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 is the editor of Africa Times
The Eritrean government responded on Thursday to a letter sent earlier this week by more than 100 Africans seeking dialogue on democratic space, calling them “a motley network of African writers and journalists” they say chose a “rather inappropriate” communication strategy in their outreach. Asmara acknowledged the letter in a…
More than 100 African thought leaders have appealed to the Eritrean president to allow a delegation to visit the isolated Horn of Africa nation, meet with its leaders and citizens, and open a dialogue with a view toward democratic reforms. The letter to President Isaias Afwerki was created on May…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
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….
African nations appear at last to be making some headway in their quest for United Nations Security Council reforms. Since 2005, the African Union’s Committee of 10 – currently led by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone – has pressed for two permanent member seats on the UNSC, and…
In Ethiopia, millions of Oromo celebrated Irreecha at the weekend, an annual thanksgiving festival that just two years ago was marred by violent protests and mass arrests of Oromo activists. The Ethiopian government claimed a death toll of 669 people, though that number was disputed by other observers. This year,…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
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….
Monday was the saddest day of his presidency, said Adama Barrow of The Gambia, after three people were killed by security forces while protesting the environmental impacts of a sand mining company near the village of Faraba Banta. The incident, which has led to the resignation of the country’s police…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Sierra Leone’s new president will soon head to New York for meetings at the United Nations, according to the country’s foreign minister. Dr. Alie Sanjan Kabba, speaking with Radio Democracy 98.1 in Freetown, said President Julius Maada Bio will lead his delegation as head of state but also as the…
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…
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…
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 is the editor of Africa Times