East Africa

The African Union suspended its participation in the UN-led talks to end the Sudan political crisis after its representative in the talks cited lack of transparency and exclusion of important political actors from the process. Mohamed Belaish, the AU representative in Khartoum was quoted by the state-run Sudan news agency …

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said its officers will start using body-worn cameras to crack down on tax evasion and corruption, local newspaper Business Daily reported. The body cams will be used mainly by staff in the domestic tax department and customs and border control, according to the report. “Very soon …

Two people died and six others injured when suspected militants opened fire on a bus in southwestern Rwanda, Reuters reported, citing a police source. Saturday’s attack, which killed the bus driver and a passenger, was carried out by the National Liberation Front (FLN), the armed wing of the anti-government Movement …

The South Sudanese government on Monday announced the death of Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Manawa Peter Gatkuoth Gual in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after developing chest pains. According to First Vice President Riek Machar, the minister was flown to Egypt on Friday where he underwent surgery on Saturday. He …

The Ugandan military said it discovered a bomb-making material at a training facility in the west of the capital, Kampala. According to the army, the facility belonged to the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. The authorities recovered nails, wires and …

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday called for immediate deployment of a new regional military force to try to stop rebel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reported. President Kenyatta is calling for the immediate deployment of regional troops in close coordination with the UN peacekeeping mission in …

Asylum seekers sent to Rwanda from dirty and dangerous Libyan detention centers say their new quarters are a huge improvement, but they still want to reach Europe, raising questions about the deterrent effect of the plan transfer of migrants to the East African country, Reuters reported. The first flight of …

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo accused the Rwandan army of invasion after allegedly helping rebels take over Bunagana, a border town in North Kivu province. The Congolese M23 rebels took over the town on Monday after forcing some government soldiers to flee to neighbouring Uganda, media reported. In …

Heavy taxes imposed by al-Qaeda-allied al-Shabab group in parts of Somalia are making it impossible for farmers to cultivate crops amid a severe drought. Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s special envoy for the drought situation, said the al-Shabab taxes were forcing farmers to flee their farms and homes. …

Security has been tightened in the Somali capital, Mogadishu and around Aden Adde airport ahead of the inauguration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday. Main roads in Mogadishu were closed on Wednesday with police deployed in large numbers and armoured vehicles on the streets leading to the presidential palace. …