After September peace deal, new report reveals likely hotspots for war Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On Oct.31, happiness and joy filled the South Sudanese capital, Juba, when several high profile leaders in eastern Africa joined President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Dr. Riek Machar, to celebrate the “return …
Read More »Museveni hails Kiir, Machar for signing revitalised peace deal
Juba, South Sudan | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has told the people of South Sudan that war should never be used again to solve political arguments between brothers and sisters. He said war is wasteful and this was an unnecessary conflict. “Thank you very much for attending …
Read More »South Sudan Vice President Machar back in Juba after 2 years
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar returned to the capital Juba for the first time in more than two years Wednesday, saying he arrived with a message of peace. Machar, who under the terms of the September deal is to be reinstated as vice president, …
Read More »Burundi govt to miss last round of crisis dialogue
Arusha, Tanzania | AFP | Burundi’s government said on Wednesday it would miss a last round of crisis talks in Tanzania that aimed to set up elections for 2020. “Since October is a month of mourning in Burundi, the government has suggested that talks scheduled for October 24 be delayed,” …
Read More »Kivu, Africa’s Great Lakes battleground
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s region of Kivu, where 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner doctor Denis Mukwege is based, has been caught up in conflict and war for 24 years. The fighting inflicts on Kivu — which is divided into North and South provinces …
Read More »Hope, scepticism as warring South Sudan leaders sign peace deal
Latest meetings between Kiir, Machar and regional leaders offer slim hope Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Since South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his main rival Dr. Riek Machar agreed to a permanent ceasefire in Khartoum on June 27, many refugees living in Uganda have been watching proceedings with cautious …
Read More »‘Machar back as South Sudan Vice President’
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | South Sudan’s warring leaders agreed to a power-sharing deal in Uganda Saturday that will see the rebel leader return to his position as vice president, Sudan’s foreign minister said. “It has been agreed that there will be four vice presidents: the current two vice presidents, plus …
Read More »Death of Mozambique rebel leader shakes peace process
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s president said the country’s fragile peace process must not collapse after rebel leader Afonso Dhlakama, who had opened talks with the government, died unexpectedly aged 65. President Filipe Nyusi hailed Dhlakama as “a citizen who has always worked for Mozambique” and said he was …
Read More »At UN, Colombia’s president says drugs is main threat to peace
United Nations, United States | AFP | Delivering a swansong address to the United Nations, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos called Tuesday for a shift in the global approach to drug trafficking, which he described as the main threat to peace. Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating an …
Read More »Bill Clinton hails ‘genius’ of N.Ireland peace deal 20 years on
Belfast, United Kingdom | AFP | Former US president Bill Clinton on Tuesday celebrated the “genius” of the Northern Ireland peace deal 20 years ago, as he joined key political figures in Belfast to mark the anniversary of the historic accord. “The Good Friday Agreement is the work of genius that’s …
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