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…
President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan declared a year-long state of emergency on Friday, in an address that also announced his decision to dissolve his federal cabinet and local governments. He also called on Sudanese lawmakers to defer any constitutional amendments that would allow him to remain in office for a…
Abiy Ahmed, the head of the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO), has been named the new prime minister of Ethiopia and its ruling EPRDF coalition. Abiy’s election was confirmed Wednesday after he received 108 votes from Ethiopia’s ruling council of 180 seats. Forty-five of them come from the OPDO, which…
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of the United States will travel next week to Addis Ababa, where he will meet with the Ethiopian government as well as with leaders of the African Union Commission. Tillerson’s visit is part of a five-nation tour that begins March 6 and runs through March…
Ethiopia declared a three-month state of emergency beginning today, the state Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) announced Friday. The move follows the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his departure from the chairman role of the EPRDF party on Thursday. The state of emergency will leave the military in…
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that Egypt has blocked access to its website from inside the country after the global organization released a report documenting the government’s use of torture. “Egyptian authorities keep insisting that any incidents of torture are isolated crimes by bad officers acting alone, but the Human…
Ethiopia lifted last week the state of emergency imposed since October 2016, but the decision has raised questions about what happens to those detained during mass arrests on politically motivated charges during that time. Among them is Merera Gudina, the academic and longtime opposition leader whose arrest was – according…
Back in April, Zambian opposition politician Saviour Chishimba said he feared for his life and had gone into hiding. The United Progressive People (UPP) leader had evaded armed men he said were state operatives, who broke into his home to steal laptops and documents relating to corruption cases that Chishimba…
Parts of South Sudan have been placed under a state of emergency declared by President Salva Kiir on Monday night, although he did not give clear reasons for the sudden decision. The state of emergency is in effect for three months in Gogrial, and parts of Tonj, Wau and Aweil…
A new letter signed by 39 members of the European Union Parliament asks for a full inquiry into human rights violations in Ethiopia, while calling into question the accuracy and impartiality of a controversial report completed by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in April. The letter to Federica Mogherini, High…
There is no escape, really, from the realization that the incremental encroachments on Zambia’s democratic freedoms have now moved the country into a frightening moment. Word that President Edgar Lungu is to declare a national state of emergency appears to mark a new phase of political power for a president…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
More than 100 websites have been blocked in Egypt across the last month, according to a June 22 update from an Egyptian human rights and free speech advocacy group. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) says there were 103 such shutdowns at various times since May 24,…
Ethiopia will maintain its state of emergency for an additional four months, following a parliamentary vote Thursday that approved the extension. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said the measure passed unanimously after Ethiopian Defense Minister Siraj Fegessa made his case for additional time before lawmakers still concerned about unrest in…
President Adama Barrow has been sworn in as the new leader of The Gambia, after taking his oath of office at the Gambian embassy in neighboring Senegal. Barrow’s inauguration was attended by African heads of state and diplomats gathered in Dakar, where the new president had remained this week for…
At least 16 news sites and the WhatsApp messaging app were blocked in Ethiopia between June and October, in what human rights organization Amnesty International says is evidence of deliberate and systematic government measures to crush dissent. Amnesty published research Tuesday that showed a correlation between protests and clashes, and the…