Rwanda rejects calls to withdraw from Congo, questions US’ ability ‘to serve as a credible mediator’
The US State Department in a statement on Saturday criticised the worsening violence caused by M23, describing it as a “Rwanda-backed” armed group. That statement also urged Rwanda “to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defence Force personnel from the (Congo) and remove its surface-to-air missile systems.”
Despite spirited push to incentivise local sugarcane growing, farmers in western Kenya are ditching the ‘lazy man’s’ crop for coffee
Despite the government in the past two years trying to assuage sugarcane farmers by paying them for raw material deliveries that been pending for years, continued interest and investment in “lazy man’s crop” – as sugar cane is derided by agricultural experts and economists – has waned significantly in the sugar-belt.
How arbitrary tax led to rise of Mobondo militia that is killing Teke tribesmen in western Congo
Teke people own much of the land in Kwamouth. Communities from neighbouring provinces – who are considered “non-native” – have historically provided agricultural labour. Some have also settled on the land as farmers, and are taxed in-kind by Teke customary chiefs.
White House announces US President Biden will host Kenya’s President Ruto in May
Word of Ruto’s visit comes after Haiti announced this week that it is working on an official agreement with Kenyan officials to secure the long-awaited deployment of Kenyan police forces there. High-ranking officials from both countries recently met in the US for three days to draft a memorandum of understanding and set a deadline for the arrival of forces in Haiti from the east African country.
How $170,000 factory converted banana, potato farming from subsistence into commercial enterprise in western Kenya
Now, as Kenya looks to be food secure, harvesting and drying up perishables such as bananas and potatoes (Irish and sweet) is expected to give such foods a longer shelf life, besides diversification.
Ethiopian security blocks Somali president from AU summit venue to ratchet up sour diplomatic ties
President Mohamud was in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to attend an African Union summit. He charged that Ethiopian security services tried to block him from leaving his hotel on Saturday morning, forcing him to travel in the convoy of Djibouti’s president.
As violence worsens in eastern Congo, US has warned Rwanda against supporting M23 rebels
Fighting near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the largest city in the region, has intensified in recent days as the rebels threatened to take over the metropolis. Residents of the nearby town of Sake have been fleeing fierce fighting between Congolese government troops and the group.
As a ‘late bloomer’ in digital culture the smartphone is a bad intruder in our 44-year-old marriage
The smartphone is a bad intruder in our home. We talk far less than ever before, yet talking and laughing together have in the past has glued us together, sharing our ups and downs. We hardly watch television together because of the smartphone. The smart phone consumes a lot of time that would go to keep the old people talking to one another. Worse still, when our children and their children visit us, each one has a smart phone.
US to build five new military bases for Somali army, which faces insurgency by extremists
The UN Security Council has authorised the reduction of the peacekeeping force in Somalia and the Somali government says it is achieving progress in improving security.
Kenya targets lower budget deficit in next fiscal year after decade of debt-fuelled infrastructure spending
To cover the deficit, the government will raise 326.1 billion shillings in net external financing, and another 377.7 billion shillings in net domestic borrowing. Overall spending will rise to 4.19 trillion shillings ($28.90 billion) from an estimated 3.90 trillion shillings in this fiscal year, the ministry said.
