The British government was grilled in parliament on Wednesday as it denied claims by Mauritius that a new deal to return the Chagos Islands changes the lease terms for a key US military base.The foreign ministry hit back at reports that Britain would pay Mauritius up to £18 billion ($22 billion) to use Diego Garcia …
UK says ‘no change’ to terms in Chagos US base dealWed, 05 Feb 2025 15:03:32 GMT Read More »
The M23 and Rwandan forces on Wednesday launched a new offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, seizing a mining town in South Kivu province, as they resumed their advance towards the regional capital Bukavu.Just days after capturing the strategic city of Goma in neighbouring North Kivu, the M23 armed group had declared a unilateral …
M23, Rwanda troops launch fresh east DR Congo offensiveWed, 05 Feb 2025 15:02:11 GMT Read More »
South Africa’s president has raised concerns to Elon Musk about “disinformation” after US President Donald Trump claimed the government was “confiscating land”, his spokesman said Wednesday.President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke with South African-born Musk on Tuesday, following the comments from Trump who appeared to be referring to a land expropriation act signed last month.”We flagged our …
S.Africa president raises US ‘disinformation’ with MuskWed, 05 Feb 2025 14:59:55 GMT Read More »
In the seven months since it was formed, South Africa’s unlikely unity government has been stretched and cracked but remains intact under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivers its first state of the nation address Thursday.Several loud quarrels have erupted over sticking points such as language education in schools and Ramaphosa’s warm words …
S.Africa’s unity govt stays the course after a stormy startWed, 05 Feb 2025 10:00:54 GMT Read More »
Goma, which fell to M23 fighters and the Rwandan military last week, has become a symbol of the conflict that has ripped apart the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over three decades.In early January, a push on the capital of North Kivu province, where thousands of UN and humanitarian workers were based, was seen as …
Fire and fury: the intense fight for DRC’s GomaWed, 05 Feb 2025 07:36:23 GMT Read More »
Rwandan-backed armed group M23 announced a humanitarian “ceasefire” from Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s perennially explosive east, days before a planned crisis meeting between the Congolese and Rwandan leaders.The M23 and Rwandan troops last week seized Goma — the provincial capital of the mineral-rich North Kivu region that has been blighted by conflict …
The still waters of Lake Kivu stretch all the way to the horizon, undisturbed by the turbulence raging on its shores.Boats have vanished from the lake since the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized control of the Congolese city of Goma at its north tip. On the other end of the lake lies the city of …
Mauritius’s prime minister said Tuesday that his country had reached a newly renegotiated deal with Britain over control of the strategic Chagos Islands but was awaiting US President Donald Trump’s opinion.Britain and its former colony reached a deal in October to hand back the Indian Ocean isles — which it kept control of after Mauritius …
Mauritius says ‘new deal’ reached with UK on Chagos IslandsTue, 04 Feb 2025 16:57:32 GMT Read More »
Lack of military coordination and tension among countries in Africa’s Lake Chad region are hindering efforts to end a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency, according to local officials and security sources.The region, comprising the four countries that surround Lake Chad — Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria — has been battling insurgency since 2009, after a …
People cannot go to Mali’s Dogon region to witness its spectacular ancient culture, so the Dogons brought their dancing, wrestling and architecture to the Sahel nation’s capital. The central region has been isolated for a decade because of the insecurity that has stricken the huge west African country.But authorities have organised the annual week-long Ogobagna festival …
