Liesl Louw-Vaudran | ISS AFRICA | The impressive turnout at the African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 21 March showed the continent’s united fervour to boost its economic opportunities. Delegations from 50 countries, including 27 heads of state, attended the summit in …

Leighann Spencer | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS |  Last month, Uganda experienced a senior changing of the guard as Kale Kayihura was officially replaced as Inspector General of Police. The prominent figure had been head of the Uganda Police Force for over 12 years, and his contract had been renewed for another three …

William Davison | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS |  The swearing-in this week of Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed and his promising inaugural speech suggests Ethiopia has its best chance yet to address a political crisis that has been building for decades. This comes not a moment too soon. Youthful protesters, particularly in Oromiya, …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | On 23 March, Zambia’s main opposition party filed a motion seeking the impeachment of President Edgar Lungu. The action was led by the United Party for National Development (UPND) party and backed by a third of MPs. The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) immediately derided the move. Presidential spokesperson …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The United States on Thursday approved a contract to sell Saudi Arabia 180 self-propelled artillery systems for $1.31 billion, in the latest stage of perhaps the world’s biggest arms deal. When US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh last year he boasted that the desert …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  More than 40 people who fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died from cholera at a refugee camp in Uganda, the Red Cross said Thursday. DR Congo’s eastern neighbour has been coping with a surge of refugees following the resumption in December …

Embed from Getty Images New Zealand ?? 64  Uganda ?? 51 Gold Coast, Australia | SILVERFERNS.CO.NZ  | The New Zealand netball team opened their Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games campaign with a hard-fought 64-51 win over Uganda on Thursday. Delivered a testing workout by Uganda, the New Zealanders were able to give all …

Paris, France | AFP |  A former Rwandan policeman has been arrested in Cameroon on suspicion of involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a judicial source in France, where he is wanted over the killings, told AFP. Philippe Hategekimana was arrested in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, on March 30 under an …

  Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off — but his opponent vowed to contest the result. Bio, a former soldier who briefly …

  Gold Coast, Australia | AFP |  A heavy downpour, a giant floating whale and Aboriginal protests marked the start of the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as Australia flagged off 11 days of competition in the resort city of Gold Coast. Britain’s Prince of Wales declared the Games open at …