aimed at improving the start-up economy. On Thursday, the bank's branch in KM5 in Mogadishu provided free microfinance to local retailers, including women, to help improve their small and…

Somali opposition is teaming up with federal states to form a national salvation council MOGADISHU, Somalia - Opposition candidates in Somalia are working with some federal Member States to declare the formation of a National Salvation Council on Thursday. The NSC elected a board of directors consisting of Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and the…

Mohamed Ould Matali, an influential figure in the Nordic region, was appointed special adviser to the president of CNT, the body that plays the role of legislator, during the transition in Mali after the coup last month in August last week. However, Mohamed Ould Matali is under UN sanctions because of his alleged links to organized crime in northern Mali, which he has always denied.…

Tanzania's Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to replace late President John Magufuli on Thursday. She announced Magufuli's death on Wednesday, according to a BBC report. Hassan, 61, was Magufuli's board member in 2015. She was re-elected last year and will serve the country for the rest of the five-year period. With the expected takeover, she will become Africa's only current female president - apart from the Ethiopian presidency, which is a largely ceremonial role - and join a small…

Flag on half mast and two weeks in mourning in Tanzania after the death of Head of State John Magufuli. It is the vice president who announced his death on Wednesday, March 17th. John Magufuli was 61 years old and had ruled Tanzania for five years. He was re-elected for another term in October last year. What consequences could his death have? Some answers with Thierry Vircoulon, Coordinator of…

We do not understand this refusal. A church that is present in the country and that is an important part of civil society. We do not understand. They ask that there be a specific receipt for election observation. We have never spoken, we do not know a single case that an NGO has a receipt for election observation. All this surprises us and we ask many questions. We want to know a little more. Félicien Mavoungou, National Coordinator of the…

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, double arrows by Alain Atundu, the last intelligence chief under Mobutu Sese Seko. The first is launched against the Congolese state, which is prosecuting Kalev Mutondo, the former director general of the dreaded National Intelligence Agency (ANR). He is accused by former detainees of torture, arbitrary detention, inhuman treatment and attempted murder. The second…