Author: Abdihakim Kalale

The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council (EIASC) has donated more than 200 million birr worth of medicines and medical equipment to public health institutions across the country, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday. According to the Ministry, EIASC President Sheikh Haji Ibrahim Tufa handed over the supplies to State Minister of Health Frehiwot Abebe. Frehiwot described religious institutions as “key partners in the health sector” and called on medical facilities to ensure that the donated items “are used for their intended purpose.” The Ministry said the latest assistance was secured from the U.S.-based charity Muslim Aid America and coordinated…

Turkiye plans to launch offshore oil drilling activities off the coast of Somalia in 2026 after completing ongoing seismic studies in the region, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Bayraktar noted that Türkiye’s Oruc Reis seismic research vessel conducted a 3D seismic survey in three designated zones last year, each covering around 5,000 square kilometers. “We completed seismic operations this year, and most likely 2026 will be a drilling year for us in Somalia’s offshore region,” he said, adding that an official announcement is expected in January once the survey results are finalized.…

Ethiopia on Wednesday issued one of its strongest statements yet against Egypt, accusing Cairo of attempting to destabilize the Horn of Africa to preserve what it called a “colonial-era” monopoly over the Nile River. The sharply worded announcement from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs marks the latest escalation in the long-running diplomatic standoff surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), inaugurated in September. In its statement, Addis Ababa said Egyptian officials were relying on an “obsolete playbook” aimed at creating “pliant, weak and fragmented client states” to advance Cairo’s interests. “Steeped in a colonial mentality, some Egyptian officials believe they…

The Sudanese army has regained control of the town of Mabsut in South Kordofan following clashes with forces allied with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), local witnesses said on Tuesday. According to residents who spoke to Anadolu, army units advanced west of Al-Abbasiya Tagali and took control of Mabsut after fighting with elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which has aligned itself with the RSF in various areas. With the capture of Mabsut, the army now holds all territories west of Al-Abbasiya Tagali, a locality seen as strategically important because it connects the northern and southern parts of…

Britain and the Netherlands have withdrawn a combined $2.2 billion in financial backing for the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project amid heightened security concerns and human rights allegations, both governments announced Monday. The UK government said it was cancelling $1.15 billion in previously approved support — a $300 million loan and roughly $700 million in export insurance — originally pledged in 2020 for the $20 billion development in northern Mozambique. British Business Minister Peter Kyle said the security and operational risks surrounding the project had “increased since 2020,” adding that UK taxpayers’ interests were “best served” by ending the country’s participation.…

U.S. President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday for the signing of a new peace agreement, the White House announced on Monday. The meeting aims to build on a U.S.-brokered deal reached in June — previously signed by the foreign ministers of both countries — as well as an economic cooperation framework agreed in November. Tensions have risen sharply in eastern DRC this year after the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group launched a rapid offensive, capturing the region’s two largest cities and triggering fears of a broader regional conflict. Washington…

Nigeria has offered protection to Guinea-Bissau’s opposition presidential candidate Fernando Dias at its embassy in Bissau, as West African leaders press the country’s military authorities to restore constitutional order following last week’s takeover. Abuja’s decision was announced in a statement dated Nov. 30, in which the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said President Bola Tinubu approved the request after “imminent threats” were reported against Dias. Nigeria also urged the ECOWAS Stabilisation Mission to deploy troops to guarantee his safety. The move comes as an ECOWAS delegation, led by Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, met Guinea-Bissau’s military leaders on Monday in a…

As French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up a five-day tour of Mauritius, South Africa, Gabon and Angola, reiterating his pledge that France is “turning the page” in its relations with Africa, analysts say the continent is far from persuaded. Macron has repeated the same promise for years, but experts argue that France’s credibility has eroded following military withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the collapse of its influence in the Sahel, and political upheaval in Madagascar — once a reliable partner. “Macron’s Africa policy is reacting to geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts … not being proactive,” Ovigwe Eguegu, a political…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday accused US President Donald Trump of continuing to make “untrue statements” about South Africa, including allegations of genocide against Afrikaners and land confiscation targeting white citizens. In a national address, Ramaphosa said he had taken note of Trump’s recent claim that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Florida. Trump said Pretoria had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US Embassy representative — an assertion Ramaphosa firmly rejected. “Earlier this week, we formally handed over the G20 Presidency for 2026 to the United States, observing…

