First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Dakhla-based International Center for Research on the Prevention of Child Recruitment (IRCPCS) issued an urgent call in Geneva on Thursday for global mobilization to ensure the immediate and safe return of children forcibly recruited by armed groups, including the polisario. This appeal was made during a conference on “Children of North Africa: Access to […]
Africa’s Sahel region has become the global epicenter of terrorism, with extremist groups now responsible for over half of all terror-related deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI). This marks a significant shift from previous years, as the region’s death toll rose to 3,885, accounting for 51% of the global […]
Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and the M23 rebel group are scheduled to begin in Angola’s capital city Luanda on 18 March, as announced by Angola’s presidency. This marks a significant development after months of escalating conflict in the volatile eastern DRC, where the M23 rebels, widely believed to […]
A new report by Drone Wars UK has highlighted the alarming rise of military drone strikes across Africa, resulting in nearly 1,000 civilian deaths over the past three years. The report, titled ‘Death on Delivery’, warns that the uncontrolled spread of armed drones, primarily imported from countries like Turkey, China, and Iran, is exacerbating civilian […]
The African Network of National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), which convened its General Assembly on Monday at Geneva’s Palais des Nations, officially endorsed the candidacy of the President of the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), Amina Bouayach, to chair the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). Ms. Bouayach’s candidacy has garnered […]
The East African Community (EAC) is grappling with a severe financial crisis, with member states failing to remit over $62 million in contributions for the 2024/25 financial year. The bloc, which comprises Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, has seen its programs delayed, while salaries for staff […]
The recent withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has placed significant pressure on Nigeria’s military, especially its Air Force. Air marshal Hassan Abubakar, Nigeria’s chief of air staff, highlighted at a recent meeting in Abuja that the departure of these countries from the regional security […]
Uganda’s High Court has ordered the renaming of streets, roads, and landmarks in the nation’s capital city Kampala that honor British colonial figures, marking a significant step in the country’s ongoing decolonization efforts. Justice Musa Ssekaana ruled that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) must take measures to rename these public spaces, ensuring that the new […]
Arab leaders have firmly rejected US president Donald Trump’s controversial plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop the region, endorsing an Egyptian-proposed reconstruction plan instead. The $53 billion plan, approved at an emergency summit in Cairo on Tuesday (4 February), aims to rebuild Gaza while keeping Palestinians in the enclave and excluding Hamas from […]
Trials of Congolese soldiers accused of desertion, murder, and looting shed light on a military grappling with poor morale and dysfunction, amid ongoing rebel advances in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In recent court proceedings, over 300 soldiers have stood trial, with some facing death sentences for fleeing the frontlines as M23 rebels, […]