African News
The AU’s response to the 2025 elections shows that it prioritises procedure over political competitiveness and democratic substance. Africa’s 2025 polls reveal a growing disjuncture between electoral activity and democratic performance, even as the African Union (AU) seeks to improve its election monitoring activities. The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance mandates the AU…
Johannesburg — Regional Bodies Should Press Governments to Respect Rights, Promote Accountability Southern African countries committed serious human rights violations throughout 2025, creating vicious cycles of abuse and impunity, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. Security forces in Angola, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe used excessive and at times lethal force, and…
The Chief Justice of Zambia, Mumba Malila, has urged African judiciaries to institutionalise Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and prioritise judicial wellness as a key reform to tackle case backlogs and improve the quality of justice. Speaking virtually at the 27th Annual Judges’ Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Justice Malila said the efficiency of courts depends…
President Museveni on Tuesday met leaders of the African Union-East African Community-Southern African Development Community (AU-EAC-SADC) panel of facilitators tasked with supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process, as regional leaders intensify efforts to resolve the long-running conflict in eastern Congo. The meeting at State House Entebbe brought together a high-level delegation chaired…
Nairobi — Sahel Leaders Solidify Hold on Power; Warring Forces Attack Civilians Leaders in several West African countries increased crackdowns on freedoms as they strengthened their hold on power in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. In Nigeria and the Sahel, Islamist armed groups and government forces and their allies…
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Reportedly Assassinated in Libya Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as his heir apparent, was reportedly shot dead. His lawyer said a four-man commando unit assassinated him at his home in Zintan, though it was not clear who may have been behind…
First enacted in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) allows qualifying sub-Saharan African countries to export over 1,800 products to the US duty-free. Export countries include Nigeria and South Africa. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a one-year extension of a trade preference program with African countries restoring duty-free access to the…
Up to four in ten cancer cases worldwide could be prevented, according to a new global analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The study examines 30 preventable causes, including tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation – and for the…
Africa’s development finance challenge has reached a critical point. Mounting debt pressure is squeezing fiscal space. And essential needs in infrastructure, health and education remain unmet. The continent’s governments urgently need affordable access to international capital markets. Yet many continue to face borrowing costs that make development finance unviable. Sovereign credit ratings – the assessments…
The call was made on Monday in Abuja at the SPARK Africa Translational Research Bootcamp and Conference, which brought together health professionals, researchers and professors from within and outside Nigeria. Health experts and policymakers have called on Africa to take ownership of its research agenda and strengthen translational science to improve health outcomes and drive…
