Category: News

Africa News Weekly Roundup, June 16-22, 2025

23Jun

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Africa, News

Africa News Weekly Roundup, June 16-22, 2025

This is a roundup of major happenings around Africa between Monday the 16th of June and Sunday the 22nd of June 2025. Kenya: Gold Mine Collapse, Protests Over Custody Death, and Infrastructure Initiatives In West Pokot, Kenya, a tragic gold mine collapse on June 17 resulted in one confirmed death, with local authorities launching an immediate investigation into the safety conditions of artisanal mining operations in the region. The incident underscored the persistent dangers faced by workers in unregulated mining sites, prompting calls for stricter oversight. In Nairobi, public unrest intensified following the death of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody on June 15. Protests erupted across the capital on June 18, with demonstrators accusing security for...

Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré: An Emerging Pan-African Icon

13May

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African Development, Burkina Faso, News

Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré: An Emerging Pan-African Icon

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – May 13, 2025 Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s 37-year-old military leader, is capturing global attention as a self-styled pan-Africanist, drawing both fervent admiration and sharp criticism as he steers the West African nation through a transformative yet turbulent period. A BBC report published on May 12, 2025, highlights Traoré’s growing international appeal, particularly among African youth, for his bold anti-imperialist stance and economic reforms, even as his regime faces accusations of authoritarianism and struggles with a persistent jihadist insurgency. Traoré, who seized power in a 2022 coup, has positioned himself as a modern-day Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary Burkinabè leader assassinated in 1987. His rhetoric, railing against Western im...

Militants Attack Nigerian Army Base in Borno

13May

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Armed Forces, Boko Haram, News, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism

Militants Attack Nigerian Army Base in Borno

Maiduguri, Nigeria – May 13, 2025 * Soldiers Missing Amid Rising Insurgency Suspected Islamist militants launched a brazen attack on a Nigerian army base in Borno’s Marte Local Government Area in the early hours of Monday, May 12, 2025, leaving several soldiers dead, injured, and missing, according to security sources. The assault, attributed to either Boko Haram or its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), marks a troubling escalation in the region’s long-running insurgency, raising fears of a major militant resurgence. The attack targeted the 153 Task Force Battalion base in Marte district, a remote area near Lake Chad, starting around 2:00 AM GMT. A soldier who escaped the assault described how the militants, arriving on motorbikes and gun trucks, laid si...

Kenya’s New Tax Bill Risks Reigniting Gen Z Protests

13May

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African Development, Economy, Finance, Kenya, News

Kenya’s New Tax Bill Risks Reigniting Gen Z Protests

Nairobi, Kenya – May 13, 2025 Kenya’s government is walking a tightrope as it prepares to table a new finance bill for the 2025/26 budget, proposing tax hikes on digital services and fuel to address a looming budget deficit. Despite assurances from Finance Minister John Mbadi on May 7, 2025, that the budget would avoid major new taxes to prevent a repeat of the deadly 2024 protests, recent leaks suggest the government may be reversing course. With the memory of last year’s violent Gen Z protests still fresh—where over 60 young Kenyans were killed and parliament was stormed—the proposed bill threatens to reignite a youth-led movement that could plunge the country into further unrest. Analysts warn that the government’s fiscal strategy, set against a backdrop of economic hardship and erod...

M23 Rebels Trigger Humanitarian Crisis Amid Regional Tensions

4Mar

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African Union, Congo, News, Rwanda

M23 Rebels Trigger Humanitarian Crisis Amid Regional Tensions

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with a deepening crisis as the M23 rebel group intensifies its campaign in the country's mineral-rich east, displacing tens of thousands and exacerbating one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies. As of today, over 50,000 people have fled their homes due to forced conscriptions and violent clashes, with the rebels' recent territorial gains reigniting fears of a broader regional conflict. M23's Rapid Advance and Forced Conscriptions The M23, a Tutsi-led militia widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, has made significant strides in eastern DRC since late 2024. The group captured Goma, the bustling capital of North Kivu province, in late January, followed by Bukavu, the South Kivu provincial capital, in mid-February. The...

