South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stepped into his new leadership role as African Union president on Sunday, taking the helm from outgoing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt as the AU Summit got under way. Ramaphosa kept security issues top of mind in keeping with the AU Summit theme – South…
The African Union has long held a goal of establishing peace and security on the continent by 2020, though clearly the AU has fallen short of its worthy ambitions. Leaders attending the AU Summit in Addis Ababa have not forgotten, with “Silencing the Guns” as the central theme of the…
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, host of Sunday’s international conference on Libya in Berlin, said all parties have agreed to honor an oft-violated arms embargo as the parties move forward in a new framework for peace. Both Government of National Accord leader Fayez al-Sarraj and rival Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan…
It’s been nearly four decades since the vision for an Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) began, but – despite recognition by the African Union as one of its regional pillars – the organization has never achieved the cooperative stability of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) or the…
Last week brought a landmark agreement between the World Health Organisation and the African Union, designed to help the continent push towards the goal of universal healthcare. Under the terms of the agreement, inked at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, the international organisation will provide specialist support to Africa’s medical…
Tuesday was the target date for South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar to have formed a unified transitional government, but that’s been delayed for 100 days – and that decision is welcomed by the United Nations. UN Secretary General António Guterres, in a statement released through…
China delivered a blistering retort on Monday to new remarks about spying at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, a claim that has circulated in recent years but was recently referenced by a U.S. official seeking to persuade nations not to use China’s Huawei firm and its equipment. Spokesman…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
As the nation of Guinea-Bissau moves toward the November 24 election, President José Mário Vaz has yielded to pressure from the West African regional organization ECOWAS – as well as concerns from the African Union – and reinstated his former prime minister amid growing political unrest. Vaz met with a…
There’s cause for optimism that Sudan’s transition to civilian government and democratic principles will be successful in the long term, but a new report released Monday warns that many economic and security challenges remain. That’s according to the Crisis Group, which appealed to the international community to keep its focus…
Migrants trapped in deteriorating conditions in Libya may be headed to Rwanda, following the announcement Tuesday of a deal between the central African nation, the African Union and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to evacuate them. “Under the agreement, the Government of Rwanda will receive and provide protection to…
While there are quite a few issues confronting participants of the G7 meetings in France – from the wildfires in the Amazon to the “surprise” appearance of the Iranian foreign minister – they haven’t overshadowed the importance of Africa on the agenda. That’s made clear by the number of African…
China on Monday congratulated African nations following the weekend launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Niamey, Niger, during an African Union summit that saw Niger and Benin join the near-complete list of African nations signed to the trade deal. The achievement was welcomed by China’s ministry…
Some 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders across the globe, according to the newly released World Drug Report 2019, and the higher numbers – especially where opioid use is concerned – are derived in part from a 2017 drug use survey in Nigeria (as well as India) that…
The African Union made good on its threat to suspend Sudan from AU participation on Thursday, insisting on a civilian-led transitional government denied by a Transitional Military Council in acting authority since the April ouster of former president Omar al-Bashir. A communique followed the AU Peace and Security Council meeting…
Opposition leaders in Sudan, outraged by Monday’s attacks on protesters they say left more than 30 dead, have called for an “all-out political strike and civil disobedience” as they cut off negotiations with the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC). The Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change issued a…