An appeals court on Friday issued prison terms ranging from five to 45 years against opposition politicians, business leaders, and lawyers on charges of conspiring to overthrow President Kais Saied — a move critics described as the latest escalation in Tunisia’s slide toward authoritarian rule. Ahead of her arrest, Issa addressed demonstrators, urging the divided opposition to unite and intensify protests. “They will arrest me shortly,” she told Reuters. “I say to Tunisians: continue to protest and reject tyranny. We are sacrificing our freedom for you.” She denounced the charges as politically motivated and unjust. More arrests expected The police…

The source, who requested anonymity, confirmed Embalo’s arrival on Saturday without providing further details. Embalo had initially departed Bissau for neighboring Senegal on a special flight after soldiers toppled his government on Wednesday, before official results from the weekend’s presidential and legislative elections were announced. On Thursday, the military leadership installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president. AFP earlier reported Embalo’s arrival in Brazzaville, citing Congolese government sources. The small Portuguese-speaking nation has faced repeated episodes of political instability in recent years.

Sudanese Information Minister Khalid Al-Ayesir said Friday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed Taj Al-Sir Ahmed Suleiman, the director of the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) office in El-Fasher, and detained several other media workers, according to Anadolu. In a statement, Al-Ayesir said Suleiman was assassinated at his home in the Al-Daraja neighborhood of El-Fasher along with his brother, after RSF fighters entered the city. He noted that Suleiman had “remained steadfast in the values and principles of his profession under the most difficult circumstances, up until the moment of his death,” after he went missing during the…

Although the Congolese government and M23 recently signed a Qatar-brokered peace framework in Doha, clashes erupted Thursday in several areas including Kibati in Walikale territory, Kinyumba, and Nyabiondo in Masisi. Residents said fighting began after government troops attacked M23 positions in Kinyumba. The Congolese army also deployed a fighter jet to strike rebel sites in Walikale and Masisi. A bomb blast in Kautu village left one person seriously injured, according to villagers. The victim received treatment locally, but residents warned that many clinics lack medicine after being looted during recent skirmishes. Media reports said M23 captured Mahanga in Masisi territory…

The African Union (AU) “immediately suspended” Guinea-Bissau from all its activities until constitutional order is restored, according to a statement Saturday. The decision by the AU’s Peace and Security Council came two days after the military announced the ouster of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. The Council “strongly condemned the Nov. 26 military coup in Guinea-Bissau, rejecting it as an unconstitutional change of government in violation of AU norms, and immediately suspended the country from all AU activities until constitutional order is restored,” it said. The announcement came following an emergency Council session Friday. The Council demanded the unconditional release of…

Senegal’s Foreign Ministry said Embaló arrived in Dakar “safe and sound” late Thursday aboard a government-chartered aircraft, following coordination with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which had been negotiating his transfer amid escalating tensions in Bissau. The military in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday declared it had taken full control of the state and later swore in army chief Gen. Horta N’Tam as transitional president for a one-year period. The takeover occurred as the country awaited provisional results from presidential and parliamentary elections held on Sunday. The junta suspended the electoral process, blocked the publication of results and imposed a nightly…

The project, which will be implemented in two phases, will be financed through a mix of debt and equity, a model increasingly used as Beijing shifts away from its earlier approach of extending large sovereign loans to African states. Kefa Seda, director general of the Public-Private Partnerships Directorate at the Finance Ministry, said the new structure reflects Kenya’s limited borrowing capacity.“We don’t have any room to borrow any more money,” he told Reuters ahead of the launch. The expanded highway will improve one of the region’s most important transport corridors, linking the port city of Mombasa to western Kenya and…