By Lisa Vives NEW YORK (IDN) — A coalition of news outlets says it has unearthed evidence that Rwandan authorities are among the governments using a powerful surveillance tool to spy on thousands of activists, journalists and politicians through their cellphones. The spyware, developed by Israeli hackers for a company called the NSO Group, has […]
Long-time Foes Gbagbo and Ouattara Bury the Past and Embrace
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — With warm words of welcome, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara hugged his former arch enemy and rival Laurent Gbagbo, 10 years after the two were locked in ethnically-fuelled combat over a disputed election. Former president Gbagbo has now returned to the land of his birth […]
New Court Ruling Confirms Half a Billion in State Funds Swindled from Angola
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The Netherlands-based International Court of Arbitration has affirmed that money transfers to a company controlled by the first daughter of Angola’s ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos were “contaminated by illegality” and should be considered “null and void.”
A Reflection on Tigray’s Maneuver Action Plan that Routed Abiy’s Allied Forces
Viewpoint by Asayehgn Desta* CALIFORNIA (IDN) — The constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, promulgated in 1995, was supposed to resolve ethnic conflict and enhance self- and shared-rule. But, contrary to expectations, Ethiopia became heavily embroiled in inter-ethnic skirmishes starting in 2018. Demand for self-rule and ethnic fighting has been brewing in a […]
Tunisians Rejoice at Ruling Islamist Party’s Downfall as Covid Cases Surge
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A cheering crowd welcomed the decision of Tunisian president Kais Saied to suspend parliament and dismiss prime minister Hichem Mechichi. The move follows a day of protests against the ruling party and, in particular, the government’s mishandling of Covid-19. Thousands of people had demonstrated against […]
The Somali Refugees Planting a New Life in The United States
By Muhidin Libah, UN News Feature This feature story told in first person is republished from UN News. Read the original article. NEW YORK (IDN) — After spending years living in UN-supported camps in Kenya, some 220 former refugees from Somalia now work as farmers in the US state of Maine, growing crops ranging from […]
Russia and China: Geopolitical Rivals and Competitors in Africa
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — The growth of neo-colonial tendencies, the current geopolitical developments and the scramble for its resources by external countries in Africa: these are some of the issues researcher and business analyst Lipton Matthews recently discussed with Kester Kenn Klomegah for InDepthNews (IDN). Matthews is associated with Merion West, […]
Anti-Apartheid Activist Who Survived Torture Dies in South Africa
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Trade unionist, anti-apartheid activist and political organizer Norman Levy, survivor of torture and imprisonment in South Africa before spending two decades of exile in Britain, has died in Cape Town, according to relatives. He was 91. He became an activist in his teens and joined […]
Protests and Looting in South Africa on International Nelson Mandela Day
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — “It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” Those were the prophetic words of Nelson Mandela, for whom the United Nations designated July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day to remember the life and legacy of […]
Sub-Saharan African Migration into Morocco
Viewpoint by Max Berengaut* MARRAKECH (IDN) — Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to […]