First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity fell sharply in the first half of 2025, with deal volumes declining by 21% and total values down 16% compared to the same period last year. According to a new report by DealMakers Africa, foreign investors are retreating from the continent due to global interest rate hikes, a strong […]
In a renewed show of diplomatic and strategic alignment, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the Republic of Congo a “reliable and time-tested friend,” highlighting the Central African nation as a key entry point for Moscow’s growing influence across the continent. The statement came during Putin’s recent meeting with Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso in […]
President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed he will run for a seventh term in Uganda’s 2026 presidential election, potentially extending his rule to over 40 years. The 80-year-old leader made the announcement via social media, stating he had expressed interest in becoming the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s presidential flag-bearer. Museveni, who seized power in 1986 […]
Congo and Rwanda have submitted a draft peace proposal as part of U.S.-led negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in resource-rich eastern Congo, according to U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos. Boulos welcomed the draft text on social media, calling it “an important step,” though details of […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo will dispatch a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for peace talks aimed at resolving the intensifying conflict with Rwanda-backed rebels in the country’s eastern region. This diplomatic development marks a significant policy shift for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who had previously ruled out direct dialogue with the M23 rebel group. […]
Angola has officially volunteered to mediate peace negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group, according to an announcement released Tuesday from the Angolan president’s office. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi visited Angola to discuss the framework for a potential peace process. Angolan officials confirmed they will immediately establish contact with […]
China’s top diplomat has embarked on his traditional New Year tour of Africa that will take him to Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria, aiming to further advance Beijing’s already sizable influence across the resource-rich continent amid dwindling Western influence. The week-long tour by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi marks 35 consecutive years […]
Leaders from Congo and Rwanda canceled a much-anticipated meeting in Angola intended to ease the crisis caused by the M23 rebel insurgency. Observers had hoped these face-to-face talks would produce a breakthrough. Instead, the latest setback suggests that efforts to quell the nearly three-year conflict in eastern Congo continue to falter, leaving more than 1.9 […]
The Court of Appeals in Brussels has ruled that Belgium must pay reparations to five women who were forcibly taken from their mothers and put in orphanages in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when it was still a Belgian colony because they were victims of “systematic kidnapping” by state. The appellate judges thus overturned […]
Congo has received its first shipment of mpox vaccines, with 100,000 doses arriving in the capital and another 100,000 expected shortly. The European Union donated the JYNNEOS vaccines, made by Bavarian Nordic. UNICEF will oversee the vaccination campaign in the most affected regions. However, the 380,000 doses promised by Western partners fall far short of […]