President

Puntland State’s new anti-terror law tests a familiar bargain: more security, fewer liberties The ink is barely dry in Garowe. With a stroke of the pen on October 8, Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni signed into law a sweeping anti-terrorism bill that grants security agencies powers long sought, and just as fiercely debated. The legislation, approved by the regional parliament in late July, is now published in the official gazette and enforceable across Puntland State’s cities, coasts and mountain ranges. This…

Somalia’s Seat at East Africa’s Table: Why Mogadishu’s New EALA Delegation Matters A quiet milestone in Mogadishu In a bright room at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed Somalia’s first full slate of lawmakers to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). The ceremony, following a parliamentary vote that selected nine representatives, was deliberately understated — no brass bands, no triumphal headlines. Yet the significance should not be missed. Less than a year after its…

Zimbabwe’s ruling party fractures: treason charge exposes a widening succession battle President Emmerson Mnangagwa has accused his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, of incitement and treason after Chiwenga reportedly circulated a dossier to the Zanu PF politburo alleging party capture and corruption. The confrontation — played out through a newly appointed legal affairs secretary and a thick, contested memo — marks a striking public rupture inside the movement that has governed Zimbabwe for more than four decades. What…

Somalia’s president presses for unity and service delivery as security gains remain fragile MOGADISHU — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud used this week’s cabinet meeting to argue that Somalia’s fragile recovery from years of conflict must now be matched by faster, tangible improvements in everyday life — from clinics and schools to the courts that citizens rely on. In a country where authority is often contested and public trust thin, Mohamud sought to recast progress not as military achievement alone but as a test of…

Somalia’s cabinet meeting signals a push to turn battlefield gains into public services Mogadishu’s message: accountability, services, and a long game In Mogadishu on Thursday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sat at the head of the long table in the Council of Ministers and offered his cabinet a familiar charge with a sharper edge: make the machinery of government move faster, cleaner, and closer to the people. The weekly meeting, officials said, looked beyond the security front lines to the hard work of…

Namibia’s president reaches across the aisle — but will words turn into action? President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is sitting down with leaders of the opposition this week in a gesture she said was promised during her State of the Nation address in March: an exchange of views intended to “move the country forward.” The meeting, part of a series of conversations with political rivals, is both plainly practical and highly symbolic in a country where the politics of cooperation have often been fragile. "We may belong to…

Why Hassan Sheikh’s Addis visit matters: a recalibration in the Horn At a glance When Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Addis Ababa this week for talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the official line was familiar: friendly neighbours discussing “bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.” Behind the diplomatic language, however, lay a fraught effort by Mogadishu to reshape the political map of southern Somalia — and to pull a wary Ethiopia into the middle of a struggle that has implications for…

Rediscovering a National Hero: The Legacy of Herbert Macaulay and the Power of Presidential Mercy in Nigeria In a remarkable gesture aimed at reconciliation and acknowledgement of historical injustices, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has recently granted presidential mercy to 175 individuals. Among those honored is a name that resonates deeply within the annals of Nigeria's fight for independence: Herbert Macaulay. The Weight of History Herbert Macaulay, often hailed as Nigeria's foremost nationalist, played a pivotal…

The Rise of a Trailblazer: Tomaino Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya in Cameroon’s Presidential Race In a political landscape dominated by male figures, Tomaino Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya stands out remarkably as the only female candidate in Cameroon’s upcoming presidential election on October 12. The mayor of Foumban and chairwoman of the Democratic Union for Cameroon (UDC) is not just making history; she is also challenging the established order represented by longtime president Paul Biya, who has held power for over four…

From Power to Peril: The Stunning Fall of Joseph Kabila In a shocking turn of events, the once-mighty Joseph Kabila, who ruled the Democratic Republic of the Congo for almost two decades, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a military court. This unprecedented ruling has ignited a firestorm of debates both within the country and around the globe, raising questions about accountability and justice in a nation long plagued by cycles of violence and corruption. A Legacy of Controversy Joseph Kabila’s presidency, which…