Western powers on high alert as suspicions of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine rise
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears its seventh week, Western governments and independent observers continue to warn that Russia’s military could escalate from indiscriminately bombing cities to using non-conventional warfare, in particular chemical weapons. The Kremlin has denied any intention to use chemical weapons. But the Russian government has been...
Theatre of hybrid warfare: Why Africa is rapidly gaining reputation as new ‘Wild West’ of the world
Africa is rapidly becoming a theatre for hybrid threats. Allegations of state-backed information campaigns designed to ramp up divisions in Mali and cyber-attacks on humanitarian relief organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are examples. The use of drones as weapons in the Horn of Africa,...
Dogs of War: Mercenaries cited as major threat to Africa’s regions rich with natural resources
The use of Private Military Companies (PMCs) is now on the increase in Africa, with countries or regions with the vast treasures of natural resources. The use of PMCs is complicated from a legal standpoint. Put simply, if PMC employees are not used as combatants, then they are by definition...
How rich nations are switching from diplomacy to mercenary use to entrench economic, political dominance in Africa
In Frederick Forsyth’s 1974 novel, The Dogs of War, a band of mercenaries slips into a small, fictional African nation at the direction of a Western tycoon bent on deposing the nation’s dictator to exploit valuable platinum. The novel, and the 1980 movie based upon it, tells a violent tale...
Nato’s wide-ranging sanctions expected to hurt Russian war industry and military exports to Africa
Russia war industry, a key foreign exchange faces a bleak future following economic sanctions imposed by North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) after it attacked Ukraine. The wide-ranging sanctions will have serious implications for Africa, especially the continent’s ability to procure and maintain military hardware from Russia. Russia, along with the...
Ethiopian government releases 14 TPLF supporters detained over separatist uprising in the north
Ethiopia has released several former government officials from prison, a lawyer working with them has said. The group of ethnic Tigrayans included former members of the government-appointed administration and a member of the ruling party. The state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said on March 18 that at least eight officials...
Qatar 2022: Fancied Egypt, Nigeria tossed out of Fifa World Cup as CAF finalists Senegal, Cameroon stamp their authority
Liverpool star Sadio Mane converted a shoot-out penalty on Tuesday to take African champions Senegal to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Egypt. Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia also booked their places in the finals on a frantic night of play-off action. Senegal won the second...
Beauty, brains and holiness: Pageantries have roots in Christianity, remind the living of wholeness of humanity
As a country, Kenya has had its fair share of fetching lasses who ran away with beauty pageants on national and international runways. Beautiful women like the late Gaudencia Aura and Khadija Adams, easily come to mind when we talk about pageantry. Service to mankind, though, remains a remote subject,...
Russian soldiers suspected of stealing from Chernobyl nuclear plant material used to manufacture dirty bombs
Scientists at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant say that radioactive material was stolen by looters during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Radioactive material has been stolen from a laboratory near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant during the chaos caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the danger of a...
Amisom evolves into Atmis with mandate to degrade Al Shabaab, defend fragile Somali government
The African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) will be replaced by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) on April 1, the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and Somali government have decided. The new mission will end in 2024, after which all responsibilities will be handed to the Somali...
