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Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during a Reuters interview in Mogadishu

Sheikh it up

Return of the Sheiks: What next for Somalia and the United Arab Emirates?

Somalia's President Hassan Sheik Mohamud return to office after five years out of power has shaken up Somali politics and geopolitics of the ... Horn. But, Hassan is not the only one making a return to Mogadishu. After withdrawing aid and military cooperation in 2018, the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) – backed by Saudi Arabia – has slowly been mending ties with Mogadishu. What will this mean for Somalia? And what are the implications for the Horn?

grim warning

Ethiopia: Inside the Oromia massacre – ‘There were corpses everywhere’

Oromo-speaking gunmen massacred hundreds of unarmed civilians in Ethiopia's Oromia region on 18 June - part of a broader cycle of ethnic-based ... killings in the country’s western periphery, whose victims have been Oromo, Amhara, Gumuz and Sinaasha.

Rachel Kéké won her seat in the 7th constituency of Val-de-Marne in Sunday's French legislative elections © Bruno LEVY/DIVERGENCE

'I am a warrior'

Rachel Kéké: Meet the Franco-Ivorian chambermaid on her way to the French parliament

For two long years, she was the spokesperson for the strike against the Accor hotel group. On 19 June, this determined Franco-Ivorian woman ran ... in French legislative elections for Jean-Luc Mélenchon's left-wing party, and is now an elected member of parliament.

A man raises a ballot paper during the counting of governorship and state assembly election results in Lagos

money buys all

Nigeria 2023: Will the Presidential election go to the highest bidder?

Voters in the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election sold their ballot for about $11 each, a development observers believe is a ... bad omen ahead of the crucial 2023 Presidential election in Africa’s largest democracy.

demographic exceptionalism

Africa: Carbon emissions play a central role in current economic crisis

Stratospheric statistics and serial superlatives can still cut through – even in this age deluged by data. For some, today’s omnicrisis, ... born of the pandemic and the ensuing geopolitical clash over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, might seem to rival the great crash of 1929, which also followed a pandemic amid heightened geopolitical rivalries.

too much power

Tanzania: After resisting, ruling party now wants to amend the constitution

Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) announced this week that it “insists” on amending the constitution, thereby reforming ... the country.

Group of young men who say they are victims of police injustices in Korogocho slums in Nairobi, Kenya, September 25, 2020. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

young nation

Kenya: How will the low number of young voters play out in August?

Although 22.1 million voters are registered for Kenya’s general polls in August, up from 19.6 million five years ago, only 39.84% of those ... voters are young people, says Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The polls body blames the low figures on economic hardships and corruption in the country that has discouraged the youth from engaging in the electoral process.

More top stories

take the lead

Egypt: ‘No more useless promises’ says UN climate champion Mohieldin

Free again

DRC: Vital Kamerhe forgives President Félix Tshisekedi, declares his loyalty

First ladies

Zimbabwe: Is Mnangagwa’s wife Auxillia following in ‘Gucci Grace’ Mugabe’s footsteps?

take the lead

Egypt: ‘No more useless promises’ says UN climate champion Mohieldin

Free again

DRC: Vital Kamerhe forgives President Félix Tshisekedi, declares his loyalty

First ladies

Zimbabwe: Is Mnangagwa’s wife Auxillia following in ‘Gucci Grace’ Mugabe’s footsteps?

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga greet supporters of his ZANU PF party at a rally in Murombedzi

Power struggle

Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa braces for potential challenge from his VP Chiwenga

Zimbabwe politics are shaping up to be fairly competitive as President Emmerson Mnangagwa faces not only a spirited opponent from the opposition, ... but also a potential challenge from his own Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga.

Deep Drill

Guinea: Predictive Discovery expects gold resource increase at Bankan as Blackrock invests

Australian exploration and mining company Predictive Discovery anticipates that the gold resource at its Bankan project in Guinea will increase ... as further tests are carried out, managing director Andrew Pardey tells The Africa Report.

Dirty money

Malawi’s President Chakwera strips VP Chilima of powers after corruption allegations

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera stripped vice-president Saulos Chilima of all delegated powers on Tuesday after he was named in a $150m corruption ... scandal.

hopes and fears

Côte d’Ivoire – Ghana : Will AfCFTA offer cocoa farmers a solution?

Cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana still live in poverty, three years after a $400-per-ton surcharge was supposed to improve their lives, ... as buyers have found ways to drive down the price.

"soldier of France"

10 things to know about DJ Snake, French-Algerian global star

His new track "Disco Maghreb" is already expected to be the hit of the summer in North Africa. A look back at the meteoric rise of this French-Algerian ... DJ, with a string of successes and collaborations with the music industry’s greatest already under his belt.

Kenya's Finance Minister Ukur Yatani presents the Government Budget for the 2022/23 fiscal year inside the Parliament buildings in Nairobi

poisoned chalice

Kenya’s Finance bill: Government hopes to raise taxes dashed by MPs

Hopes by the Kenyan government to raise extra revenue, through tax increases, to fund its billion-dollar budget were dashed by members of parliament. ... The legislators say the move would hit public agencies critical to delivering a free and fair election. But analysts say they are more likely fearful of angering the electorate ahead of polls.

People queue outside a bank in Harare

back to business

Old Mutual Zimbabwe: Suspension in bank lending leaves a dent in investor confidence, says Matsekete

On 7 May this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa introduced a raft of measures meant to stabilise Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. Among the measures ... included was a suspension - with immediate effect - of lending by banks to both the government and private sector.

SNAIL PACE PROCESS

DRC – Rwanda: EAC heads’ meeting no closer to finding a solution

It’s unusual for heads of state to spend five hours in meetings as was the case on Monday when East African Community (EAC) presidents convened ... in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss security situation in eastern DRC. But a vague statement released after the meetings show the region is far away from finding a solution.

corruption trial

Swiss commodities giant Glencore pleads guilty to bribery charges in Africa

The UK subsidiary of Swiss mining and trading Glencore pled guilty to multiple bribery counts for its dealings in four African countries on 21 ... June. This guilty plea is the second for the company in just two months.

A client uses an automated teller machine (ATM) at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa

open sesame

Ethiopia’s banks pushed to bulk up before market opens

The Ethiopian Central Bank warns it will continue to push up minimum capital requirements. The goal: force local banks to be competitive, as ... the gradual opening up of the sector continues. With Ethiopia's finance sector posting the best returns on equity in the region, investors are watching and waiting.

Nigeria presidential aspirant Peter Obi

shared interests

Nigeria 2023: Why are Osinbajo supporters gravitating towards Peter Obi?

Having lost the presidential primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to Lagos godfather, Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s Vice-President ... Yemi Osinbajo is calling on his supporters to rally around Tinubu ahead of the poll. However, Osinbajo's supporters are having their heads turned, citing integrity and religion as core issues.

not forgotten

DRC: After Lumumba, will Mobutu and Tshombe ever rest in peace?

While Patrice Lumumba's tooth was finally returned to his family before being repatriated to Kinshasa, the remains of other Congolese political ... figures are still interred abroad. The inside story of a family headache with national significance.

Lt Gen Michael E. Langley, U.S. Marine Corps

Man of war

US/Africa: 10 things to know about Biden AFRICOM nominee Michael Langley

The Pentagon announced on 9 June that it had tapped a 37-year veteran of the Marine Corps to serve as the next head of Africa Command. ...