Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libya’s coastguard has rescued over 3,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the past week, while Italy picked up another 2,000 in recent days, official and reports said Sunday. Though the numbers attempting the dangerous journey have dropped off significantly in recent months, …
Read More »UGANDA: 20 women killed
What police is doing wrong Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The woman’s body was lying in the bush near a popular boat docking site not far from a barracks. Her skirt was covered in blood. Parts of her hands and on leg were missing. Her husband was in the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Nalufenya torture
After mayor released quietly, 21 victims accuse security Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | The ping pong being played by security authorities in handling the case involving over 20 suspects charged with the murder of AIGP Felix Kaweesi, his body guard and driver, has renewed concerns of human rights observers. …
Read More »‘Get lost!’: How some Germans hope to shout down Merkel
Ostseebad Binz, Germany | AFP | Chancellor Angela Merkel may appear to be cruising to a victory in next week’s elections, but her campaign rallies across Germany have been plagued by rowdy protesters who jeer, boo and even throw tomatoes at her. From the western university town of Heidelberg to the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Unwelcome in Israel, African refugees dream of home
Tel Aviv, Israel | AFP | Tens of thousands of Africans who fled misery at home for safety in Israel are living in limbo, fearing deportation though some have lived in the country for more than a decade. Recognising a rising tide of discontent among Israelis over the migrants’ presence …
Read More »Fear, confusion as Uganda ‘serial killer’ murders pile up
Fear, confusion as Uganda ‘serial killer’ murders pile up Entebbe, Uganda | Michael O’HAGAN | AFP | “We keep finding bodies. It was once a month then once every two or three weeks then every week,” said Rose Nakasinge, a middle-aged farmer. “We had to do something.” In a gruesome spate …
Read More »Empty villages, Rohingya on the run: Who is left in Myanmar’s Rakhine?
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | A military campaign to wipe out Rohingya insurgents has rained violence down on Myanmar’s Rakhine state, sending nearly 390,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees fleeing for sanctuary in Bangladesh. Around 30,000 Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been displaced, as ethnic and religious hatreds carve through the state. …
Read More »Togo bucks the trend of political reform in W.Africa
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | His family has ruled Togo for more than 50 years but President Faure Gnassingbe has in the last week faced unprecedented public pressure to step down. He and his country stand alone in West Africa in resisting calls for constitutional reform, even as parliament begins …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Annulling an election
ANALYSIS: What made Kenya’s Supreme Court ruling possible. Why it cannot happen in Uganda Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Minutes after the historic Supreme Court ruling in Kenya that nullified the Aug. 8 presidential election, someone tweeted a quick thought, “It is not an understatement to say that Kenya’s Supreme Court has taught …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Why Uganda democracy activists jubilated over annulment of Kenya election
Cost of democracy: Uganda democracy activists jubilate over court annulment of Kenya election Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On Oct.17, Kenyans will get back into the long queues to vote again after the Supreme Court annulled the last presidential election which saw incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta, declared winner. The next election will be exactly …
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