OPINION: Blaise Compaore’s Conviction Is a Momentous Victory for the Rule of Law and Citizen Power in Africa

Compaore’s conviction is good news for the rule of law and democratic consolidation in Africa.    Former Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore’s sentence of life imprisonment by an Ouagadougou military court for complicity in the murder of his predecessor, Thomas Sankara, marks an important victory for the rule of law in the country and the region as a whole. In exile in the Ivory Coast since his ouster from power following a popular uprising in 2014,...

OPINION: Ethiopia Truce an Uncertain Prospect

News of a truce in Ethiopia is welcome, but it far from guarantees an end to the Tigray conflict. Last week, good news emerged from Ethiopia. The federal government announced a truce in its sixteen-month conflict with Tigrayan forces, expressing hope that its action would improve the humanitarian situation in the region and pave the way for lasting peace. Tigrayan forces responded in kind, pledging to make the truce a success. Trust is in extremely short supply,...

Covid-19: Kenya Scraps Mandatory Mask-Wearing, Temperature Screening In Public

Kenya’s Ministry of Health has announced a relaxation of the COVID-19 containment measures following relatively fewer cases as well as positivity rates over the past couple of months. The Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe, in a press address on Friday, announced that Kenyans are no longer obligated to wear face masks in public places. The Minister, however, encouraged Kenyans to keep wearing their face masks during indoor meetings, where all attendees must have undertaken the jab...

OPINION: Reflections: Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on the Dilemmas Diplomats Face

Former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin Russ Feingold reflects on his time as U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other diplomatic roles he has held throughout his career. Welcome to Reflections, a bimonthly series of conversations that invites former senior U.S.-Africa policymakers to discuss difficult issues that they confronted in their careers with the benefit of hindsight. The second conversation in the series features Russ Feingold, who served...

OPINION: Analyzing the Russia-Ukraine Conflict from an African Standpoint

African countries’ reservations on condemning Russia’s invasion to Ukraine can be explored through growing Russian ties with African leaders. Those who did condemn also called out Western double standards on international law.   How will African countries react to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and what diplomatic fissures are likely to be opened by the conflict as it drags on? Early indications are that African countries will line up behind the United States and its...

OPINION: Ukraine Crisis Should Hasten Efforts to Rethink Policy Toward Africa

Citizens of African states are natural partners in the fight to support a rules-based international order that curbs authoritarian regimes’ excesses.   By Michelle Gavin, Guest Columnist and Blogger As the world’s attention is riveted by the dramatic and consequential struggle for Ukraine, last week it was a voice from Africa—that of Kenyan Ambassador to the United Nations Martin Kimani—who clarified the stakes in Ukraine for the rest of the world. His defense of rules-based multilateralism and...

Buhari Leaves Abuja to Attend Special Session on UNEP@50 in Kenya

ABUJA — President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja on Tuesday, to participate in the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP@50). The event is to hold from March 3 to March 4  in Nairobi, Kenya. Mr. Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman, who confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said Buhari’s trip to Kenya was sequel to an invitation extended to him by his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, The...

Torture in Uganda Prompts U.S. Introspection

The United States is reconsidering its longstanding partnership with Uganda’s abusive government.   By Michelle Gavin, Guest Columnist, and Blogger The harrowing story of Kakwenza Rukirabashaija—a Ugandan writer whose tweets critical of President Yoweri Museveni and his powerful son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, landed him in detention—has made it impossible to pretend that the repression and political violence that accompanied the 2021 election cycle were temporary features of Uganda’s political landscape. Rukirabashaija, who was held incommunicado and claims to...

Joe Muriuki, First Kenyan To Disclose HIV Status, Dies of Cancer At 62

Dr. Joe Muriuki, the first Kenyan to go public about his Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status over 35 years ago, has died at the age of 62. The National Empowerment Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK) announced his demise in a statement on its Twitter page on February 15, 2022. According to Nelson Otuoma, the National Coordinator of NEPHAK, Muriuki had been discharged from the Kenyatta National Hospital about a week ago...

Nigeria Re-elected Into The African Union Peace, Security Council

ADDIS ABABA — The Federal Republic of Nigeria has been re-elected into the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) for another three (3) year mandate (2022-2025), to represent the West African region. Nigeria pulled 44 votes in the first round to secure the statutory 2/3 votes required to win the election. The election of the 15-member Council was held on 3rd February 2022 during the 40th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the...

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com