NATO to enhance cooperation with Tunisia

NATO continues to work with Tunisia on a defence-capacity building package and this including the support  for the development of special operation forces, intelligence, – said Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO. “..We are also looking into other areas, like for instance border control and other areas which are relevant for the fight against…

Haftar returned to Benghazi

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar return to his headquarters in Ar Rajma, after completing the treatment he received at Paris hospital, according to different sources. #Breaking: Khalifa Haftar greeting military personnel during arrival ceremony in #Benghazi(Feed from #Libya al-Hadath TV) pic.twitter.com/CPuyLokd03 — Alwasat Libya (@alwasatengnews) April 26, 2018 The arrival at Benghazi ended the flow of speculations…

RSF: Africa at threshold of ‘promising era’

Africa came with a score that is slightly better than in 2017 but also contained a wide range of internal variation (see our regional analysis The dangers of reporting in Africa). #RSFIndex: In 2018, #Norway is still first and #NorthKorea is still last in the World #PressFreedom Indexhttps://t.co/nBwxqZqG5l pic.twitter.com/5PPhpAujxT — RSF (@RSF_inter) April 26, 2018 Frequent…

Ethiopia reopens debate on repatriation of artefacts

The UK  must permanently return all artifacts from Ethiopia held by the Victoria and Albert Museum and Addis Ababa will not accept them on loan, an Ethiopian government official said. The statement comes after the museum, one of London’s most emblematic tourist attractions, put Ethiopian treasures plundered by British forces in 1868 on display. “Well,…

UK suggests Zimbabwe return to Commonwealth

The UK would strongly support Zimbabwe’s re-entry to the Commonwealth and praised President Emmerson Mnangagwa for impressive progress since Robert Mugabe was toppled in a military coup. Great meeting with ministers from across #ourCommonwealth this morning for talks with Minister Sibusiso Moyo on how Britain, the Commonwealth & the wider international community will do everything…

Ramaphosa sends mixed signals on land grabs

Contradictory information comes from South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivers different narratives to different players. Previously Ramaphosa said he intended to organise land summit in April, but the event did not take place. However during his visit  to London he reassured Queen Elizabeth there won’t be such expropriation without compensation. Returning land to those…

Critical year for South Sudan

The EU Council adopted conclusions, pointing out that 2018 is a critical year for securing peace in South Sudan, as the term of the transitional government of National Unity as set out in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) comes to an end. While ARCSS remains the basis for the process, the discussions…

Contemporary African artists at rise

Contemporary African artists have been gaining appreciation on the international art market, a boom that’s been confirmed through record sales at auction. https://twitter.com/airiters/status/984754028990038019 However these artists remain part of an emerging market niche, as the Quartz news website pointed out: “For all the excitement around African contemporary art,” it wrote in March, “the continent still accounts for a fraction of the global art…

Donor conference for Congo raised $500

The UN  donor conference in Geneva,  raised half a billion dollars to ease what it calls a major humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). #DRC aid appeal raises $500 million as humanitarian crisis grows. This and other stories in our @UNGeneva audio bulletin: https://t.co/fHYAf2csK9 — UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) April 13, 2018 In…

Conflicting reports about Khalifa Haftar condition

Libyan military leader Marshall Khalifa Haftar has been treated in a hospital in Paris, a French source confirming earlier reports from Libyan officials and media. Haftar, 75, is the dominant figure in eastern Libya (Cyrenaica) and has long been seen as a likely contender to unite the country.  As commander  the Libyan National Army (LNA),…