Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Former president Marc Ravalomanana has accepted defeat in Madagascar’s presidential election, a day after the country’s Constitutional Court confirmed Andry Rajoelina as the new leader of the Indian Ocean island nation. Ravalomanana had lodged a complaint alleging widespread fraud in the December 19 run-off vote …
Read More »From disease treatment to health promotion
Health ministry plans major switch in 2019 healthcare Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | As 2018 ended, President Museveni was seen getting more involved in the country’s healthcare. First he launched the Presidential Fast Track Initiative to encourage men to get tested for HIV and enroll on treatment and then …
Read More »Money in elections
It doesn’t mean what you think it does Kampala, Uganda | SUZANNE ROBBINS | Money is indispensable in American electoral campaigns. Without it, candidates cannot amplify their message to reach voters and it’s harder to motivate people to take interest and vote. Nevertheless, a May 2018 Pew survey revealed a …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari accepts setbacks in Boko Haram fight
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged setbacks in the fight against Boko Haram as the jihadists launched fresh attacks in the restive northeast. The 76-year-old head of state was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Islamist insurgency, which has killed more than …
Read More »Pressure mounts on DR Congo to announce election outcome
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Public and diplomatic pressure mounted Monday on the Democratic Republic of Congo to announce the outcome of December 30 elections to replace long-term leader Joseph Kabila. More than a week after the crucial poll, the volatile central African country’s electoral commission has not set …
Read More »Ghosn to appear in court: what happens next?
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The case of auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn has gripped Japan and the business world since his stunning arrest in November, and now he is finally getting his day in court. Ghosn will be able to make his first public statement at a brief hearing on …
Read More »Uganda’s deadly highways
Poor road design leading cause of fatalities Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Whenever there is a fatal accident on any of Uganda’s highways, traffic police almost always blames “human error.” Uganda is a landlocked country and available statistics show that every year, 97% of goods and almost 100% of passengers …
Read More »Fighting Bobi Wine
BOBI WIN: Will banning the legislator’s concerts cripple him politically? Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Young. Muganda. Catholic. Pop star. This combo makes singer turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine the most complicated political opponent President Yoweri Museveni faces ahead of the 2021 elections. But while the first three …
Read More »Sudan protests biggest threat yet to Bashir: analysts
Paris, France | AFP | Deadly protests that have grown across Sudan in recent weeks are the biggest threat to President Omar al-Bashir’s iron-fisted rule since he swept to power in a 1989 coup, experts said. Clashes have killed at least 19 since demonstrations began two weeks ago, initially in …
Read More »Somalia tells UN not to interfere after expelling envoy
United Nations, United States | AFP | Somalia on Thursday told the UN Security Council not to interfere in its national affairs after expelling a UN envoy who questioned the government’s decision to arrest an al-Shabaab defector running for election. Somali Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman did not specifically mention his …
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