Ahead of 2021 elections, Zambian court won’t block reforms process

Ahead of 2021 elections, Zambian court won’t block reforms process

Opponents of a bill to amend Zambia’s constitution were dealt another setback on Friday, as the country’s Constitutional Court ruled against a legal team hoping to interrupt a process many believe is meant to consolidate power for President Edgar Lungu and his ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party. The court ruled…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Lesotho bids farewell to SADC peacekeeping mission

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission in Lesotho has come to an end, with ceremonies on Tuesday that marked the closing of the mission. The event included a parade and awards ceremony, attended by dignitaries including South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who was representing President Cyril Ramaphosa….

Ethiopia’s Abiy courts diaspora on U.S. tour

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues his outreach tour in the United States on Saturday with a gathering for the diaspora in Washington D.C., part of a concerted effort to encourage Ethiopians who have left the country to return home and build its future. Abiy’s meeting at the Walter E….

SADC extends SAPMIL’s peacekeeping role in Lesotho

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has extended the mandate of the Preventive Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL) peacekeeping troops from May until November 2018, the 16-nation body said in a communiqué released Tuesday. The SADC decision came during a summit in the Angolan capital of Luanda attended by Prime Minister Tom…

Delayed SADC peacekeeper mission in Lesotho to begin Saturday

A delayed peacekeeping operation in Lesotho is set for an official deployment launch on Saturday, according to the Southern African Development Community. The SADC said forces from neighboring countries continued to arrive head of the deadline, which was originally set for November 1 but changes to the mission, including the…

Will Lesotho rise to the challenge of a new SADC reform deadline?

In early August, Prime Minister Tom Thabane of Lesotho promised that the small southern African kingdom would stop being the “bad boys” of the region and its 16-nation Southern African Development Community. “Enough is enough,” Thabane said, as he vowed to move forward with a framework for comprehensive reforms that…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times