Marburg: Death of Tanzanian fisherman turns searchlight anew on Africa’s capacity to detect outbreaks early
If a virus like Marburg is spreading, being able to do genetic sequencing locally is particularly useful to find a way of reining it in. Genetic sequencing helps researchers keep track of any changes to the virus, and how these could affect patients. But in countries like Tanzania and Equatorial...
Exit Covid, enter Marburg: An Ebola ‘cousin’ that has put East and West Africa on red alert
In February, a 23-year-old Tanzanian fisherman suddenly fell ill, having just returned from a busy trading outpost in the middle of Lake Victoria. Back at home in Bukoba, a district in north-western Tanzania, he was hit by bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea. He developed a fever and began bleeding from...
Despite raging war at home, South Sudan troops for EAC army arrive in DR Congo for peace mission
At least 45 South Sudanese soldiers touched down in the city of Goma late Monday morning, with further contingents expected to arrive at later dates. The South Sudanese soldiers are part of the seven-nation East African Community (EAC) military force, which was created last June to stabilise eastern DRC. Much...
Kenya and Uganda generals meet in Nairobi to review military collaboration against backdrop of conflict in DRC, Somalia
Senior officers from the Kenyan and Ugandan defence forces met in Nairobi this week to further cement “engagement and collaboration as partners seeking sustainable security solutions”. The two-day joint defence committee (JDC) meeting followed last year’s signing of a defence co-operation agreement. The meeting was attended by officers from Kenya...
Why GMO food activists in East Africa say the debate on modified maize in Kenya won’t be won or lost in courts
Kenya is in the middle of its worst drought in 40 years. In the parched north of the country, rivers have run dry and millions of livestock have perished due to lack of food. Around 5.4 million Kenyans don’t have enough to eat, and the situation will worsen if this...
Hungry and war weary, 600,000-plus IDPs in eastern DR Congo cry out for peace, want to return home
More than 600,000 people have been displaced since the M23 rebel group re-emerged in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2021. But what is life like for those uprooted? What journeys have people taken to safety? And how are they providing for themselves and their families as the...
Kenyan, Ethiopian troops praised by AU envoy for suppressing al Shaabab militia inside Somalia
ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) troops have been praised for a job well done, particularly in and around Somalia southern port city of Kismayu, from the AU chair’s special representative. Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef commended ATMIS troops and affirmed the mission’s commitment to a safe and stable Somalia...
International Court of Justice rules in favour of Somalia over contested maritime land with Kenya
The United Nations’ top court has awarded Somalia control of most of a potentially oil- and gas-rich chunk of the Indian Ocean after a bitter legal battle with neighbouring Kenya over their sea border. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Tuesday (October 12) that there was “no agreed...
Burundi: On his way to execution, a well-known Hutu priest and philosopher sang hymns saying, ‘We are going to our father’s house’
In 1972, they blocked journalists who tried to investigate the killings, they prevented people from mourning the dead Burundian reporter’s notebook: On his way to execution, a well-known Hutu priest and philosopher, kept chanting hymns saying ‘We are going to our father’s house’ I learned about what happened from my...
Burundian reporter’s notebook: I feel sorrow for the death of my father, but joy at finally seeing his remains
Editor’s note: The bouts of violence that have shaken Burundi since the 1960s received little attention compared to events in neighbouring Rwanda. So, when a truth and reconciliation commission began digging up mass graves to investigate atrocities, journalist Désiré Nimubona picked up his notebook. For more than a year, he...
