Several activist groups have raised their voices in protest against the recent arrest of six bloggers and three journalists by the government.
Reports indicate that…
All posts in April 2014
Misplaced opposition to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
By Minga Negash, Seid Hassan and Mammo Muchie
The 1929 Nile water allocation agreement that was signed by Egypt and the United Kingdom (which excluded…
President Kenyatta signs Marriage Act 2014 into law
The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, on Tuesday gave his approval to new laws governing marriages in the bustling east African nation.
The Marriage Act…
Kenya: Cabinet approves 2014/15 budget
Kenya’s cabinet have given their assent to the treasury’s proposed budget for 2014/15.
During a special gathering of the ministers on Sunday, the group reportedly…
Somalia and Kenya in diplomatic row
The Somali government have recalled the country’s Ambassador to Kenya, Mohamed Ali Nur, for ‘consultations’ over the controversial operation ‘Uslama Watch’ as well as the…
Somalia: Cabinet approves new governor of central bank
Somali ministers have selected Bashir Isse Ali to head the country’s central bank.
Ali, who has been described as a veteran banker, had been serving…
South Sudan: Peace talks to resume in Addis Ababa today
Representatives of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar have reportedly made their way to the capital of Ethiopia ahead of the resumption of their negotiations…
Police confront Semayawi Party protesters
Police officers have reportedly jarred with members of the opposition Blue Party once again during the group’s much anticipated demonstrations in the past two days.…
Ethiopia to host CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup 2014
The Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) have announced that Ethiopia has been selected as the host country for the 2014 Senior…
World Bank approves grant for hydropower project in Burundi
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have agreed to provide $100 to jointly finance the construction of two hydropower stations in Burundi.
The World…
Kenya: Car bomb kills 4 in Pangani
Four people have been killed and many others injured after a car bomb went off outside the premises of the Pangani Police Station on Wednesday…
Special court to rule on fate of 4 South Sudanese politicians
Judges at a Special Court in Juba presiding over the trial of four South Sudanese politicians accused of treason are reportedly set to pass a…
Activist groups report on Kenya’s weak human rights record
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have accused the jubilee government of failing to live up to its…
Kenya: Gunmen seize UN vehicle in Dadaab
Three unidentified gunmen attacked and made away with a United Nations vehicle from the Hagadera refugee camp, south-eastern Somalia, on Wednesday morning.
Fafi District Commissioner,…
Terrorists assassinate another Somali MP
Unknown gunmen linked to the Islamic militant group, al Shabab, have shot and killed a member of the federal parliament on Monday at Madina district.…
Nairobi dam set to be cleaned
County officials have unveiled a plan to undertake a major clean up exercise on the Nairobi dam.
The Chairman of the Nairobi Dam Restoration Taskforce,…
Ugandan forces capture top LRA lieutenant
The Ugandan military have apprehended a top lieutenant of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA), Charles Okello, during a battle between the rebels and government forces…
UN: Rebels kill hundreds of civilians in Bentiu
Rebel forces loyal to Riek Machar have killed about 200 civilians and injured up to 400 this past week in a number of ethnically-driven attacks…
Somali MP assassinated in car bomb
At least one member of the Federal Somali Parliament has been killed on Monday and another injured after a car they were driving in exploded…
South Sudan: Angry mob attack UN base in Bor
A group of Dinka youths have laid siege to a United Nations compound in Bor on Thursday, killing an unknown number of people and injuring…
Dahabshiil resolves dispute with Barclays Bank
One of the largest money transfer operators in Africa, Dahadshiil, has settled a protracted dispute with Barclays Bank over the multinational financial institution’s decision to…
Djibouti sets free Eritrean prisoners
The Government of Djibouti has released over 200 Eritrean citizens who have been in detention in the country for reportedly close to five years.
Reports…
South Sudan: Rebels claim control of key oil-producing town
Rebels loyal to former South Sudanese deputy leader, Riek Machar, say they have taken over Bentiu, capital of the oil-rich Unity State.
According to a…
Sudan: Government imposes restrictions on political parties
The Government of Sudan has issued a decree imposing restrictions on political assembly and media commentary.
