NEWS ANALYSIS

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country’s young and poor in his second run for the presidency. Weah will face Vice President Joseph Boakai on December …

Activist points out key issues that require urgent action Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10, the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which …

Just as 16th century Europe needed African gold, 21st century Europe needs African migrants COMMENT | IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI | In October, the European Union announced a plan to invest €40 billion ($47.6 billion) in Africa, a “Marshall Plan” for the continent that would boost economic growth, create jobs, and, ultimately, …

Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Tuesday publicly accused North Korea of launching a massive cyberattack that hit 150 countries last May — hobbling networks from Britain’s public health system to FedEx. “After careful investigation, the United States is publicly attributing the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda is renowned world-over for its tough and successful anti-corruption management. But to mark this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day on December 08, the government renewed its call to itizens to break the silence on the still lingering pockets of graft in the country. Speaking at …

Why it would be a miracle if the recent round of talks yielded the inclusive, sustainable peace the country needs COMMENT | CARINE N. KANEZA | Burundi has been gripped by unrest since April 2015; triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s pursuit of a third term. The crisis has led to protests, …

Vienna, Austria | AFP |  “Whizz-kid”, “Basti Fantasti” and “Messiah” are just some of the monikers given to new Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, 31, as of Monday the world’s youngest leader. His conservative People’s Party (OeVP), revamped by Kurz as a more hardline “movement”, agreed late on Friday a coalition …

Justice Kasule’s decent proposal on presidential election petitions Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Two weeks after Kenya’s repeat election held on Oct.26, Justice Remmy Kasule of Uganda’s Constitution Court, bounced a novel idea off another distinguished legal brain in the region— Dr. Willy Mutunga, former chief justice of Kenya. Justice …

African elites are victims of their own delusions about distorted history of developed countries THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Dec.01, I attended the Joseph Mubiru Memorial Lecture hosted by Bank of Uganda and featuring Prof. Ha Joon Chang of the University of Cambridge. A brilliant economist lecturer, …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ANC party, the celebrated political force that led the struggle against apartheid rule and ushered in democracy, has begun electing a new leader — but it faces a perilous future. The risk of losing power at the 2019 general elections has loomed …