By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – Stretching from the Gulf of Guinea in the west to the Rift Valley in the east, the Congo basin is the beating heart of African biodiversity. Spanning 530 million hectares across six countries – Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and […]
Aid Access the Biggest Challenge in Aftermath of Cyclone Idai
By Lisa Vives and Sean Buchanan NEW YORK | LONDON (IDN) – An estimated 1.7 million people in Mozambique were in the path of Tropical Cyclone Idai when it hit southern Africa on March 15, with upwards of 900,000 people affected in Malawi and thousands more in Zimbabwe. With the World Food Programme (WFP) reporting […]
France and U.S. Striking Different Notes In Africa
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – There were smiles all around in Kenya as French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta shook hands over a series of infrastructure deals worth $3.3 billion. It was the third stop on the French president’s East African charm offensive – and the first-ever […]
DR Congo President Resists Latest Power Grab by Predecessor
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Joseph Kabila, ex-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, may have gone once too often to the cookie jar, taking back one by one all of the powers and rights earned by his successor from a recent election, Felix Tshisekedi. President Tshisekedi may have had […]
Insufficient Pilot Training Suspected in Deadly Ethiopian Crash
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Fifty three minutes. That was the length of time approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) for pilot training on the upgraded Boeing 737 Max 8 jet that crashed March 10 in Ethiopia killing all aboard, according to a spokesman for the Allied Pilots […]
Cameroon and Nigeria Uproot Thousands from Safe Haven
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – An estimated 30,000 refugees have been uprooted by officials in Cameroon and Nigeria this month and sent to known hotbeds of insurgents including Boko Haram on the Nigerian side of the border. Humanitarian groups including Action against Hunger are questioning the wisdom of forcing refugees […]
Fifty Years On, It’s Still a Man’s World at Africa’s ‘Oscars’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | OUAGADOUGOU (IDN) – Africa’s major film event ‘FESPACO’ – on the scale of the Oscars – celebrated its 50th year February 23 to March 2, 2019 with more films, more visitors and a disappointing showing of women selected to compete for any major prize. And women […]
Towards the First Russia-Africa Summit
By Kester Kenn Klomegah*, Eurasia Review China has offered $60 billion, Japan $32 billion, and India $25 billion, while large investment funds have also come from the United States and European Union, all towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. Russia has not pledged any funds. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed […]
Unrest Deepens Across East Africa and Africa’s ‘Horn’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Instability is growing in the East African nations of Sudan and South Sudan while the U.S. pursues a military solution to a decades-long civil war in Somalia. Recent U.S. bombing raids are claiming 35 al-Shabab victims in the Hiraan region of central Somalia, the U.S. […]
Eulogies Flow for A Golden Voice That Challenged Apartheid
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – A baobab tree has fallen with the passing of a one-of-a-kind musician. Those were the words spoken of the legendary Mama Dorothy Masuka by South African Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa. She was hailed alongside her friend, the late veteran star Miriam Makeba, for […]