The death toll in Rwanda has risen to 130 following heavy rain and floods that devastated parts of the country’s northwest and southern regions earlier this week. Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente visited the Rubavu District to attend funeral services and assist families on Wednesday. It is one of the nine…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Increasing rainfall linked to climate change is a main factor causing the water level of Lake Tanganyika to rise, with Burundi – one of four African nations bordering the lake – taking the hardest hit. More than 30,000 people have now been affected, with the rising waters forcing people from…
The Oxfam NGO is warning that the world’s poorest nations – two thirds of them on the African continent – don’t have equal access to the COVID vaccines, even as wealthier nations are snapping up doses for their own people. “Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate…
President Pierre Nkurunziza has died in Burundi, according to the government on Tuesday. Nkurunziza, 55, died of a heart attack in hospital. The statement, issued by secretary general and Burundi government spokesman Prosper Ntahorwamiye, said Nkurunziza fell ill late Saturday in the northern Ngozi community following a sporting match. He…
Beijing on Friday was quick to welcome the news from Burundi, where the constitutional court has confirmed May 20 presidential election results that will put Evariste Ndayishimiye into office, replacing outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza but maintaining power for the CNDD-FDD party. “We believe that under the leadership of President Ndayishimiye,…
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will head to Africa next week, with official visits planned in Egypt, Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as Burundi and Zimbabwe. The diplomatic schedule was announced Thursday by the Ministry of Affairs, which noted China’s tradition of beginning each new year on the African continent….
As Burundi works its way toward 2020 elections, there are new reports of threats from the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party known for its violence toward the political opposition of President Pierre Nkurunziza. A recent Human Rights Watch report said the Imbonerakure were forcing people to…
High-level officials in Burundi say they strongly reject the conclusions of a United Nations report released Wednesday, one that expressed concern over risks associated with human rights concerns as the volatile nation moves toward 2020 elections. The report, completed by a team of UN experts including Doudou Diène of Senegal…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has wrapped up its two-day summit in Dar es Salaam, with Tanzanian President John Magufuli taking leadership of the 16-nation body from outgoing chairman President Hage Geingob of Namibia. For now, the SADC will remain at 16 members because Burundi – hoping to join…
Opinions were sharply divided on Burundi during discussions at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, as the nation’s security status was evaluated with an eye toward 2020 presidential elections. President Pierre Nkurunziza has said he will not run again, but his 2015 decision to force a third term and…
Nearly two dozen members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Burundi who were arrested by government authorities were released on Friday, church leaders said. The arrests more than a week ago followed some six months of interference by Burundian officials, according to global church leader Ted N.C. Wilson. The government…
African nations facing critical challenges rarely rank well in the annual World Happiness Report, but there are variations – including a drop in happiness measures across the Middle East and North Africa, and West Africa as home to the most-improved country. The annual report released Wednesday evaluates happiness on the…
Burundi’s antagonism towards United Nations investigators and the UN human rights agency has spanned the years since President Pierre Nkurunziza insisted on a third term in 2015, touching off a political and humanitarian crisis in the small east-central African nation. Now the government has forced the closure of the…
The nation of Burundi hasn’t commanded much international attention since May, when President Pierre Nkurunziza successfully pushed through a referendum that would allow him to remain in power through 2034. Yet the human rights situation there remains dire, according to the World Report 2019 released Thursday by the Human Rights…
Burundi has again pushed back at the findings of a United Nations human rights investigation released Wednesday that found grave violations continue in the small African nation, including summary deaths, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest. Government spokesman Willy Nyamitwe, a senior advisor to President Pierre Nkurunziza and member of his…