M23 rebels acquire advanced surface-to-air missiles in push to prise Kivu region from Congo
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has set up a regional mission and force known as SAMIDRC for, at this stage, a year-long deployment to the eastern DRC in the wake of an East African Community (EAC) regional force withdrawal. The United Nations (UN) mission in DRC – MONUSCO – has started withdrawing and is set to exit the troubled central African country by year-end.
Top UN official calls for greater political investment in South Sudan ahead of elections set for December
With both IGAD and the AU having expressed support for the elections the UN “will, therefore, offer as much support as possible in line with its mandate,” he said, stressing the importance of having the requisite architecture to ensure that polls are peaceful and credible.
Student pilot and trainer killed in air collision with passenger aircraft over Kenya’s capital
The 39 passengers and five crew members were all unharmed, the airline said. The aircraft, bound for Diani on Kenya’s coast, had “experienced a loud bang soon after take-off”, it said.
New survey shows Kenya’s business activity experienced marginal expansion since August
Inflation fell to 6.3 per cent year-on-year in February from 6.9 per cent a month earlier, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics showed.
Jailbreak: Haiti prime minister’s whereabouts unknown after Kenya trip, neighbours prepare for ‘drastic escalation’ in violence
Heavy gunfire was seen near Port Au Prince’s international airport during the day, airport authorities said. The United States urged its citizens to leave Haiti “as soon as possible.” A spokesperson for the US State Department said he believed Henry was returning to Haiti.
International Criminal Court to hold first ever in absentia hearing over Ugandan rebel leader Kony
The LRA began its attacks in Uganda in the 1980s, when Kony sought to overthrow the government. After being pushed out of Uganda, the militia terrorized villages in Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan. It was notorious for using child soldiers, mutilating civilians and enslaving women.
Six Moroccans to face firing squad after Somali military court rules they’re Islamic State allies
An Ethiopian and a Somali were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, while another Somali defendant was acquitted due to lack of evidence. It was not immediately clear if any of the men had access to legal representation or where they were being held on Friday. The eight men claimed they were misled into joining the group and expressed a desire to be repatriated, Osman said.
An online protest movement exposes corruption in Uganda that has rattled officials and MPs
Mathias Mpuuga, a former opposition leader in the National Assembly, was said to have received a $131,000 “service award” for his work in Parliament. Mpuuga denies any wrongdoing, but another opposition figure who nominated Mpuuga to the parliamentary post is accusing him of abuse of office.
Latest UN report warns rising violence, rights abuses threaten South Sudan’s stability
The commission also found that the armed forces were still using child soldiers. In 2019, the year after the peace agreement, the UN found there were still more than 19,000 child soldiers in South Sudan, one of the highest rates in the world.
Kenyan Kipruto and Ethiopian Kebede win Tokyo Marathon in course record times
Eliud Kipchoge was struggling at halfway with the pace under the course record time of 2:02:40 he had set in 2022, and the double Olympic champion had slipped two minutes behind the leaders by the 30-km mark. He finished 10th.
