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AXADLE, Somalia — Iran’s state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to maritime traffic, warning commercial and oil tankers against attempting to transit the waterway as regional tensions escalate. According to Reuters, a senior IRGC commander said vessels that try to pass through the strait would face direct attack, adding that ships violating the order would be set ablaze. The remarks, carried by Iranian state outlets, immediately raised fears of energy-market…

Kenya to reopen Somalia border in April after 15-year closure, Ruto says MANDERA, Kenya — Kenya will reopen its border with Somalia in April, President William Ruto said Thursday, pledging tight security as his government moves to revive formal cross-border trade after years of closures tied to al-Shabab attacks. Speaking at the NYOTA Capital Disbursement event in Mandera, Ruto said he will personally officiate the reopening of the Mandera Border Post, which has been shut since 2011. “We cannot trade with closed borders. For…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has reopened its land border with Somalia for the trade in miraa, or khat, ending a 15-year suspension in a move officials cast as a landmark step for regional commerce and rural livelihoods. The decision, cleared by Kenya’s National Security Council, immediately restores road access for miraa exports through Mandera, Liboi and Kiunga — key crossing points that had been closed to overland shipments. Traders say the reopening will cut costs, expand market reach and curb the influence of cartels that…

MOGADISHU — The main market in Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne district remained closed for a third straight day Monday as traders protested what they say are excessive and unlawful tax demands imposed by Somalia’s Federal Government. Shopkeepers told local media the Ministry of Finance’s revenue department recently introduced additional fees that far exceed the legally mandated taxes they already pay each year. Several business owners said the new charges run into the hundreds of dollars — sums they say they cannot afford in the…

Kenya is taking frustrations with diplomats over airspace closure, Somalia says MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia has not formally announced plans by Kenya to close the airspace completely due to alleged misuse of humanitarian planes and those transporting medical workers to Somalia, senior Mogadishu officials have claimed, just one day after Nairobi issued a statement. According to Mogadishu, Kenya…

In Chad, the oldest private radio station has stopped broadcasting. In the face of an acute financial crisis in connection with the effects of Covid-19, Dja FM no longer broadcasts, since 27 May, after a power outage that destroyed several components in the transmitter. as reported from Ndjamena, Madjiasra NakoDue to power…

The border between Senegal and Guinea has been closed for more than 6 months. Decision made by Guinea's President Alpha Condé at the end of September 2020 before the presidential election that led to his re-election. Justification: "safety reasons". The ECOWAS Commission last week called for continued "ongoing bilateral discussions" between Dakar and Conakry to resume the border. An incomprehensible…

One of the largest underground uranium mines in the world is closing its doors. Akouta Mining Company (Cominak), a subsidiary of Orano Cycle (French multinational, formerly Areva), which has been using uranium deposits in the province of Agadez in northern Niger since 1978, will stop production on Wednesday 31 March. A closure carried out under unsatisfactory conditions for non-governmental organizations which, in addition to the social…

Kenya is calling for the closure of two large refugee camps on its territory. There are more than 500,000 refugees in the Dadaab and Kakuma sites, mainly Somalis for the first and South Sudanese for the second. Nairobi cites security reasons. A message that worries but whose application promises to be extremely complex. The Minister of the Interior gave humanitarian workers 14 days to establish a timetable for closure. Fred Matiangi said there was "no more room for negotiation" and that the government had "an obligation…

In Niger, the city of Arlit, 250 kilometers from Agadez, in the north of the country, painfully accuses the news of the closure of the Akouta mine, scheduled for March 31. On Wednesday, Moussa Souley, general manager of Cominak, Akouta's mining company, announced to the press the terms of the closure of this mine site. With our…