Russian officials have condemned the newly imposed European Union sanctions brought on over the role of Wagner Group and private military fighters in the Sahel, defending the right of African nations to choose the services if they so prefer. “Private military companies are not controlled by official Russian authorities. Independent…
Politicians and business leaders from three African nations face new sanctions imposed by the United States on the basis of alleged involvement in corruption and other activities. Among them is Liberia’s Prince Yormie Johnson, a member of the West African nation’s senate who is implicated in the 1990 death of…
A draft version of the decisions on climate change made at COP26 in Scotland was released Wednesday, with much of the emphasis placed on the needs of developing nations—and the admission that so far, wealthier countries have failed at their commitments. The draft document registers the regret “that the goal…
French oil major TotalEnergies is pushing back against detailed claims that its companies certainly knew of the threat of climate change by 1971, while proceeding to shift its defense of its products and its messaging across the decades. The 50-year description of Total’s engagement with climate change was published in…
There’s a new ruling on the dispute over the maritime border between Kenya and Somalia, but that doesn’t mean that either nation got everything it wanted from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Somalia has long argued that it never agreed to a maritime border, or legal…
Zambia’s overall debt on loans made by Chinese entities is nearly double what was reported by the former administration under Edgar Lungu, according to a new report from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) in the United States. The report puts the actual figure at US$6.6 billion in August 2021….
More than US$73 million has gone missing from the coffers in South Sudan in just the last two years, according to a new Commission on Human Rights report. That money was diverted by the country’s ruling elites, the United Nations rights agency said, and is a fraction of the total…
The World Health Organization issued new guidelines on air pollution Wednesday that dramatically reduce the levels of particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants linked to a range of diseases. These illnesses include heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, and respiratory diseases including asthma. “Since WHO’s last 2005 global update, there has…
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations plans to put climate action at the center of all its projects and offices, following a meeting in Rome to evaluate a new strategy and discuss its impact. Speaking to participants, FAO chief Qu Dongyu said the world is facing…
The Rwandan military says it captured the Mozambican port of Mocímboa da Praia on Sunday, while also taking the airport and the regional headquarters. The city has been an insurgent stronghold for more than two years, with catastrophic results for civilians living in this part of Cabo Delgado province and…
South Africa and the other members of the G20 Environment Ministers issued a final communiqué following their meeting in Italy, but they’ve failed to come to terms on a global coal phaseout. The meeting, which in some respects signals what to expect ahead of the COP26 climate meeting in Scotland…
Egypt plans to expand the southern part of the Suez Canal, where the MV Ever Given captured global attention after getting stuck for nearly a week and shutting down the key marine shipping route. Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, made the announcement Tuesday during events attended by…
Morocco and Kenya are leading the way on Africa’s clean energy transition, but more progress is needed as two-thirds of the continent’s expanding power generation is still supported by fossil fuels. That’s according to a new Global Electricity Review released by campaigners with the British NGO Ember. At 16 percent,…
French oil major Total says it has backed out of its US$20 billion LNG project in Mozambique, just days ahead of an expected decision on military intervention in the southern African nation. “Considering the evolution of the security situation in the north of the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, Total…
The British government’s investment in developing liquified natural gas (LNG) projects in Mozambique – projects contributing to the conflict and instability in the country’s north – is headed for judicial review following a successful legal filing from the Friends of the Earth. The London-based NGO says the decision to approve…