East Africa

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. …

Three Tanzanian soldiers fighting with the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) have been injured in clashes against the M23 rebels. The UN force said the three were evacuated to Goma city for treatment after being injured in an attack on one of their positions in Rutshuru …

A high court in Kenya has stopped the tax authority from demanding tax on tithes, donations and offerings given to churches, the Daily Nation newspaper reports. The Kenya Revenue Authority had demanded 5.5 million shillings ($47,000) from Thika Road Baptist Church in unpaid taxes, arguing that it failed to produce …

If famine is to be avoided in Somalia the world must first “widen its gaze from the war in Ukraine”, says the UN’s children’s agency Unicef. “An explosion of child death is about to happen in the Horn of Africa,” Unicef Deputy Regional Director Rania Dagash has warned. There were …

Uganda is experiencing a worrying rise in Covid-19 cases, the country’s Minister of Health, Dr Jane Aceng, said in a tweet on Sunday. The minister did not reveal the latest figures on confirmed cases, but said the country was “well prepared to respond and save lives than before”. She ruled …

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of supporting M23 rebels during clashes in his country’s east that displaced tens of thousands of people. The president spoke on Sunday after visiting neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville where he met his counterpart Denis Sassou Nguesso. According to President Tshisekedi, …

Angolan President João Lourenço said the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to release two Rwandan soldiers it detained last week, amid rising border tensions. Mr Lourenço, mediator in the tension, made the announcement after separate talks with his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts. His office said Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame …

A minister in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar has warned people against insulting or abusing tourists wearing skimpy clothes, the BBC reported. Zanzibar Tourism Minister Simai Mohammed said the government would take action on people who offend tourists, who are crucial to the islands’ economy. He said he would himself …

Rwandan President Paul Kagame held a phone conversation with his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Félix Tshisekedi along with the African Union chairman Macky Sall amid cross-border tensions. “I thank Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame for our telephone talks yesterday and today [Monday] in the quest for a peaceful …