The Colonial Planning of Airports in Nairobi
Changes to airport names may conceal stretches of their past. Thus, the colonial roots of two of Nairobi’s three airports are opaque. Each of the three has taken a turn as the prime international gateway to Kenya. During the 1930s, Wilson Airport, to the southwest of Nairobi, was the only city airport. It was set […]
Harare Officials Placed Under UK Sanctions
The United Kingdom has slapped sanctions on four Zimbabwean security officials over alleged human rights abuses, in a move that will restrict their travel to Britain and freeze their assets. Applying a new sanctions regime following its exit from the European Union, the UK on Monday cited a crackdown on protests in January 2019 which […]
Africa’s Oil Producing Nations Struggle to Meet Demand
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries raised output by 190,000 barrels a day in January, according to a Bloomberg survey. That fits with an agreement between the group and its allies to revive some of the supplies halted during the pandemic. Yet the monthly change is barely two-thirds of the scheduled amount, as increases by […]
Women in Malawi Take to the Streets
Dozens of sex workers took to the streets of Malawi’s capital Lilongwe on Thursday to protest against what they described as “targeted police brutality” following new Covid-19 restrictions. The protests were led by the Female Sex Workers Association (FSWA), which has about 120,000 members across the country, according to its national coordinator, Zinenani Majawa. The […]
Mogadishu Blast Hits Close to Government
Five people, plus four attackers, were killed in an attack at a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, according to Somali police. The deadly siege at the Afrik hotel which left 10 other civilians injured ended after Somali security forces battled militants for eight hours. The attack began on Sunday afternoon 5 p.m. local […]
Curable Diseases Make a Return to Cameroon
Cameroon is seeing a resurgence of leprosy, the bacterial infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage. Cameroon health authorities, on Sunday’s World Leprosy Day, said infections have jumped by about 50% since 2018. Leprosy patients say, just as in ancient times, they are shunned and neglected. Cameroon two decades ago announced that it […]
South African Covid Strain Troubles Vaccine Drive
As new variants like the one discovered in South Africa migrate to more countries — including the United States — it is becoming ever clearer that the tragedy for poorer countries could become a tragedy for every country. The more the virus spreads, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the greater chance it […]
The Casualties of Tigray’s Conflicts
The injury-plagued life, and now death, of Asmelash Woldeselassie highlights the brutality and cyclical nature of conflicts in Ethiopia’s mountainous Tigray region. Having joined the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) around the time of its formation in 1975, Asmelash lost his eyesight when he was bombed in his hideout in the Imba Alaje Mountain during […]
Ensuring the Protection of African Journalists
Threats to African journalists are nothing new, but the African Union is launching a website to track and monitor threats against them, in a bid to improve protections for media workers and support the right to freedom of the expression. Six African journalists were killed in 2020, according to the International Federation of Journalists. Countless […]
Africa’s Wealthiest have Come through the Pandemic just Fine
The continent’s 18 billionaires are worth an average $4.1 billion, 12% more than a year ago, driven in part by Nigeria’s surging stock market. For the tenth year in a row, Aliko Dangote of Nigeria is the continent’s richest person, worth $12.1 billion, up by $2 billion from last year’s list thanks to a roughly […]
