Another €600 million is headed to African nations as well as other parts of the world, after the European Commission approved additional food security aid it says is needed because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The humanitarian assistance will come from the reserves of the European Development Fund, according to Ursula…
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is in Brussels to attend the European Union-African Union summit on Thursday and Friday. Ramaphosa will participate in discussions on climate change and the energy transition during the first day’s sessions, along with a roundtable on technology and transportation. On Friday, he will serve…
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…
The European Union has committed €15 million to the fight against desert locusts, which have devastated crops in East Africa. It’s the worst outbreak in decades, and a new generation of locusts is now threatening the region with the potential to spread beyond the Horn of Africa and Yemen, into…
Rwanda is the only nation in sub-Saharan Africa that appears to be approved for travel to the European Union as management of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to a list seen by the New York Times. The short list of non-European nations with citizens determined eligible to enter the EU,…
Uganda may be on the list of nations approved for travel in the European Union, once it reopens to the world following weeks of a coronavirus-related ban. But the United States, which has failed to contain its COVID-19 outbreak, may not be. That’s according to a New York Times report…
Ethiopia and Tunisia have been removed, but four African nations are now on a financial crimes watch list issued by the European Union. Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius and Zimbabwe are identified as high-risk countries for money laundering and the potential for funding terrorism, according to an EU statement. The additions are…
The G7 nations completed a conference call on Monday to discuss the global health and economic risk caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as the European Union issued its set of proposals to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the G7 nations are now among the hardest-hit on the planet,…
The European Union (EU) announced it is committing €100 million to support the democratic transition in Sudan, a three-year process that is expected to lead to free and fair elections in 2022. “Besides political support, financial assistance to Sudan remains crucial, given the severity of the economic crisis in the…
The European Union has placed the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles on its “taxation blacklist,” which it says is meant to encourage good governance and help countries reform their tax-haven policies. The EU list of “non-cooperative jurisdictions” now includes 12 nations listed because of concern that their policy environments…
President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique issued a warning Saturday for youth living in the country’s Zambezia region, where armed extremists – some claiming Islamic State affiliation – have been recruiting fighters from the population. “Those who kill can be killed,” said Nyusi, speaking at a rally for Maganja da Costa…
The governments of Morocco and the United Kingdom signed an agreement over the weekend designed to ensure that trade between the two countries will continue as smoothly as possible once the UK leaves the European Union – a deal that underscores the “Brexit” implications for many African nations. “The signing…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Five students from Kenya have been named as short-list finalists for the European Union’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded for exceptional achievements in human rights. The five – Stacy Owino, Cynthia Otieno, Purity Achieng, Mascrine Atieno and Ivy Akinyi – developed an app to help young women…
Unaccompanied minors aboard the Spanish sea rescue ship Open Arms were permitted to disembark at the Italian port of Lampedusa on Saturday, one day after the head of the rescue organization warned the situation aboard the ship – where migrants have been trapped for two weeks – was rapidly deteriorating….
The juxtaposition of the headlines was jarring, in a way that seemed newly unbearable despite all we’ve learned in recent years about African migrants seeking a pathway to Europe, the horrific realities they encounter in transit and in Libya – and the complicity of European governments in their suffering. The…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times