Africa’s invisible wars, visible suffering: Conflicts are compounded by vulnerabilities, mass displacement and lack of political attention
Despite the grim realities, Patrick Youssef conveyed a note of optimism. He highlighted a MOU recently signed by the ICRC with the African Development Bank as a beacon of hope, and a positive step toward addressing these challenges collectively, in 2025.
Burundi’s pull out of soldiers from Somalia worries Bujumbura about how it’ll raise salaries for the military
As funding sources dried up in response to state repression, AMISOM participation became an increasingly important financial lifeline for Burundi’s government, which needed the revenue to pay its troops. Engaging in peacekeeping abroad had become vital to keeping peace at home.
Five days before Trump is sworn in, Israel and Hamas agree to end Gaza war, free hostages and prisoners
If successful, the planned phased ceasefire could halt fighting that has left much of Gaza in ruins, displaced most of the enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million, and killed tens of thousands of people. The toll is still rising daily.
Incoming Trump administration officials concede Ukraine peace deal is no easy task
In the run-up to his November 5 election victory, Trump declared dozens of times that he would have a deal in place between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not before. In late October, however, he made a subtle shift in his rhetoric, and began saying he could solve the war “very quickly.”
UN says 21,000 child soldiers are fighting in Africa’s multiple civil wars with girls most vulnerable conscripts
The economic impact of using child soldiers significantly hampers national development. Missing out on schooling results in lost human capital and reduced productivity, contributing to long-term economic stagnation, decreased workforce participation, higher poverty rates and reduced foreign investment due to ongoing instability.
Gaza ceasefire deal ready, it is now to Israeli and Hamas leadership to sign it to end war
Mediator Qatar gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday to end the war in Gaza, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by US President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. The official said the text for a ceasefire and...
US Africa Command says it killed a senior al-Shabaab leader in targeted Somali airstrike
In January 6 post on its website Africom said that on December 24 “in coordination with the federal government of Somalia, US Africa Command conducted a precision airstrike approximately 10km southwest of Quyno Barrow that resulted in the death of senior al-Shabaab leader, Mohamed Mire and another al-Shabaab militant.”
First person: In Gaza starving people live among the dead and are trapped in a land reduced to rubble
A 25-kg bag of wheat flour can sell for $150. In an enclave where farmers once harvested citrus, vegetables and strawberries, I saw small peppers selling at a Gaza City market for $195 a kilo. Nobody was buying. Nobody could afford them.
Slaughtered by Islamist extremists or Russian mercenaries, Burkina Faso’s 2.5 million displaced people are further abandoned by UN
For decades, the Fulani were neglected by the central government, and some did join Islamist fighters. As a result, Fulani civilians are often targeted both by the extremists – affiliated with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group – and by rival pro-government forces.
More than 170 armed-robbery convicts to be executed as crime skyrockets in Congo
Congo abolished the death sentence in 1981, but it was reinstated in 2006. The last execution took place in 2003.
