The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | War crimes judges Thursday upheld an order that a former Congolese militia leader must pay $1 million in damages to his victims, after his forces rampaged through a village in 2003. Germain Katanga, 39, a former militia commander from the restive northeastern Congolese Ituri …
Read More »Africa, US move on from ‘shithole’ remarks as Tillerson starts tour
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Washington’s top diplomat began his first Africa tour Thursday by meeting with the African Union chief, who said the continent had moved on from a reported insult by President Donald Trump. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and AU commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed security …
Read More »The women of AMISOM
THE WOMEN OF AMISOM: Pressing for Progress Towards 50/50 Mogadishu | AMISOM | Under a clear sunny March 8, 2018 morning in Mogadishu, Somalia, two hundred women have gathered within the AMISOM basecamp, situated in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa country’s International Airport. Even if they are adorned …
Read More »World war crimes court set for bumper appeals rulings
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | In an unusual move, international war crimes judges will rule Thursday on three appeals cases, including one brought by Congolese warlord Germain Katanga who was ordered to pay his victims $1 million in damages. Legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are usually …
Read More »Africa new frontline in anti-tobacco fight: activists
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | Africa and other developing regions are becoming increasingly significant battlegrounds in the effort to combat the spread of smoking, an anti-smoking campaign group warned on Thursday. But most countries in sub-Saharan Africa have inadequate monitoring of tobacco use, according to the authors of …
Read More »UN envoy warns of risk of violence in DR Congo
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN envoy for the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday warned of a risk of violence as the country heads toward elections in December. DR Congo is in the grip of a “shocking” humanitarian crisis with 4.5 million people in need of …
Read More »US pushes UN to consider arms embargo on South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution that threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and to take “all appropriate measures” against those blocking peace efforts. The draft text obtained by AFP demands an end to …
Read More »Fearing deportation, Burundi refugees quit DRC for Rwanda
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A group of 2,500 Burundian refugees, fearing repatriation to their home country, moved Wednesday from the Democratic Republic of Congo to nearby Rwanda, a spokesman said. The refugees belong to an obscure Catholic sect that follows a female prophet called Zebiya and claim to have …
Read More »Boko Haram kidnap raises school safety, education fears
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram’s abduction of 110 girls in northeast Nigeria has prompted fresh fears about safety at schools, nearly four years after a similar kidnapping led to promises of better security. The disappearance of the students from Dapchi, in Yobe state, on February 19, also threatens …
Read More »18 workers abducted in DR Congo wildlife park
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Eighteen employees of a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been abducted by a militia group, sources said on Wednesday. An official with an NGO said the abduction took place on Monday in the area of Nzovu, which lies in the …
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