First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Trump administration is considering a dramatic expansion of its travel ban, potentially targeting 36 additional countries — 25 of them in Africa — with full or partial visa restrictions, according to a leaked State Department cable. Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo cites a 60-day deadline for affected nations to meet […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda will sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on 27 June, aiming to end years of deadly conflict in eastern Congo. The accord follows three days of negotiations in Washington, facilitated by the U.S. and Qatar, and is expected to be signed in the presence of U.S. Secretary of […]
Kenya’s President William Ruto has defended his leadership in the face of growing public protests and international condemnation, asserting that his presidency is focused on long-term transformation rather than constrained by term limits or political pressure. Speaking at the Kenya Urban Forum in Naivasha, Ruto declared, “I cannot be distracted; I am a man on […]
Belgian prosecutors have announced on Tuesday, June 17 their intention to prosecute 92-year-old former diplomat Etienne Davignon for alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. Davignon is the sole surviving member of a group of ten Belgians named in a 2011 lawsuit by Lumumba’s children, who accused them of complicity […]
The UN has issued a dire warning over the worsening crisis in Sudan, where arbitrary civilian killings have tripled in recent months amid escalating warfare between rival military factions. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described Sudan as “plunging deeper into chaos and lawlessness, without […]
The United Nations has issued a dire warning that five countries — Sudan, South Sudan, Palestine (Gaza), Mali, and Haiti — are facing an imminent risk of famine, driven largely by conflict, climate shocks, and economic decline. In its latest Hunger Hotspots report released Monday (16 June), the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and Food […]
China has announced plans to eliminate tariffs on nearly all imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties, extending a previous policy that offered zero-tariff treatment to only 33 least-developed African nations. The announcement was made during a ministerial meeting in China’s city of Changsha, as African leaders gathered to review the […]
Russia’s war in Ukraine has taken on a disturbing new dimension, as media reports confirm that hundreds of young African men are being lured, coerced, or tricked into fighting on the front lines for the Kremlin. Marketed with promises of stable employment, education, or fast-track Russian citizenship, many are instead funneled into combat roles with […]
A peaceful protest in Nigeria’s Benue State turned chaotic on Sunday (15 June) as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the city of Makurdi who demanded justice after a massacre in Yelewata village left more than 100 people dead. Gunmen attacked the farming community late Friday (13 June), burning homes and killing civilians, […]
As the world marked the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) renewed its call for urgent, collective action to eliminate child labour — particularly in sectors like agriculture and artisanal mining, where millions of African children continue to work under hazardous conditions. Despite a global drop from 160 million child […]