Zambia’s national political dialogue has hit a few bumps since a June summit of party leaders in Siavonga agreed to a roadmap for an inclusive process ahead of presidential elections in 2021. The Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) has been working on the dialogue process since last year, under pressure…
In Lesotho, the Southern African Development Community’s peacekeeping forces will leave in November as planned despite the appeals from Prime Minister Tom Thabane for a three-month extension. The SAPMIL force has served a year in Lesotho, which includes a previous extension of an original mandate that ran through May. The…
Zambia is moving forward with plans for an inclusive political dialogue chaired by the country’s religious leaders, amid renewed concerns of political violence spurred by clashes earlier this month during a parliamentary by-election in Chilanga. The Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) has been working on the process since last…
Citizens of Lesotho say they welcome the role the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has in supporting the country’s reforms and want their security forces to step back from political involvement, but they appear disillusioned about democratic elections after years of upheaval. The findings come from polling research done by…
The election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council is set for Friday morning in New York, with South Africa seeking to be elected to represent the African Group. The UN General Assembly will elect five members to two-year terms that begin in 2019. Ethiopia currently holds the…
In Lesotho, Prime Minister Tom Thabane said he was firmly in control of the nation as he confirmed the shooting death of the defense force commander in an episode with echoes of the political power struggle of recent years. Thabane held a press conference to discuss the Tuesday shooting of…
A triumphant President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was inaugurated to his third term in Kigali on Friday, in a ceremony attended by African leaders and heads of state that included Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Ali Bongo of Gabon and African Union Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat….
Algerian teachers and medical workers are threatening strikes as the country’s economic woes linger amid low oil prices, and the government proposes tax hikes and salary freezes to stretch the budget. The three-year economic plan released last month also considers reduced food subsidies, with increases in bread and milk prices. Algerian…
Lawyers in Cameroon occupied the court complex in Bamenda on Tuesday, demanding that their voices be heard in the ongoing battle over education and legal reforms. The protesting lawyers were met with a heavy security-force presence in and around the court building, the Cameroon Concord reports. Local media accounts also…
The African Union (AU) is plagued by allegations of its ineffectiveness. From its inability to act against the Ebola crisis to the migrant problem in the Mediterranean Sea, AU has been constantly criticized. One can say that the union’s hands are tied. Given its unsustainable and problematic funding, AU is…