Africa

EU-US mobilise further support for Global Methane Pledge

Ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow, European Union Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who leads the EU's international negotiations on climate, and Special...

Conflict is spreading across the African continent

Many African countries are run by dictatorships, but their grasp on power is increasingly unstable. Mali has seen at least 2 changes of power...

Enough of the Durban depravity

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the so-called “World Conference Against Racism”, otherwise known as Durban I. The 2001 conference was to be...

As UN issues stark climate warning, wildfires spread across Med region

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a stark warning, noting that Climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying. The report,...

Italy’s ENI starts production of the Cuica field offshore Angola

Italian energy major ENI said on August 13 the company started production of the Cuica Field, in Block 15/06 of the Angolan deep offshore,...

France has a generals problem: Why there’s a fray in civilian-military relations

The sensitive question of civilian control of the armed forces is one which Western democracies like the United States and France must continue to...

Italy’s ENI and Kenya’s government to promote decarbonization

Italian energy major ENI and Kenya’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mining signed on July 21 a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the decarbonization process...

If Europe is serious about fighting antisemitism, it must skip Durban 20

Countries are lining up to declare they will not attend the20th anniversary of the UN’s notorious 2001 World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban,...

African universities face greatest-ever challenge to educate future digital revolution leaders

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rates of access to quality education in the world. A recent UNESCO report shows that well over half of...

Morocco and EU host launch ceremony ahead of a landmark green energy partnership

With the European Union fully invested in promoting the transition towards clean energy and countering global warming, the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco...

COSUA mourns with Zambia following the death of the country’s first president

The President of the Coalition of Supporters Unions of Africa (COSUA), which is a civil society partner to the African Union, has extended the...

The Heart of Darkness

The conflict-stricken Central African Republic (CAR) has been struggling to forge a lasting peace since 2013. The deployment back in 2014 of the United...

The biggest investment for African public health is its healthcare workers

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked African Union states “to come together to be more aggressive in attacking” the...

Must “resource cursed” countries always suffer the double jinx of conflict traps?

A “resource cursed” country is one in which an abundance of natural resources fosters worse development outcomes than those without.  Often termed “the paradox...

Terrorist threat moves to North and Central Africa

The current situation in North and Central Africa is highly explosive and poses certain risks not only to regional security but to Western Europe...

ENI and BP mull combining Angolan interests into new joint venture

Italy’s ENI and British Petroleum announced on May 19 they have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to progress detailed discussions on...

The cobalt corrective: Are we facing a supply crunch?

The recent ease in global demand for blue metal - cobalt - has dampened concerns about a pending supply crunch. Earlier reports predicted that...

Emerging market-focused Millicom finalizes Africa exit, focuses on Latin America

Luxembourg-based telecommunications company Millicom, which focuses exclusively on emerging markets, announced on April 19 that it will finalize the divestment of its African holdings...

ΕU condemns move to extend Somalia president’s term, warns of ‘further measures’

The European Union has threatened to take "further measures" against Somalia if it fails to resume talks to end the elections deadlock."We call for...

Does the UN have the right solution for the Central African Republic?

The United Nations was established after World War II as a successor of the ineffective League of Nations. It is an intergovernmental organization that...

Zimbabwe is opening up

Zimbabwe has turned a corner.  And whilst across the world the past year has been focused on closing – from lockdowns to closed borders...

EBRD and Green Climate Fund extend green programme that spans 3 continents

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on March 11 the bank approved additional headroom for the next phase of its successful...

Italy’s ambassador to DR Congo killed in attack on UN convoy

The Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Luca Attanasio and two other people have been killed on Monday during in an...

Macron urges Europe to send vaccines to Africa

The European Union and the United States need to provide African countries with vaccines, to prevent exacerbation of global inequality, French President Emmanuel Macron...

Greece reopens embassy in Tripoli

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Saturday announced it is immediately reopening its embassy in Libya's capital, Tripoli and a consulate in Benghazi.The announcement came a day...

EU vows to work with international partners to be climate neutral by 2050

The Europe Union can be a powerful promotor of climate ambitions also because it can offer a model of a socially just Green Deal...

