By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Amid reports that pro-democracy activism in the Democratic Republic of Congo is feeling the lash from the unpopular government of Joseph Kabila who is under pressure to hand over power as the Constitution requires, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Congolese security forces “to exercise […]
Mounting Political Tensions Around Eritrea
By Klara Smits BRUSSELS (IDN) – The political situation around Eritrea is evolving rapidly, in both the Horn of Africa and Europe. Sudan has closed the border with Eritrea and deployed troops amid rising tensions while in the Netherlands, Eritrea’s top diplomat has been declared ‘persona non grata’ over the country’s practice of enforcing a […]
Her Legacy in Tatters, Celebrated Liberian Leader Faces Fury
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, one of the most celebrated African leaders in recent memory, will soon pass the baton to her successor, sports hero George Manneh Weah, amidst an outpouring of anger and claims of betrayal by members of her Unity Party whose candidate was trounced […]
Tanzania Pushing Gender Empowerment Despite Hurdles
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM (IDN) – Despite efforts to promote gender equality, women and girls in Tanzania are still marginalised and largely under-utilised citizens – often suffering from discrimination and violence from their male counterparts due to a biased male-dominated system which often pushes women to the brink of survival. However, in line […]
Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops Fail to See Eye to Eye on ‘Anglophone Problem’
By Ngala Killian Chimtom YAOUNDE (IDN) – “It was like I was watching a horror movie” is how the bishop of Mamfe diocese in Cameroon’s South West Region described the scene he saw in the village of Kembong village. Mgr Andrew Nkea had visited the village in the wake of the deaths of four soldiers […]
Jailed U.S.-Cameroonian Professor and Writer Wins Release
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – A New York-based university professor jailed for his writings critical of President Paul Biya of Cameroon has been released from prison after an outpouring of support from free speech activists, students and academics around the world. Stony Brook professor Patrice Nganang, who has dual citizenship […]
Eritrean Refugees in the Netherlands Want Ban on Diaspora Tax by Asmara
By Reinhardt Jacobsen and Klara Smits AMSTERDAM | BRUSSELS (IDN) – Hundreds of Eritreans have been taking to the streets in various cities and refugee camps all over the world against the Eritrean regime to express solidarity with the unusual protests that took place in Asmara, the country’s capital, on October 31. The latest in […]
Dutch Court Rules Against ‘Center of the Eritrean Intelligence Network’
By Martin Plaut* AMSTERDAM (IDN-INPS) – In 2015, Dutch professor and human rights advocate Mirjam van Reisen was interviewed by Dutch radio station ‘BNR Nieuwsradio‘ about people with ties to the Eritrean regime being employed as interpreters at the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Van Reisen is professor at the Tilburg University and Leiden […]
Sparkle of Hope Fast Disappearing in Post-Mugabe Era
By Jeffrey Moyo HARARE (IDN) – When Robert Mugabe resigned late November as president of Zimbabwe, hopes were rekindled that the country would finally be set on the course of a fresh start after 37 years of widely criticised authoritarian rule of this Southern Africa nation. For years, under Mugabe’s regime, the Southern African nation’s state […]
World Bank Explains Uganda Benefits of Ending Child Marriage
By Ronald Joshua NAIROBI (IDN) – With a new report, the World Bank is striving to put an end to child marriages in Uganda deploying a carrot-and-stick approach. Subsequently, the report titled ‘Accelerating Uganda’s Development: Ending Child Marriage, Educating Girls‘ argues that ending child marriage could generate $3 billion per year for the East African […]