Guinea-Bissau’s President Threatens to Expel ECOWAS Mission

3Mar

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ECOWAS, Guinea-Bissau, News

Guinea-Bissau’s President Threatens to Expel ECOWAS Mission

Political tensions in Guinea-Bissau reached a boiling point on Monday as President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s threat to expel a mediation mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) dominated headlines across Africa. The dramatic standoff, which saw the ECOWAS team abruptly depart the country over the weekend, has raised fresh concerns about stability in the coup-prone West African nation and the broader region’s unity. The ECOWAS mission, deployed in late February to broker a resolution to an ongoing election dispute, left Bissau in the early hours of March 1 after what the regional bloc described as explicit threats from President Embalo. The delegation had been tasked with facilitating dialogue between the government and opposition parties over the timing of legis...

Retreating Congolese Army Leaves Child Soldiers in Bukavu

19Feb

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Armed Forces, Congo, News, Rwanda, Violence

Retreating Congolese Army Leaves Child Soldiers in Bukavu

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo – In the ongoing crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Congolese army's retreat from the city of Bukavu has left a vacuum that not only M23 rebels but also children have filled, taking up arms amid the chaos. This development underscores the desperate security situation in the region as M23 rebels, with alleged support from Rwanda, continue their advance, challenging the sovereignty of Congo's eastern borderlands. A City Under Siege: Reports from the ground indicate the M23 rebels have entered Bukavu, a significant commercial and mining hub, following their capture of Goma, the largest city in the area, earlier this month. The Congolese army, known as FARDC, has reportedly withdrawn from strategic positions to avoid urban c...

Inflation Report: “Our Reality on the Ground is Different”

19Feb

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Cost of Living, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

Inflation Report: “Our Reality on the Ground is Different”

Bloomberg's recent announcement of Nigeria's inflation rate dropping to 24.48% in January 2025 has sparked widespread skepticism and outright rejection among Nigerian citizens. Despite the National Bureau of Statistics' (NBS) claim of a significant decrease from December's 34.80%, many Nigerians argue that the data does not reflect their daily economic struggles. The NBS attributed the drop to a rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a move intended to update the basket of goods and services used to measure inflation. However, this statistical adjustment has not translated into tangible relief for the average Nigerian. Public Reaction: In the bustling markets of Lagos, traders like Mrs. Adaeze Okonkwo, who sells staple foods, expressed frustration. "They say inflation is down...

U.S. Freezes Aid to South Africa Over Land Reform Law

10Feb

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Economy, Human Rights, News, South Africa, United States of America

U.S. Freezes Aid to South Africa Over Land Reform Law

- Trump Offers Refuge to White Farmers U.S. President, Donald Trump, has reignited global debates over race, land rights, and international diplomacy, by signing an executive order on February 7, 2025, halting all foreign aid to South Africa. The decision comes in response to South Africa’s controversial new land reform law, which Trump claims discriminates against the country’s white minority, particularly Afrikaner farmers. The executive order also outlines plans to prioritize the resettlement of Afrikaners in the United States as refugees, a proposal that has drawn both praise and sharp criticism. The land reform law, signed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025, allows the government to expropriate land without compensation in specific cases—such as when the...

Five Years On: What Has become of the AfCFTA?

10Feb

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Africa, Economy, News, Trade

Five Years On: What Has become of the AfCFTA?

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was ambitiously launched with the goal of transforming trade across Africa, creating what would be the world's largest free-trade zone by connecting 1.3 billion people and aiming for an additional $450 billion in revenue by 2035. However, five years after its signing in 2019, questions arise about its implementation and overall impact. The Promise of AfCFTA The AfCFTA was designed to dismantle trade barriers, reduce tariffs on 90% of goods by 2034, and foster a single market for goods and services across 55 African countries. It was seen as a pivotal step towards economic integration, promising to elevate intra-African trade, stimulate industrial growth, and enhance economic competitiveness. Early transactions under this framework, suc...