Questions raised about why Africa’s last colony – Western Sahara – is deprived of UN human rights monitoring
Western Sahara is the territory in northwest Africa bordered by Morocco in the north, Algeria and Mauritania in the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. A former Spanish colony, it’s listed by the United Nations as one of only 17 territories that remain without self-government. Since becoming independent...
UN peacekeepers eastern DR Congo stumble on mass graves containing 42 bodies in Ituri province
A MONUSCO patrol in the wake of attacks by militia group CODECO in Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) Ituri province found mass graves containing 42 bodies. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for United Nations (UN) secretary general Antonio Guterres, said there were 12 women and six children in the 42 body...
Rapid surge in crises in Sahel region worries US as Russia’s Wagner mercenary group fastens grip
The United States is deeply concerned by multiple crises in the Sahel: security, humanitarian and political, “crises which are causing a dramatic increase in the strength and influence of violent extremism.” So said the United States Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Richard Mills, at the United Nations Security...
US arms Somalia with $9 million in military aid to the ongoing campaign against al Shabaab militants
The US announced Sunday that it’s giving $9 million in new military aid to help Somalia’s ongoing campaign against al-Shabab militants. It’s the first such direct military support since US forces returned to Somalia and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced an “all-out war” against the militants. The US embassy in...
Will Brazil President Lula da Silva deliver on promise of net-zero deforestation in Amazon Forest?
Expectations were high this week as Brazil’s new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, took office. Lula campaigned on promises to help the world fight climate change by protecting the Amazon rainforest, which sequesters a large portion of global carbon emissions. Under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation in the Brazilian...
Ukraine’s allies agree to provide armoured vehicles to drive Russian army from its territory
For months, Ukraine has been asking Western allies to supply tanks, and although these vehicles are less powerful, the decision to send them sets a new precedent. Germany has long hesitated over beefing up weapons deliveries to Kyiv. After France’s Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that AMX-10 RC “light combat...
Mozambique takes up seat at UN Security Council, promises to champion Africa’s prosperity
Mozambique’s two-year terms as member of the UN Security Council began this month, six months after it won the right to represent Africa as a non-permanent. Consequently, Mozambique’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Pedro Comissário Afonso, has described June 7, 2022 historic, being the when his country won the...
Kenya’s president disowns ‘First Daughter’s Office’, describes daughter Charlene as ‘just being a child’
Kenya’s President William Ruto has defended his daughter Charlene Ruto over claims of the existence of the “Office of the First Daughter”. Since her father’s inauguration in September, Charlene Ruto has held several high-profile events and meetings under the title. In Kenyan law, no such office exists. On Wednesday, the...
Tanzania opposition free to hold political rallies after six years in the cold for ‘insulting’ former president
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lifted a six-year ban on opposition rallies imposed by her autocratic predecessor, a move that was cautiously welcomed as a gain for democracy by the main opposition party. The ban was introduced in 2016 by political strongman John Magufuli at the onset of his...
How cellphone signals helped Ukrainian soldiers track and kill dozens of Russian troops at Makiivka
The toll from a Ukrainian New Year strike in Makiivka has risen to 89, Moscow said today after Russians gathered to mourn the troops in a rare public display of anger and grief. Russia said early Wednesday morning that more bodies had been found under the rubble in the town...
