NEWS ANALYSIS

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s main opposition party has blamed a “communication lapse” for its candidate not being present to sign a deal with other candidates for peaceful elections. Atiku Abubakar was a notable absentee at Tuesday’s ceremony in Abuja, at which President Muhammadu Buhari and dozens of other …

Taking democratic temperature as a dozen countries prepare for polls Kampala, Uganda | JOHN J STREMLAU | Visiting Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand More than a dozen national elections will be held across Africa next year. All 55 members of the African Union (AU) are obligated to hold …

Shinny opportunity or sham pyramids? Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Chances are high that what we describe below has happened to you. If it has not happened yet, chances are high that it will happen soon; especially if you work in the corporate or business world. It starts when you …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A video uploaded to Facebook by one of US president Donald Trump’s lawyers claims that 60,000 Christians have been killed by nomadic Muslim herdsmen in central Nigeria since 2001. The claim has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook but AFP has found …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Brief statements from Uganda’s political party leaders and Secretary Generals will dominate the much anticipated Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) summit due to take place on Wednesday at Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo. The summit will be attended by the National Chairman of the ruling …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | What happens now after Prime Minister Theresa May threw the Brexit process into fresh disarray after deferring a vote on her deal in parliament? The embattled leader said she would seek assurances from EU leaders to assuage British lawmakers’ concerns, but faces seemingly implacable …

La Baraque, Mauritius | AFP | Far out into the Indian Ocean where it is forced to be self-reliant, the island nation of Mauritius is weaning itself off fossil fuels by turning to its main cash-crop sugar cane, for electricity. The leftover, crushed sugar cane stalks and tips — dry …

Oslo, Norway | AFP | Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege may have won his Nobel prize for his work to end sexual violence in war, but the crusading surgeon said the groundwork for equality must be laid in peacetime, as he praised movements like #MeToo. Mukwege, whose work has made him …

Washington, United States | AFP | New filings by federal prosecutors have brought major revelations about Russian efforts to forge links to US President Donald Trump before the 2016 election and about illegal payments he allegedly ordered to bury potential sex scandals. Here are some of the key points contained …

Museveni, MPs plot less money in next election Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni’s ruling NRM party spent Shs13 billion on the 996 national election, Shs30 billion in 2001, Shs50 billion in 2006 billion and Shs75 billion in 2011. In the 2016 elections, some estimates indicate, the ruling …