NEWS ANALYSIS

Expensive hotels: Top operators offer solutions to trend threatening tourism sector Build more high-end hotels and attract more international hotel chains to create competition and lower rates. Those are some of the views of experts in Uganda’s hotel sector about the high costs of hotel accommodation in Uganda which they …

Details of accusations against Isabalija emerge In what appears to be a continuing standoff between the Secretary to Treasury (ST), Keith Muhakanizi and officials of the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL), The Independent has learnt that Muhakanizi was apparently blocked from auditing UEGCL accounts. The Independent has obtained a …

EAC member states must do something flying geese do very well: have a leader Burundi’s recent attempt to join the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been blocked. But it raises questions about what EAC member states should do about its cold neighbour. Burundi, which has been a member of …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP |  With a spike in militia killings, a deepening humanitarian crisis and the army still in shambles, the Central African Republic’s bid for peace and stability remains elusive. A three-year civil war that erupted in 2013 between Muslim and Christian militias left thousands of …

Washington, United States | AFP | Stark differences between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on everything from trade to immigration were in full view during an icy first meeting at the White House Friday. In a frequently awkward joint press conference, Trump and Merkel showed little common …

Washington, United States | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says diplomacy has failed and military action against nuclear-armed North Korea is an “option on the table,” and President Donald Trump insists a long-range nuke from Pyongyang “won’t happen.” While war with North Korea may be unlikely for now, …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Dozens of armed factions have battled for control of oil-rich Libya since the 2011 fall of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. This week, four days of intense fighting saw pro-unity government armed forces expand their control in the capital Tripoli, where dozens of militias operate. Further east, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The seizing of the Aris 13 tanker and its Sri Lankan crew on Monday — the first successful attack by Somali pirates since 2012 — came as little surprise to John Steed of the Oceans Beyond Piracy campaign group. International naval patrols and anti-piracy measures on …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Issa Hayatou, the last of the old generation leaders in world football, faces a rare and determined challenge when he bids for an eighth term as head of the Confederation of African Football in Thursday’s election. Ahmad Ahmad, head of the Madagascar Football Assocation, …

Libyans vow to take on Uganda after `quitting’ It is not clear what the Uganda government’s plan is since it announced that the Libyan owners of Uganda Telecom Ltd (UTL) have quit, but the move might get dirty if the Libyans instead implement a fight for the company. The government …