South Sudan blames its economic woes on war in neighbouring Sudan, piracy in Red Sea
South Sudan, a landlocked country, produces around 150,000 barrels of fuel a day and uses Sudanese pipelines to transfer its oil to the global market in an agreement with the government of Sudan. Sudan pockets $23 per barrel as transit fees for oil exports from South Sudan.
Clash over disputed land between Twic and Ngok Dinka subtribes kill 52 in South Sudan’s oil-rich Abyei
Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over control of the Abyei region since a 2005 peace deal ended decades of civil war between Sudan’s north and south. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim ownership of Abyei, whose status was unresolved after South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011.
Burundi detains dozens of soldiers resisting deployment to Congo to fight M23 rebels
Tensions have been rising in Africa’s Great Lakes region as Rwanda, Burundi and Congo trade accusations over support for violent rebel groups operating in the lawless areas of eastern Congo.
Nairobi, Kenya: Report warns harmful waste is going to cost the world $640 billion annually
Waste prevention measures and improved waste management could reduce those costs, but there are significant barriers to change, such as weak enforcement mechanisms, the report said. A treaty to address plastics pollution, which does not biodegrade and can cause serious health impacts, is being negotiated, with a fourth round of talks scheduled for April.
Justified Accord: US Africa Command largest military exercise in East Africa gets underway in Kenya
At the Nanyuki-based Counter Insurgency, Terrorism and Stability Operations (CITSO) centre, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is hosting a multinational field training exercise, urban operations training, as well as a medical civic action programme, providing medical care to up to 1,000 rural Kenyans.
Red-Tabara rebels kill nine people in Burundi as Bujumbura accuses Kigali of complicity
Burundi last month suspended diplomatic relations with Rwanda and closed their border, calling it a response to Rwanda’s alleged backing of RED-Tabara. Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye has accused Rwandan authorities of supporting RED-Tabara.
Why Uganda should rethink specialisation in higher education for turning over ‘sausages’ in the name of professionals
We are living in “A rapidly changing ‘wicked’ world, which demands conceptual reasoning skills that can connect new ideas and work across contexts.” We, therefore, need to quickly rethink education to train for now and the future, not for the past.
Benin offers 2,000 troops to Kenyan-led international force to rein in Haiti’s armed gangs force
A US statement issued on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro last week had announced “financial, personnel and in-kind commitments to the mission” from Benin, France and Canada, the latter which later announced 80.5 million Canadian dollars ($60 million) for the mission.
French journalist detained as press freedom and human rights activists decry repression in Ethiopia
Antoine Galindo was detained at Addis Ababa’s Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, where he was interviewing Bate Urgressa, the spokesperson of the Oromo Liberation Front opposition party, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Bate was also arrested and was still in custody, CPJ reported.
Why Idi Amin wanted to annex western Kenya: Luhyia kingdom belonged to a slew of organised royals in East Africa that included Busoga and Buganda
The political infighting you describe among the Basoga is similar to what I see among the Luhyia of Kenya. They provide the ladder for others to ascend to power. Then there is the Busoga gold. Only Kakamega AND Busoga geologically belong to the same rock system. It extends into the DRC. My innocent and unqualified observation is that it is not coincidental that people in these parts of East Africa are choreographed – via scatter and rule – to be subservient to power or political wielders of power in their respective countries.
