AFRICA

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The M23 has withdrawn from the peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo that were scheduled for Tuesday, in Luanda, Angola. It follows a series of events on Monday that includes the European Union announcing sanctions against members of the Rwanda Defense …

The intensifying competition between telecoms and Starlink for broadband access marks a new era of connectivity for rural regions, as both strive to bridge Africa’s digital divide. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | As Elon Musk’s Starlink continue to cannibalise small internet service providers in major African cities and telcos …

KIGALI | Xinhua |  Rwanda on Monday severed its diplomatic relations with Belgium and ordered all Belgian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours. “The government of Rwanda today notified the government of Belgium of its decision to sever diplomatic relations, effective immediately,” the Rwandan foreign ministry said in …

JOHANNESBURG | Xinhua |  Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s expelled ambassador, has been given 72 hours to leave the United States. Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), confirmed to local media News24 on Saturday that they have received official confirmation from the South African mission …

Boma, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The March 23 Movement (M23) has set terms and conditions for direct dialogue with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Early this week, Angolan President João Lourenço’s office announced the start of direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23, starting on …

Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The NRM parliamentary caucus, in a meeting chaired by President Yoweri Museveni at State House Entebbe this afternoon, issued resolutions supporting the deployment of the UPDF in South Sudan amid recent conflicts. In a statement signed by Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua, the caucus said …

CAPE TOWN | Xinhua | South Africa’s Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced on Tuesday that over 93 percent of identified pit toilets in public schools have been eradicated. Addressing the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town, the country’s legislative capital, Gwarube described the achievement as “a critical step …

US President Donald Trump’s recent quip about Lesotho as a nation “nobody has ever heard of” has inadvertently catapulted the small African kingdom into the global limelight. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | An offhand remark by US President Donald Trump about Lesotho has unwittingly ignited a surge of curiosity …

Boma, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The March 23 Movement (M23) has claimed the capture of D’idjwi Island in D’idjwi territory, South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. M23 on Thursday shared pictures and videos of their fighters addressing locals on the largest Island in the middle of Lake …

  SADC summit terminates mandate of military mission in DR Congo Kigali, Rwanda | NEW TIMES RWANDA |  A Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit on Thursday, March 13, terminated the mandate of the regional bloc’s military mission in eastern DR Congo and “directed the commencement of a phased withdrawal” of …