Niger: Austrian aid worker kidnapped

Brussels 13.01.2025 An Austrian aid worker, Eva Gretzmacher, 73, has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been seized in the country since the military took power in 2023. (Image above: Niger hut, illustration) Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs said on Sunday, January 12, that its embassy in…

Chad: “little incident” in N’Djamena

Brussels 08.01.2025  Today in the evening Chad’s government said security forces had foiled an attempt to destabilise the country, after bursts of gunfire rang out near the President’s office in the capital N’Djamena and the military blocked the surrounding areas. In a video shot at the presidential headquarters, government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah ensured that the…

Zimbabwe abolishes death penalty

Brussels 31.12.2024 President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the death penalty abolition bill into law December 31, 2024. “Yes, the president had a personal role he played in moving matters in that direction, and this [is] arising from his own historical experience [as] a prisoner who had been condemned but only survived on the basis of age….

Mozambique: refugees and displaced

Brussels 30.12.2024 More than 250 people perished in Mozambique in clashes with the police and military while the protesters disputing the results of the presidential election. Discontent appeared long before voters went to the polls in October. The Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since 1975, has faced allegations of election rigging for years. According…

EU appoints envoy to Sahel

Brussels 18.11.2024 Today the Council appointed João Cravinho as EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the Sahel region. (Image above: Ninno Jack Jr.) The new EUSR will actively contribute to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, stability and sustainable development in the region, which comprises Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The…

Mozambique: EU urges restraint

Brussels 15.11.2024 “The EU is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence following elections in Mozambique, which has resulted in multiple fatalities” reads the statement by the European External Action Service spokesperson on the latest developments in the country. (Image above: Rohan Reddy courtesy) “The EU urges all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, avoid the…

Ethiopia: Cessation of Hostilities Agreement implementation

Brussels 02.11.2024 Today marks two years since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. “The implementation of the CoHA has delivered on important developments such as restoration of basic services, humanitarian access and the return of some Internally Displaced Persons” – reads…

Botswana: “exemplary transition of power”

Brussels 01.11.2024 On 30 October, the citizens of Botswana voted in parliamentary and local council elections. (Image above: Botswana sunset) “The EU congratulates President Duma Gideon Boko on his election, and the people of Botswana on the peaceful exercise of their civic rights” reads the statement by the EU top diplomat Josep Borrell on elections…

Lions maul zookeeper in Crimea

Brussels 17.10.2024 During morning hours, October 16, the director of the Yalta Zoo Skazka LLC and the manager of the lion’s park, Leokadia Perevalova, died under tragic circumstances in the Taigan Safari Park, Crimea. The owner of the Crimean zoos, Oleg Zubkov, commented on the employee’s death, and informed that an investigation has begun. “Today,…

EU envoy visits Great Lakes Region

Luxembourg 14.10.2024 The European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Great Lakes Region, Ambassador Johan Borgstam, visited Rwanda between 10 and 12 October, as part of a broader mission in the Great Lakes Region. In this first visit to the region since his recent appointment, Ambassador Borgstam met with His Excellency President Paul Kagame, Minister…