Eye on Africa

The hearings of the UN International Court of Justice on the dispute between Kenya and Somalia ended on Thursday 18 March. Somalia made its final remarks, still in the absence of Kenya, which refused to lodge its case. The case is now under advice. The verdict should be known in a few months. The last hearing before the UN…

The Zulu people expressed a final goodbye to their king on Thursday, March 18, after his 50-year reign. Gathered near the monarch's palace in Nongoma in the eastern part of the Kwazulu-Natal region, hundreds of people, political representatives and traditional leaders attended a closing national tribute ceremony to commemorate King Goodwill Zwelithini, "planted" on the ground last night according to Zulu…

Voters in Congo-Brazzaville are called to the polls this Sunday, March 21, for the presidential election. The outgoing Denis Sassou-Nguesso seeks his own legacy. RFI is giving the floor all this week to the seven candidates and their representatives. Tonight we close this series with Anguios Nganguia Engambé, President of the Party of the Republic (PAR). He answers Laurent Correau. .

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…