Rwanda mourns as flood death toll reaches 130

Rwanda mourns as flood death toll reaches 130

The death toll in Rwanda has risen to 130 following heavy rain and floods that devastated parts of the country’s northwest and southern regions earlier this week. Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente visited the Rubavu District to attend funeral services and assist families on Wednesday. It is one of the nine…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

SA’s Biovac seals deal to produce cholera vaccines in Africa

SA’s Biovac seals deal to produce cholera vaccines in Africa

South Africa’s Biovac has announced a deal with the nonprofit International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to begin manufacturing cholera vaccines, a move that will advance the African continent’s goal of manufacturing its own vaccines. The licensing and technology transfer deal will mean that Biovac is equipped to make oral cholera vaccines…

Lourenço announces ceasefire in Rwanda, DR Congo fighting

Angola’s President João Lourenço announced that negotiations between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, held in Luanda on Wednesday, resulted in a ceasefire agreement among parties who have been fighting in eastern DR Congo and along the border near Goma. Lourenço, heading up a peace talk process meant to end…

Calls for diplomacy as Rwanda, DR Congo fighting escalates

The Democratic Republic of Congo has expelled Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karenga, the latest move in escalating tensions between the neighboring Central African nations. Karenga was told to leave by Tuesday following the capture of Kiwanja and Rutshuru, towns in the volatile eastern DR Congo, by March 23 (M23) rebels over…

Top U.S. diplomat Blinken set for three-nation African tour

South Africans will welcome United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week, as he begins a three-nation tour meant to strengthen U.S. relationships with African nations. While in Pretoria, Blinken plans to present the U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. It reaffirms the U.S. position that “African countries are geostrategic…

Felix Tshisekedi’s diplomatic sea change

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing yet another crisis in its relations with neighbour Rwanda, following reports that the M23 rebel group has seized a key town in DRC territory. Military leaders have described the rebel capture of Bunagana, just 60 kilometers northeast of the major city…

UK defends Rwanda deportation policy

The UK continues to defend its deal to send migrants to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed, despite ongoing opposition from human rights organizations and a last-minute court decision that halted a deportation flight to Kigali. Home Secretary Priti Patel, the British architect of the Migration and Economic Development…

Japan, Africa look to deepen trade ties

Japan is looking to expand its presence on the African continent, with trade and investment taking center stage during the Japan-Africa Public-Private Economic Forum held in Nairobi. The event attracted seven ministerial-level leaders and over 200 participants from 15 countries, according to the Kenyan trade ministry. Among them was Takako…

Family of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero files $400m lawsuit over his arrest

The family of Rwandan prisoner Paul Rusesabagina has filed a US$400 million lawsuit against the government of Rwanda, for its alleged role in luring the humanitarian activist—known for saving lives during the 1994 genocide—back to Rwanda in 2020. Rusesabagina, whose story was portrayed in the award-winning film “Hotel Rwanda,” was…

UK’s Patel defends immigration deal with Rwanda

British Home Secretary Priti Patel continued to defend the United Kingdom’s decision to send immigrants to Rwanda, a deal that’s come under deep criticism for essentially outsourcing its responsibilities to asylum seekers. “The UK-Rwanda partnership is the type of international cooperation needed to make the global immigration system fairer, keep…

AfDB, AU heads hold ‘surprise’ talks in Dakar airport lounge

Akinwumi Adesina, head of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says he was in the VIP lounge of Dakar’s Blaise-Diagne International Airport with Senegal’s economic minister this week when another African dignitary walked in. The surprise guest was Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union Commission. What followed, the AfDB…

SADC agrees to keep troops in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has agreed to extend its security mission in Mozambique, where defense forces have sought to restore order in troubled Cabo Delgado province. The decision was announced in a communiqué following Tuesday’s summit in Lilongwe, Malawi. The extraordinary summit, hosted by President Lazarus Chakwera, was…