The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said Saturday that he is deeply concerned about instability in the West African nation of Gabon as its leader remains hospitalized. Faki, alongside AU President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, wished President Ali Bongo a full recovery in an announcement made…
The African Union has approved a USD$681.5 million budget for 2019 during its extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa, which began Wednesday. The details include $273.3 million for financing the peacekeeping budget, with another $249.8 million to the AU program budget and $158.5 million for the operational budget. There are now…
South Africa’s deputy foreign minister met with the prime minister of Western Sahara on Sunday as part of a four-day visit to the long-disputed government seeking independence from Morocco. The visit by Llewellyn Landers aims to deepen diplomatic relations between South Africa and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), according to…
Turkey is set to welcome ministers and business representatives from 49 African countries as the two-day Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Forum begins in Istanbul on Wednesday. This year’s forum is jointly organized by the African Union Commission, the Turkish Ministry of Commerce and Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK). Participants…
United States President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement has been met with a flurry of diplomatic responses, including concerns expressed by the African Union. Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission, released a statement Wednesday in support of the July 2015 agreement, known…
The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement has been signed by 80 percent of African Union member nations, paving the way for expanded markets and economic growth and development. Eighty percent of the 55 AU nations heeded the call of AU Chairman Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, and AU…
Former United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson left Nigeria and landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C. shortly after 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday. He cut short a high-visibility trip to five African nations, meant to assure African partners that the U.S. is committed to their…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says his nation supports United Nations Security Council reforms that would expand representation of nations in the developing world, including Africans. His remarks came alongside Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union (AU) Commission, during a press conference following Lavrov’s visit to AU headquarters…
Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Saturday they want the United Nations Security Council to reconsider the African Union troop drawdown and transition to Somali security forces authorized under last year’s Resolution 2372. Their position was decided at a summit of the Troop…
Bience Gawanas of Namibia has been named by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres as Special Adviser on Africa, a decision welcomed by the African Union (AU) on Tuesday. “Africa will be well served and we look forward to working with Ms Gawanas and the rest of the United Nations…
One can’t help but wonder what was going through the minds of Botswana’s Ministry of International Affairs staff this week, as they prepared the official response to United States President Donald Trump’s reported remarks about African nations. It’s hard to imagine, without wincing, any real-life scenario in which thoughtful diplomats…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The international news coverage on Libyan slave markets over the past week has resulted in a lot of issued statements, coming from outraged and passionate Parisian street protesters to British sports heroes to presidents and diplomats. “I am here because I saw my brothers sold in Libya as tomatoes on a counter,…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
New African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat officially begins his role Tuesday, as outgoing chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma comes to the end of her tenure in Addis Ababa. Moussa Faki, the foreign minister of Chad who previously served as the nation’s prime minister, has said he will make the…
Morocco’s readmission to the African Union (AU) was a welcome development to many – including Western Sahara itself — but it’s already become a controversial point among some member states, including South Africa and Kenya. “Morocco is not returning to the African Union through the back door, but by the…
The African Union will meet next week in Addis Ababa for the 28th AU Summit, and the five candidates vying to replace Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma are heading into their final campaign lap before voting begins. Dlamini Zuma, who plans a presidential run in South Africa, announced almost a year…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times