Category: Africa

Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, wants the chief justice to recuse himself from hearing a petition challenging the re-election of President Yuweri Museveni. Bobi Wine accuses Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo of bias because of his close association to the president. The opposition politician also wants other supreme court judges to recuse […]

The president of Chad Idriss Deby has said he will deploy soldiers to the border with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso as G5 Sahel countries meet to discuss security in the region. Chad has in the past said it would deploy soldiers in the three-border zone” but did not. The Sahel region heads of state […]

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed for calm after at least 10 people were killed in ethnic violence in the southern city of Ibadan. Buhari called on religious and traditional leader not to allow ethnic or religious groups to stoke up hatred and violence against other groups. “I appeal to religious and traditional leaders, as […]

Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed has warned against planned protests at Lekki toll gate in Lagos, where security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in Octobers. The fresh protests, dubbed “Occupy Lekki Toll Gate”, are planned for Saturday Organisers say they will demonstrate against the reopening of the toll gate. Earlier this week a community […]

Human Rights Watch has accused the Ethiopian military of indiscriminately shelling urban centres during the short but bloody conflict in the northern region of Tigray last November. The US-based group said the attacks violated the “laws of war” and urged the government to investigate. The government has not immediately reacted to the accusations but has […]

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has called for a meeting with federal state leaders next week to resolve the impasse on how to proceed with elections. The term of President Farmajo ended on Monday after talks on the elections collapsed on 5 February. Opposition groups have said they no longer recognize Farmajo’s authority and called […]

The Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok has named a new cabinet which includes seven former rebel leaders who were part of a peace deal signed in October. Hamdok dissolved the previous cabinet on Sunday to form a more inclusive government. Two ministers were selected from the military. Many are from the Forces for Freedom […]

Burkina Faso’s government said on Thursday that it was open to holding talks with Islamist militants, a position embraced by its neighbours in the Sahel region where terrorist attacks are recurrent. The activities of jihadists have grown in the region despite military operations to contain them. France – which has more than 5,000 military personnel […]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to deliver its verdict in the trial of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier turned rebel commander. He is accused of 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Ongwen faces a string of horrific charges which include, murder, rape, torture, sexual slavery and use of child […]

A coalition of opposition parties in the Central African Republican (CAR) has withdrawn from parliamentary elections after describing the process as a sham. This comes a day after the constitutional court rejected attempts to annul the first round of voting over allegations of fraud. The situation in the CAR is extremely precarious as rebels opposed […]