International NGO Amnesty International has welcomed the news that political prisoner Eskinder Nega is listed among 746 prisoners in Ethiopia set to be released as part of a government pardon, yet it joined other democracy and human rights advocates in pressing for an end to all such cases. “It is…
Burundi’s record on human rights came under scrutiny again at the weekend, as presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe was met Saturday by a band of diasporan protesters during a visit to the United States. Nyamitwe, the top aide and highly visible spokesman for Pierre Nkurunziza, was visiting his family in Portland,…
Cameroonian-American writer and scholar Patrice Nganang is home safely in the United States, after a sudden reversal by authorities in Cameroon saw his release from prison and quick deportation. “Finally home, tired,” said Nganang in a Facebook post late Thursday, as his travels from Cameroon to Washington D.C. and New…
Cameroonian-American writer and scholar Patrice Nganang has remained in prison in Yaoundé over the holidays, ahead of a January 19 court date. Nganang was first detained at the Douala airport, where he checked his bags and planned to board a flight to Zimbabwe on December 6. His wife reported that…
Former president Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia and international businessman Dan Gertler, implicated in corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are among 13 individuals added to a United States Department of Treasury list of those subject to imposed economic sanctions under the government’s Magnitsky Act. “Treasury…
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, head of the United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), plans on stepping down next year because the climate for defending human rights across the globe has muted the power of advocacy in the role. A clearly discouraged yet defiant Zeid notified…
President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza has launched his campaign on a national referendum that would change the constitution to allow for multiple seven-year terms in office – terms that he would be eligible to serve through 2034 if the changes go into effect. Nkurunziza appeared Tuesday before throngs of Burundians…
European governments share responsibility in the exploitation and torture of thousands of African migrants trapped in Libya, driven by “a policy of containment” that leaves them at the mercy of Libyan authorities and human traffickers they actively support, Amnesty International said Tuesday. The human rights organization released a new report,…
Prosecutors in Cameroon now say writer and university professor Patrice Nganang faces charges of contempt of state for publicly insulting President Paul Biya, while also accusing the 47-year-old scholar of death threats, illegal immigration and forgery. Nganang and his attorney, Emmanuel Simh, disputed the charges during a Saturday hearing, according…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The detention of writer Patrice Nganang in Cameroon has been met with outcry from the international community, including the press advocacy organization PEN International’s chapter in the United States. Nganang was born in Cameroon and is now Professor of Literary and Cultural Theory at Stony Brook University in New York….
The United States has decided to end participation in the UN process to develop a Global Compact on Migration (GCM), the U.S. Department of State said Sunday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the compact, adopted by the UN in September 2016, requires negotiations to be based on the…
President of Botswana Ian Khama delivered his final State of the Nation address Monday, as he prepares for the end of his term and the transition to Vice President Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi’s tenure. In the address, Khama reiterated “Botswana’s strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is the…
A United States legislator is again pressing for a vote on House Resolution 128, a measure calling for human rights protections and inclusive governance in Ethiopia that was supposed to be up for a vote last month. It was postponed by what supporters say is suppression by the Ethiopian government. “It…
Congolese opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi says he was prevented Tuesday afternoon from leaving a hotel in Lubumbashi, where he has stayed since the weekend arrest of activists meeting at the headquarters of his Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party. “I am prevented from leaving the hotel to go and…
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Paris Monday night, beginning a three-day state visit with French President Emmanuel Macron that’s drawn outcry from international human rights organizations over repression in Egypt. Macron and Sisi, who is traveling with key government ministers, are expected to meet at Élysée Palace Tuesday to discuss regional…