China on Thursday said it would appoint a special envoy to the turbulent Horn of Africa and wanted to shift focus on the continent to trade over infrastructure. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comments in Kenya, which has been active in diplomatic efforts to halt war in Ethiopia since …
Read More »Sudan: activists promise to bring down coup
Pro-democracy activists in Sudan have said they will take to the streets across the country until military leaders step down and restore civilian rule. “We have no option but to go out and demonstrate against the military,” the spokesperson of the Sudanese Professionals Association said. “Our people decided to bring …
Read More »Burundi: Rwandans expelled for refusing to be vaccinated
At least twelve Rwandans including women and children have been expelled by the Burundian authorities after refusing to be vaccinated against covid-19. Those expelled said they had fled the ongoing mandatory vaccination campaign in Rwanda. The provincial governor, Albert Hatungimana, directed that they be deported to Rwanda. Last Thursday, nine …
Read More »Rwanda: several deaths after consuming banana brew
Eleven people have died and four others hospitalized in the Rwandan district of Bugesera since Christmas Day after drinking a local banana-based brew, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) confirmed. According to the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, high levels of methanol, found in the stomachs of victims who drank the …
Read More »Ethiopia: US special envoy expected this week for talks
The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, is expected in Ethiopia this week to hold talks with the authorities about the ongoing civil war. The US State Department said that Mr Feltman was “to engage with senior officials regarding the prospects for a broader peace”. Read …
Read More »Uganda: Bobi Wine addresses Museveni in new song
Ugandan opposition leader and musician Robert Nyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has just released a song entitled Ogenda, a Luganda word that loosely translates as “You will fall”, the BBC reports. According to the musician, the song is made directly for President Yoweri Museveni’s ears because he has turned …
Read More »Tanzania: a capsizing boat killed several people
At least nine people have died and dozens more are missing in Tanzania after a boat accident as they were on their way to a funeral in Panza. The boat was heading to Panza island from Pemba when the accident happened, local media report. Pemba regional police commander Richard Thadei …
Read More »Tense scenes at Sudan protests amid political turmoil
Sudanese security forces have fired tear gas in an effort to break up pro-democracy protests in the capital, Khartoum, and in Port Sudan, BBC News reports. People in several cities have been chanting slogans against the military and calling for the downfall of Sudan’s ruling council. It is headed by …
Read More »Uganda: court orders release of author detained for criticizing president
A Ugandan court has ordered the police to release Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, a prominent writer arrested last week for criticizing President Yoweri Museveni and his son Lt-Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba on social media. Mr Rukirabashaija’s lawyer said he had not yet been released but he expected the authorities to comply with the …
Read More »South Sudan: President Salva Kiir sacks central bank governor
The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, by decree, sacked the governor of the Central Bank Dier Tong Ngor and appointed a new head of the institution. The dismissal of Mr Ngor was announced on the national broadcaster on Monday night but no reasons were given. Moses Makur Deng who …
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