United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the news of a new cabinet established late Monday in Madagascar, following a May 25 court order to form a national unity government in hopes of ending the island nation’s political crisis. President Hery Rajaonarimampianina’s picks include Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, both of…
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 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…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has opened an office in Democratic Republic of Congo it says will establish a greater presence for the regional body amid Kinshasa’s national political crisis. The SADC office “provides an avenue for closer collaboration with stakeholders in the DRC, in the continued efforts by…
Africa Times contributed post By Said Djinnit On 24 February 2013, eleven African heads of state made history in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region came into being. Sudan and Kenya joined the group 11 months…
The Angolan leader of a peacekeeping operation deployed to Lesotho in late November by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said he’s pleased with the progress to date. Matias Bertino Matondo, head of Preventive Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL), told Angop that the political climate was tense when he arrived with…
President Ian Khama is completing a farewell tour of Botswana as he prepares to leave office at the end of March – and he’s been using the opportunity to criticize other African leaders for their failure to step down in keeping with their constitutions and the will of the people….
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…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) held an emergency meeting in Botswana Thursday to focus on the crisis in Zimbabwe, subsequently issuing a statement expressing their concern over “the unconstitutional removal of democratically elected governments.” Representatives of Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia met to consider the unfolding situation in…
The global reaction to political developments in Zimbabwe surrounding President Robert Mugabe has been led by Africans urging calm in resolving the political crisis. In Zimbabwe, #thisflag movement leader and pastor Evan Mawarire – at times in tears – published a video and issued a statement Wednesday that called for…
President of Botswana Ian Khama delivered his final State of the Nation address Monday, as he prepares for the end of his term and the transition to Vice President Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi’s tenure. In the address, Khama reiterated “Botswana’s strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is the…
Peacekeeping troops are headed for Lesotho ahead of a November 1 deadline set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for a 1,000-strong force to assist in stabilizing the small kingdom. The SADC peacekeepers include 250 members of the Namibian Defence Force, according to the country’s international relations minister. Netumbo…
The Southern African Development Community’s has decided to send 1,000 military, police and other personnel to stabilize the political situation in Lesotho, an effort expected to cost an estimated USD$6.7 million. Most of the budget for a mission approved Friday is devoted to security forces, while about 13 percent will…
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…
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