President Paul Kagame of Rwanda pointed to a new partnership with Volkswagen and Siemens, one that makes his nation Africa’s first to have an electric vehicle pilot program, as evidence of what can be achieved through the G20 Compact with Africa initiative launched in 2017. His brief remarks came during…
The Global Coalition Against ISIS, meeting in the United States, said its focus is shifting to West Africa now that Islamic State – according to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – has been “defeated” in Syria and Iraq. “We agreed at the working level that West Africa and the…
The head of the United Nations rights agency, speaking ahead of the United Nations Climate Summit in New York in two weeks, says climate change is a rapidly growing and global threat to human rights. “The human implications of currently projected levels of global heating are catastrophic. Storms are rising…
The nation of Chad began a 21-day state of emergency period on Tuesday in the provinces of Ouaddaï, Sila and Tibesti, after at least 50 people have died in recently escalating communal conflict. The time period announced by senior official Kalzeubé Payimi Deubet is shorter than a three-month state of…
The threat of crop-destroying locust swarms remains for the Horn of Africa and some North African nations, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and its new Early Warning Early Action report. The United Nations agency has been monitoring the threat following “unprecedented spring breeding” that happened earlier this…
Eighteen members of the Islamic State affiliate active in Niger have been killed in a 10-day operation completed by the Nigerien military in partnership with France, Mali and the United States. That’s according to defense minister Moutari Kalla in Niamey, who announced the results of the ACONIT operation in a…
MINUSMA, the United Nations mission in Mali, has confirmed that some 100 civilians including women and children were killed in the village of Sobanou-Kou in the Mopti region during an attack by armed men on Sunday night. Witnesses and local officials say there are many wounded as well in this…
Villagers in Burkina Faso say they’re caught between the demands of armed extremists and the violence of their own security forces, in a northern Sahel region where more than 150 people have been killed and thousands forced to flee in the past year. That’s according to a Human Rights Watch…
A new report presented to the United Nations Security Council on Monday details the threat that Islamic State continues to present to the African continent, from Libya and Somalia across the Sahel and into West Africa. These fighters – whether in small clusters of a few dozen in the mountains…
Authorites in Burkina Faso have declared a state of emergency in six of its 13 provinces, in response to an escalating terrorist threat. President Roch Marc Kaboré announced the decision through his information minister following an emergency meeting with the country’s council of ministers on Monday. The declaration covers four…
International leaders have again pointed to climate change as a key contributing factor to instability in the Sahel region, and urged action to get at the root causes of conflict and crisis. “These are found in discrimination, human rights violations, weak governance, conflict, and the impact of climate change,” said…
On Thursday, China takes over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for November and all indications are that African affairs will be a top priority. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that, according to available information, the situation in the Sahel is a priority topic for Security…
The United States has released new data on counterterrorism on the African continent, with the challenges in Somalia and across the Sahel remaining among the most pressing priorities. The Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 lists 16 African nations with detailed information about terrorism threats and response, along with five more…
Climate change is “inextricably linked to some of the most pressing security challenges of our time,” said Nigerian Amina Mohammed, the United Nations deputy secretary-general, during remarks made to the UN Security Council on Wednesday. During the last 18 months, the Security Council has recognized the adverse effects of climate…
There’s one thing readers and viewers can count on as the year winds down, and that’s a deluge of “Year in Review” stories and posts. The political changes, the celebrity news, the economic issues – media outlets contribute their take on what shaped our days and the shared history of…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times