Reports indicate that the order, issued on Monday by…
British Petroleum signs exploration agreement with Somalia
British Petroleum has entered an agreement with the Somali government to resume its oil and gas exploration activities, which were abruptly stopped in 1991 after…
Kenya’s online cargo system to be launched next month
Kenya is set to launch an online system for clearing cargo next month.
President Kenyatta will officially roll out the system in May, reports indicate.…
Uganda: Government returns properties to Kingdom of Buganda
President Yoweri Musuveni today symbolically handed over a document listing some properties confiscated by the state from the Kingdom of Buganda in 1966 to deputy…
Eritrea: Ortac Resources announces discovery of gold deposits in Ber Gebey
Ortac Resources has confirmed the presence of gold deposits in Ber Gebey after a silica-barito rock sample recovered from the area tested for gold values…
Tanzania’s VP survives helicopter crash
The Vice President of Tanzania, Gharib Bilal, and several other top officials escaped unhurt after a helicopter they were in crashed into a wall as…
Somali government, humanitarian groups voice concerns over Kenya’s crackdown on illegal Somali migrants
Somali authorities and several humanitarian groups (including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) have called on Kenya’s security agencies to review their handling of the…
Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang wins London Marathon
The current marathon world record holder, Wilson Kipsang, added another medal to his collection on Sunday after winning the men’s London Marathon in record time…
Ethiopian defence ministry ready to protect renaissance dam against attacks
Ethiopia’s Minister of Defense, Siraj Fegessa, has told the country’s legislators that his ministry is prepared to shield the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) from…
South Sudan to join regional railway project
South Sudan will join Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda in a standard gauge railway (SGR) project that seeks to enhance regional integration and trade.
A Joint…
IGAD team officially commences monitoring of ceasefire agreement in South Sudan
The Intergovernmental Authority for Development’s (IGAD) monitoring and verification teams have kicked off their operations in South Sudan.
According to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, the…
Kenya Airways plane skids off runway in Dar es Salaam
A Kenya Airways Embraer ERJ-190 flight from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam has skidded off the runway as it landed at the Julius Nyerere International…
Somali fishermen get ID cards
The Somali government has commenced a plan to issue fishermen with identification cards to eliminate the possibility of them being mistaken for pirates.
Puntland’s Ministry…
Ethiopia’s coffee industry booms
Since late last year, a severe drought has stunted growth on coffee plantations in the heart of Brazil’s coffee-growing region and this is reportedly stimulating…
2 Kenyan aid workers rescued from al Shabab
The Kenyan Army under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) command have reportedly rescued 2 aid workers kidnapped by Islamic militant group, al Shabab,…
Supreme Court hears case against Kampala’s Mayor
The Supreme Court today tabled the application of the embattled Lord Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, challenging an injunction against his return to office.
Lukwago…
Sudan and South Sudan leaders meet in Khartoum
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir hosted his counterpart, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, in Khartoum recently amid ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in the…
Kenya: opposition party denounces Eastleigh operation
One of Kenya’s main opposition party has expressed “strong displeasure” over the government’s crack down on illegal migrants in Nairobi’s Somali-populated Eastleigh district.
According to…
East African countries agree to construct oil refinery in Uganda
East African leaders from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have agreed on the process of implementing the construction of a regional oil refinery, which will be…
Egypt ceases transactions with Sudanese banks
The Central Bank of Egypt has ordered all banks in the country to freeze their dealings with Sudanese banks over concerns that these institutions may…
US presses Burundi to abandon controversial constitutional changes
The United States has appealed to the Burundian government to drop its planned constitutional amendments which has been the source of political tension in the…
Kenyan police continue crack down on illegal migrants
Since Saturday, Kenyan security agents have apprehended reportedly about 6,000 foreigners in Nairobi – mostly Somalis – in the wake of a spate of terrorist…
Ethiopia and Kenya to speed up Special Status Agreement to boost business ties
Ethiopia and Kenya plan to speed up the implementation of a Special Status Agreement (SSA) to improve trade and investment between one another.
This decision…
Ethiopia campaigns to win Egypt’s support for renaissance dam
The Ethiopian government has heightened diplomatic efforts to secure the support of the Egyptian government for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)…
Ugandan government makes concessions to anti-homosexuality stance
The Ugandan government has agreed to some compromises to appease its western partners after the country’s enactment of a contentious law against homosexuality in February…