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The parliament of the East African country has scrapped presidential age limit, paving the way for Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, to rule until 2037 The Ugandan parliament on Wednesday evening (20 December) voted to scrap presidential age limit which was formerly pegged at 75 years. The controversial age limit bill was passed after going through …

In his maiden speech as president of the African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa, appealed for unity in the South African ruling party, pledging to tackle corruption and support resolutions made to empower poor South Africans, including the expropriation of land without compensation. As the ANC elective conference came to a close, many including Ramaphosa breathed a sigh of relief …

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has elected Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as its new leader. The former trade unionist and top businessman will replace his embattled boss; President Jacob Zuma; and would lead the ANC into elections slated for 2019. Ramaphosa polled 2440 votes as against 2261 received by his main rival, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in the tightly fought …

West African leaders have called on Togolese political actors to hold an “inclusive dialogue” to resolve the political crisis in the country. The Summit of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) made the call in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday. The conference expressed its concerns over persistent political tensions and condemned the forms of violence and …

Latest figures show an overall fall in the number of new asylum requests in the EU, compared to 2015 and 2016. Asylum is a form of international protection given by a state on its territory. It is granted to a person who is unable to seek protection in his/her country of citizenship and/or residence, in particular for fear of being …

In a case that shows that the hand of justice is long, a Dutch court has convicted an aide of former Ethiopian dictator of war crimes committed in the 1970s and sentenced him to life in jail. Eshetu Alemu, who served Ethiopia’s ruthless leader Mengesitu Haile Mariam in the late 1970s, has been sentenced to life in jail by Dutch …

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands; has awarded $10 million in compensation to child soldiers recruited by Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga. The ICC said Lubanga was liable to pay the full amount to his young victims and their relatives, but added it recognised there was no way he would be able to afford paying this compensation that is …

The European Union and the African Union say at least 3,100 migrants who were stranded in Libya have been returned to their home countries in the past two weeks. A new task force, which also includes the UN, aims to repatriate another 15,000 migrants from Libya by February, AP has reported. Following the CNN footage that showed African migrants in …

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE), Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, has called on Nigerians travelling home for Christmas to be good ambassadors of the Diaspora. In his end-of-the-year message to Nigerians living in Europe, Gbandi pleaded with his countrymen and women travelling home for the yuletide to use the opportunity “for knowledge transfer, mentoring, empowerment and to …

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed a multi-million dollar partnership deal with Ghana on his first trip to Africa since taking office. Germany hopes the accord might help curb migration to Europe. Germany has agreed to grant Ghana $118 million (€100 million) to promote renewable energies, energy efficiency and vocational training. The two countries signed the “Investment and Reform Partnership” agreement …

Liberia will hold a delayed presidential run-off vote on 26 December, the electoral commission chief said on Tuesday (12 December). Former football star George Weah faces Vice-President Joseph Boakai in the poll that was held up for several weeks by a court challenge by the candidate who came third in round one. The winner will replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as …

Mohamed Salah has won BBC’s African Footballer of the Year for 2017 award after impressing in the Premier League for Liverpool and leading Egypt to the World Cup for the third time in their history The 25-year-old forward beat Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Guinean Naby Keita, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Nigeria’s Victor Moses to be named the continent’s greatest player by …

“Press Statement of the Central Council of the African Community in Germany e.V. (Zentralrat der afrikanischen Gemeinde in Deutschland e.V.) on the murder of Oury Jalloh. Fixed to a fireproof mattress with his hands and feet shackled, Oury Jalloh was found burnt in cell N ° 6 of the Dessau police station on 7 January 2005. The horrible image of …

The wave of protests against the enslavement of African migrants in Libya continued on Saturday (9 December) with demonstrations in the British capital and the German city of Hamburg. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Libyan embassy in London to demand an end to slave auctions in the North African country. Carrying placards reading “End the Damn Slavery!!” and “Human …

Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, will travel to Ghana and Gambia on 11-14 December 2017 on state visits. He will be accompanied by a delegation, including the Federal Minister for Economy and Energy, Mrs Brigitte Zypries, the Deputy Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Friedrich Kitschelt, the State Minister at the German Foreign Office, Maria …

Black organisations in Hamburg are calling for a public demonstration in the Merchant city on Saturday (9 December) against the enslavement, torture, rape and murder of Africans in Libya. “The Black Community in Hamburg invites all Black organizations, groups, movements, activists and individuals and their friends and supporters to a demonstration in front of the political and consular representations of …

Thousands of people are fleeing villages in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon less than a week after President Paul Biya declared war against Anglophone separatist groups. Fleeing villagers complain troops are engaging in rape, killings, and harassment, but the military says they are out to defend the population. The number of people travelling along the Kumba Mamfe Road in the …

Crackdown comes after Anglophone insurgents kill soldiers and police officers, reports Mbom Sixtus* from Yahoundé The secessionist crisis in Cameroon’s western region is deepening, with the government promising to crack down hard after Anglophone militants shot dead four soldiers and two policemen last week. The soldiers were killed in an ambush on a military convoy outside the town of Mamfe …

Human rights campaign group Amnesty International has described the plan agreed by EU and African leaders in Abidjan last Thursday to evacuate migrants stranded in Libya as unworkable. Franziska Vilmar, who works on asylum law and policy at the German branch of Amnesty International, told the German international broadcaster DW at the weekend that the plan was “unrealistic because the …

Gambians celebrated the first anniversary of the electoral defeat of long-serving leader Yahya Jammeh on Saturday. The main event saw President Adama Barrow addressing citizens about the victory of 2 December 2016 and warning that there was more work to be done to better the lives of the people. Jammeh until 2016 had been president of the Gambia for 22 …