Uncertainty, outrage abound as African Union prepares for leadership election

The African Union Commission elections that are slated for February 7 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is facing an unprecedented level of public...

France looking to withdraw ‘some troops’ from Sahel anti-terror operations

France is eyeing at withdrawing some of its troops from the Sahel region in Africa, following successes against Islamist militants and support by European...

Potential head of presidential council looks fit to pull Libya out of quagmire

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)-brokered Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) has so far failed to bring the light at the end...

NATO voices concerns over Russian military presence in MENA region

Russia's increasing military presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a matter of "great concern" for NATO, its Secretary-General Jens...

Erasmus and Brexit

No policy decision better encapsulates the entire Brexit process better than the UK's decision to withdraw from the Erasmus Programme. For those in Brussels,...

MEPs urge Commission to assist developing countries with Covid-19 pandemic

In a joint statement, the Chairs of the Parliament's Development committee, Tomas Tobé, and of the Delegation to the African Carribean Pacific (ACP)-EU Joint...

Somali governor killed in al-Shabab suicide blast

Abdisalan Hassan Hersi, governor of the Nugaal region in northeastern Somalia has been killed in a suicide bomb blast claimed by the al-Shabab armed...

Boko Haram attack kills dozens of Chadian soldiers

At least 92 soldiers from Chad have been killed in an attack by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram on the country's military forces...

UN's Gutteres calls for 'immediate global ceasefire' to focus on COVID-19 fight

The United Nations’ chief Antonio Guterres appealed Monday for a global ceasefire to protect civilians in conflict zones during the coronavirus pandemic. He warned...

Guinea votes in contested referendum

Guinea held a contested referendum on Sunday, widely seen as president Alpha Conde’s attempt to stay in power. Opposition activists said that security forces "carried...

Union for the Mediterranean calls for regional action to tackle water scarcity

In light of World Water day on March 22, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has called for regional dialogue to address common challenges...

Morocco sentences activist for criticising judiciary

Omar Radi, a Moroccan journalist and rights activist was handed a four-month suspended sentence and a $50 fine for insulting a judge on Twitter. Last...

UN calls for political mission in Darfur

A joint United Nations-African Union report released Monday on Sudan and its western region Darfur called for a political mission to replace the peace...

Sweden to send special forces units to Mali for joint anti-terror op with French troops

Sweden’s foreign ministry announced it plans to send up to 150 special forces personnel and helicopters to join a new multinational military mission in...

COVID-19: EU employee tests positive in Guinea's first case

An employee of the European Union delegation in Guinea is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country, according to Guinea's Ministry of...

African leaders seek to clear way for Libyan dialogue

African leaders and a senior UN envoy met on Thursday in the Congo in a bid to secure a truce to war-torn Libya. UN chief...

Al-Shabab's Qorgab killed in air strike

An airstrike in Somalia has killed Bashir Mohamed Qorgab, a senior commander of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab, local media reported. "Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud was...

Italy’s ENI, Sonatrach complete gas pipeline connecting Algerian fields

Italian energy major ENI said on 2 March that it has successfully completed the construction of the gas pipeline connecting Bir Rebaa Nord (BRN)...

DR Congo's last Ebola patient discharged

The World Health Organization announced that last patient treated for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been discharged on Tuesday. The good...

South Sudan struggles to merge armed forces under peace deal

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar agreed to form a unity government last Saturday, paving the way towards ending more...

Italy’s ENI increases oil estimate after Angolan appraisal well results

Italian energy major ENI said on 27 February the company has successfully drilled Agogo-3, the second appraisal well of Agogo discovery in Block 15/06,...

A new chapter in EU-Africa partnership

Europe is seeking to open a new chapter in EU - Africa partnership, by fostering relations with its "sister continent" as Ursula von der...

Togo president wins fourth term as opposition urges resistance

Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe on Monday hailed a widely expected election victory that gave him a fourth term in office. The election commission said that...

At least 29 injured in bombing at rally for Ethiopian PM

Nearly 30 people were injured in a “bomb attack” at a rally in support of the party of Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed, police...

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