AFRICA

LUANDA | Xinhua | Angola on Thursday announced its withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), according to the Angolan government’s Facebook page. The decision followed a session of the Council of Ministers, which took place on the same day at the Presidential Palace in the national …

Higher inflation will reign in Christmas spending after a post-Covid splurge last year, but Cameroonians and Zimbabweans will still be extremely generous with Christmas gifts, decorations and food this year, according to an annual report SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | African households will focus on gifts and decorations as …

FREETOWN | Xinhua | Sierra Leone on Wednesday lifted a nationwide curfew that has lasted for more than 20 days following a failed coup attempt on Nov. 26. Announcing the decision in a public notice, the Ministry of Information and Civic Education thanked the public for their continued cooperation with …

COMMENT | CRISPIN KAHERU | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s decision to deny Election Observers from some reputable bodies could have far-reaching consequences, casting a shadow over the transparency and legitimacy of its electoral process. This move not only raises concerns about potential irregularities going unchecked but may also signal a …

CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s incumbent president, won the 2024 presidential election with 89.6 percent of the vote, securing a third term in office, according to results released Monday afternoon by Egypt’s National Election Authority (NEA). Sisi has thus become the chosen leader of the most populous …

KAMPALA | Xinhua | The death toll from a rebel attack in the western Uganda district of Kamwenge has climbed to 10, local authorities said Tuesday. Byarugaba Isaiah Kanyamahane, the resident district commissioner for Kamwenge, told Xinhua over the telephone that five males and five females, all civilians, were killed …

Arusha, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT |  The East African Community (EAC) will not participate as an observer in the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due on Wednesday, December 20. The secretariat said in a brief statement that the DRC authorities had declined the EAC application to have …

CAIRO | Xinhua | Egypt’s National Election Authority (NEA) declared on Monday that incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi won the 2024 presidential election with 89.6 percent of valid votes. At a press conference in the capital Cairo, the NEA said the turnout reached 66.8 percent of the total 67 million eligible …

Somali security forces take over key installations from ATMIS troops MOGADISHU | Xinhua |  Somali security forces have officially taken over security responsibilities for the presidential palace, State House, and Parliament from the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) troops. ATMIS said the handover took place Sunday afternoon in Mogadishu, the …

An expert unpacks the reactions of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda ANALYSIS | MICHAEL BISHKU | The reactions of some east African countries to the ongoing conflict in Gaza have been less dramatic than South Africa’s. South Africa’s parliament has passed a resolution calling for the closure of its embassy in Tel …