A sharply divided United Nations Security Council discussed the political crisis in Venezuela during an emergency meeting called by the United States on Saturday, with the council’s African members pressing for a national dialogue and respect for Venezuelan sovereignty rather than the forced removal of President Nicolás Maduro. The contentious…
President Muhammadu Buhari has defended the suspension of Nigeria’s chief justice on the grounds of corruption, but the decision ahead of February 16 elections has raised alarm over the motive. Justice Walter Onnoghen would rule on any election-related legal challenge confronting Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) ruling party,…
African nations have thus far remained silent on Venezuela, as global leaders declare their loyalty to President Nicolas Maduro or offer their recognition of a new government under Juan Guiado, the national assembly leader who declared his own interim presidency on Wednesday. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his congratulations…
Felix Tshisekedi was sworn into office in Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, during a ceremony interrupted for 12 minutes as the new president was briefly upset in the moment. “Ça ne va pas,” he said, without any further explanation of what was “not right.” The broadcast of the inauguration…
President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe to deal with the nation’s protests and political crisis, skipping a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that followed his official visits to Russia and Eastern Europe. The president defended his decision to raise fuel prices – the proximal cause of…
The Constitutional Court in Democratic Republic of Congo has dismissed an appeal filed by losing presidential candidate Martin Fayulu, in a ruling late Saturday that paves the way for final confirmation of a victory for Felix Tshisekedi of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). The court’s decision was…
The African Union has called on the Democratic Republic of Congo to suspend the announcement of final results in the contested December 30 elections, following an emergency meeting at AU headquarters on Thursday. The AU and other stakeholders in Addis Ababa said there were “serious doubts” on provisional results that…
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in Greece, conceded that a migration deal struck between Turkey and the European Union in 2016 isn’t working as planned but Europe will continue to support its implementation. That deal affecting Middle Eastern and North African migrants immediately ended crossings from Turkey into Greece, with…
Lambert Mende, the information minister for the Democratic Republic of Congo, was quick to condemn France for a “colonialist attitude” after its foreign minister questioned results of the December 30 presidential election that give opposition politician Felix Tshisekedi the win. Mende, a ruling party loyalist and ally of outgoing President…
The Democratic Republic of Congo was still waiting early Thursday morning, as the 11:00 p.m. deadline for announcing results from the contentious December 30 presidential election came and went. It was nearly two hours later when chief Corneille Nangaa and election officials with CENI, the national electoral commission, finally entered the…
The new president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, appealed for unity after Monday’s high court ruling confirmed his victory in the island nation’s December 19 elections. “I’m the president of all the Malagasy,” said Rajoelina, who received 56 percent of the vote. “They chose patriotism and development. … Now let’s get…
Former South African president Jacob Zuma joined his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a show of African National Congress unity on Tuesday as the ANC celebrated its anniversary in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The celebration at the Ohlange Institute – a site founded by the first ANC president in 1912 –…
The top election official in Democratic Republic of Congo complained that foreign diplomats are interfering with the CENI electoral commission’s work, even as Sunday’s deadline passed with no results of the December 30 election made public. Corneille Nangaa told local journalists that “diplomats are trying to threaten us” but did…
The United Nations chief says he’s backing Nicholas Haysom, the top UN diplomat in Somalia who was told by its government that he could no longer work in his role in the country. Nonetheless, the UN will be appointing a new special representative to serve as head of UNSOM. The…
Congolese election officials face pressure from within and outside the country to release legitimate polling results, even as the CENI electoral commission warns of delays in publishing provisional results expected on Sunday. The Roman Catholic bishops of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), influential for more than two years…