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 …
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Guwahati, India | AFP | Thousands in northeastern India protested Monday against a proposal to grant citizenship to religious minorities in the region, except Muslims, with critics attacking the bill as prejudiced and a sop to Hindus before elections. Protesters burned copies of the legislation in angry marches across Assam …
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Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique said Monday it was working with US and South African authorities after its former finance minister was arrested in Johannesburg over $2 billion in alleged secret loans to Mozambican state companies. Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested on December 29 and will appear in a …
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Monday reopened a border crossing between their countries as part of an ongoing reconciliation between the former foes. The two leaders re-opened the border crossing between Humera in Ethiopia and Oum Hajer in …
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A desperate legal fight by 18-year-old Saudi Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to stop her deportation from Bangkok airport has yet again shone a spotlight on the treatment of women in her homeland. Ultraconservative Saudi Arabia is striving to craft a new image — but …
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Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday handed responsibility for his re-election campaign to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a sign of rapprochement with the man who masterminded his landmark 2015 election win. Former Lagos state governor Tinubu, head of the All Progressives Congress (APC), helped Buhari become …
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Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) refused Sunday to rule out corruption-plagued ex-President Jacob Zuma as a candidate in parliamentary elections. Zuma, who led the country from 2009 until he was forced by the party to step down last year, faces 16 charges …
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Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country on Sunday. The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over …
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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 …
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THE LAST WORD: Why the President’s emphasis on hairstyles to assert the African identity addresses the form and ignores the substance THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On December 30, 2018, President Yoweri Museveni tweeted thanking Miss World Africa, Quiin Abenakyo, for heeding his “advice” to keep her hair …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price