Angola

Lobito Corridor, the multimodal transport link from Angola’s Atlantic port to Central Africa’s mineral belts, has been paraded at this week’s 7th African Union–European Union Summit in Luanda as a flagship sign of renewed partnership between Europe and Africa. Western capitals and sympathetic media have billed the corridor as a strategic answer to China’s expanding footprint on the continent. But in a stinging appraisal published in Maka Angola, journalist Rafael Marques de Morais urges a different reading: the corridor, he…

Europe-Africa Summit: Leaders Seek Revitalized Partnership Amid Global Challenges Scores of African and European leaders are gathered in Luanda, the capital of Angola, for the seventh edition of the Europe-Africa Summit. This year's summit arrives at a critical juncture, characterized by "fraying" relations between these historic trading partners, as the influence of Russia, China, and the United States continues to expand across the region. Experts emphasize the necessity of re-evaluating the relationship between Europe…

A collaborative effort among various firms has welcomed the arrival of the initial set of 275 container wagons, designed to boost the transport capabilities of the Lobito Corridor project. This ambitious railway initiative stretches from Angola's Lobito port, reaching into the Democratic Republic of Congo and extending to Zambia. Unveiled in 2023 as part of the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, this corridor is backed by both the United States and the European Union. Once fully operational, it…

In the past nine years, Angola has reported a concerning 200 instances of human trafficking. Ana Celeste Januário, the Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship, shared these alarming statistics during a thematic meeting in Luanda focused on the Program for the Promotion of Human Rights. Januário highlighted that the provinces particularly beset by this grave issue include primarily border regions as well as the capital, Luanda. She strongly encouraged citizens to follow established laws and engage in commerce…

The White House has recently disclosed that President Joe Biden is set to embark on a journey to Angola this October, fulfilling a commitment he made to African leaders during the U.S.-Africa summit in 2022. This highly anticipated visit, slated for October 13th to 15th, will provide a platform for dialogue between the U.S. President and Angolan President João Lourenço, focusing on mutual interests and objectives. "We'll be aiming to strengthen our economic partnerships," stated White House Press Secretary Karine…

The U.S. government is gearing up to embark on a significant railway initiative that extends from Angola to the Indian Ocean, passing through Tanzania. This ambitious venture, known as the Lobito Corridor, aims to create vital connections among various African nations, facilitating access to global markets while “bolstering regional trade and stimulating economic advancement.” On her latest visit to the area, Helaina Matza, the U.S. acting Special Coordinator for Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment, focused…

President João Lourenço has recently enacted two pieces of legislation that, according to Human Rights Watch, significantly undermine international standards for human rights, particularly in regard to media, expression, and association freedoms.

In Angola, several humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm. Nearly six million people are on the verge of being depleted due to food shortages in the south of the country, a region affected by the worst drought in forty years, according to the World Food Program (WFP). Cunene and Huila provinces are most affected.…

Our series on resistant women takes us to Gabon to meet descendants of Queen Nzinga. She opposed Portuguese penetration in Angola in the 17th century. As a 43-year-old monarch, she fought hard to defend her kingdom against the slave trade. The fighting was so furious that some people fled Angola to Gabon. Among them, Vungu…

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Tshikapa and Kasaï rivers have been affected by the gradual coloration of their reddish waters since the end of July. Dead fish float on the surface and the bodies of aquatic animals, such as hippos, have also been found. as reported from Kinshasa, Patient LigodiAccording to…