Although Khalifa Haftar and his eastern Libyan forces have rejected the call for a ceasefire put out by Government of National Accord (GNA) leader Fayez Al-Sarraj, the United Nations says it continues to back diplomacy in resolving the long-standing crisis. “I’ve just read out a rather comprehensive humanitarian update, which…
The head of the African Union Commission has called on Malian activists to remain peaceful, as the country enters another week of protests calling for an end to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s administration. The appeal from AU Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat follows demonstrations on Friday, when thousands of people in…
More than 200 million migrants across the globe send remittances to their home countries, many of them on the African continent, and that means some 800 million family members depend on them. In low- and middle-income countries, that amounted to US$554 billion last year, more than either the world’s official…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres addressed the UN Security Council during the body’s first meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, and urged members to understand the shocks that exacerbate conflict as well as the public health crisis impacts. “The world faces its gravest test since the founding of…
By Dr. Jemimah Njuki A man and a woman are heading to a flood plain in Zambia. They part ways upon arrival: he disappears on a boat to go fishing, and she makes her way to collect firewood to fry fish by the roadside. He will earn much higher wages…
As progress on a Libyan ceasefire inches forward, experts warn of a new challenge: land mines. An international meeting on mine action wraps up today in Geneva, and one of the renewed concerns is the recontamination with unexploded ordnance (UXO) on land in and around Tripoli since the April 2019…
Ioane Teitiota of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati lost his individual case, but the landmark ruling on the rights of climate refugees from the United Nations Human Rights Committee means he may have changed the future for people seeking to escape the extreme impacts of a warming world. That…
Central African Republic, Lesotho and The Gambia have had their United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voting privileges suspended because of a failure to pay required member dues. The decision is in line with rules under the UN charter that withhold the voting privileges when a nation meets or exceeds the…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres honored on Monday the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, with remarks that urged early intervention at the first warning signs of the threat. “Across the world, we are seeing an alarming surge in xenophobia, racism,…
When it comes to migration on the African continent, it is climate change that is among the key drivers, according to the annual World Migration Report released Wednesday by the United Nations migration agency. Eastern and southern Africa are seeing more disasters and environmental changes, including both drought conditions and…
The Government of Mauritius issued a statement Friday condemning the decision of the United Kingdom, which has refused to abide by international legal decisions that require the UK to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Those decisions included a nonbinding ruling by the International Court of Justice, the principal court…
The United Nations addressed on Friday the global spread of unrest that has swept across nearly every continent, with both the UN Secretary General and the head of the UN human rights office in Geneva appealing for peaceful demonstrations and expressing concerns over violence. “Disquiet in peoples’ lives is leading…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released over the weekend. Guterres expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the nation, and promised the UN will continue to support efforts to bring peace and…
Last week the Senegalese government announced a $93.3 million project to promote entrepreneurship in rural communities. Called the Rural Youth Agripreneur Support Project, the initiative is backed by a $51.9 million loan from the International Fund for Rural Development (IFAD) and will provide training and financial support to young people…
There was a moment during United States President Donald Trump’s press conference on Wednesday afternoon when – in addition to more defensive rambling than usual – the president almost sounded wistful about a time when he felt the world still loved him. “I used to be the king of getting…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times