World News
Coup Plot Led By ‘Old Guard’ Foiled In Ethiopia
Rebel gunmen launched a coordinated assault over the weekend in the Ethiopian state of Amhara in a challenge to President Abiy Ahmed and his sweeping reform program. Several senior government officials died in the assault including the army chief and the governor of Amhara state. Mr. Ahmed rushed to the region and, wearing army fatigues,…
Read MoreAfrican Cocoa Growers Take Hard Line On Prices – Better Ones Or Else!
Strike! That’s the sound of the world’s top two producers of cocoa who say they are suspending their sales for better prices. The governments of Ivory Coast and Ghana are trying this time-honored strategy to address the imbalance between farmers’ income and money made by foreign commodity markets who scoop up most of the profit.…
Read MoreOrthodox Church in Ethiopia Blocks Gay Group Planning Tour
Pride parades, gay friendly diners, movies, books and fashion. The gay life tyle is coming to town but the welcome mat is still far from ubiquitous. Ethiopia, home to Abiy Ahmed, the “hugging president,” has yet to come to terms with LGBT or Q. In fact, some Ethiopian bloggers have been openly unfriendly to say…
Read MoreFormer President Of Egypt Dies On The Stand In Contentious Court Hearing
Egyptian ex-president Mohammed Morsi, persecuted by the current military regime according to rights activists, collapsed on the stand and died after giving testimony in his trial, it was reported on state TV. Morsi, 67, had been speaking from the glass “cage” where he was confined during sessions. He warned of “many secrets” he could reveal,…
Read MoreRepression Fails To Quell Growing Opposition To Government Of Cameroon
Facing a growing pro-democracy movement, Cameroon is resorting to an old formula – namely unleashing government power in the form of threats, arrests and excessive force. This week, hundreds of supporters of Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition Cameroon Resistance Movement, filled the streets, demanding his release from detention but were detained themselves by security…
Read MoreTrouble is brewing in Liberia and new president is feeling the heat
Liberian President George Weah is having a few bad days. And more may be on their way. A citizen action group – the Council of Patriots (COP) – has a long list of demands covering governance, human rights and the rule of law, national peace and reconciliation, integrity and accountability, among others. The group has…
Read MoreGhana’s President Stuns Women With Demeaning Remarks at Canada Confab
In this day and age of “Me Too” shaking up outdated gender relationships around the world, it was somewhat unsettling to hear Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo demean his country’s working women as insufficiently activist and dynamic enough to obtain better leadership jobs. Did he really say this at the recent Women Deliver Conference at Vancouver…
Read MoreArab Autocrats Funding Violent Crackdown in Sudan
The hopeful path to peace in Sudan evaporated almost overnight as members of Sudan’s military junta suddenly cocked their rifles and aimed them at a sit-down demonstration by hundreds of civilians. Over 30 Sudanese peaceful protestors preparing for the Muslim ritual Eid al Fitr – Festival of Breaking the Fast – lost their lives in…
Read MoreKenya ‘hanging at the edge of a debt trap,’ observers say
Lending institutions fear that Kenya’s foot may be stuck on the debt pedal with the latest loan in the amount of $750 million from the World Bank to be paid over 30 years. A number of experts and players in the financial sector do not think all is well. The Central Bank, which is the…
Read MoreThousands In Congo Trek To Opposition Icon’s Reburial
The father of President Felix Tshisekedi, opposition icon Etienne Tshisekedi, was laid to rest Saturday in his homeland more than two years after he died during a political stalemate over the country’s long-delayed elections. Thousands took part in the procession which made its way to the outskirts of Kinshasa following several days of tributes to…
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