William Lacy Swing, a former director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United States diplomat with several postings in Africa, has died. “It is with a heavy heart that I learned of my predecessor’s passing,” said IOM Director General António Vitorino, who replaced Swing in 2018. “His was…
The humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has reached a level of food insecurity not seen since the 2011 famine in Somalia, according to a new United Nations report released Thursday. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update warns that more than 350,000 people in the Tigray conflict zone,…
Namibian opposition leaders rejected a deal negotiated with Germany over the colonial-era deaths of Herero and Nama peoples during a contentious parliamentary session on Tuesday. The agreement, sought for decades and announced in late May, included a concession from Germany that what happened from 1904 to 1908 did in fact…
The Sahel nation of Burkina Faso began a three-day period of mourning on Sunday following a savage armed attack on Solhan, a village in the northeast part of the country near the border with Niger. The attack began Friday night and continued into the early morning hours on Saturday, according…
Nigeria has suspended the use of Twitter across the country, just days after a tweet posted by President Muhammadu Buhari was removed for what the social media platform said was a violation of its rules. Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, announced the decision in a…
African nations can expect 5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the United States, according to U.S. President Joe Biden. The commitment was announced Thursday as part of a U.S. plan to send vaccines to low-income nations still waiting for the lifesaving medicine. Biden described an allocation of the…
The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership following the second coup in the Sahel nation within the past year. The AU said it “totally rejects coups d’état and unconstitutional changes of government,” in a communique issued late Tuesday by the Peace and Security Council. The statement also called on the…
Namibian President Hage Geingob is recovering well following last week’s positive COVID diagnosis, according to a spokesman for the presidency. “The President and the First Lady are in a stable condition and in good spirits. All precautionary measures are taken, and neither the President nor the First Lady have been…
When Mount Nyiragongo erupted on Saturday, residents of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo evacuated the city until the lava flows stopped. Although 17 villages were destroyed and some three dozen people died, the rest were allowed to return – but not for long. That’s because of serious concerns…
Transitional president Bah N’Daw has resigned, according to Malian news sources. The resignation was presented to Assimi Goïta, the transitional vice president, during an emergency meeting with former Nigerian president Jonathan Goodluck and his delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Bah N’Daw has reportedly dissolved his…
Earthquakes continued to rumble in western Rwanda following the weekend eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano, with some 651 Congolese who fled the Goma area now taking refuge across the border, according to Rwandan media. The latest 4.6-magnitude quake happened Tuesday evening near Gisenyi and was one of a series of…
At least 15 people are dead following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday, according to Congolese authorities who continue to assess the damage and coordinate aid response to affected villages. The 15 fatalities come from road accidents during an evacuation of Goma and its surroundings, and include four…
Congolese authorities have activated an evacuation plan for the populous city of Goma following eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday evening. The evacuation decision was made during an emergency meeting held by Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, amid mounting concern over the scope of lava flows and their impact….
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza appeared to be holding on Friday, after diplomats from Egypt, the United States and other nations were able to broker a deal that went into effect in the early morning hours. The uneasy truce came after some 3,400 rockets fired from Gaza…
With just 65 days to go before the opening ceremony of the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it is prepared to hold the games despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the organizational challenges. John Coates, head of the IOC Coordination Commission, issued a…