NEWS ANALYSIS

Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Colombians went to the polls Sunday to elect a new Congress with a resurgent right, bitterly opposed to a peace deal that allows leftist former rebels to participate, expected to poll strongly. The election is set to be the calmest in half a century of …

Paris, France | AFP | The Chinese Communist Party’s decision to give President Xi Jinping a mandate to rule for life is further evidence of the world’s slide towards more nationalist, authoritarian regimes, analysts said. China’s rubber-stamp parliament, meeting in the imposing Great Hall of the People for an annual …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon is to withdraw its forces from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, a force known by its initials of MINUSCA. The cabinet on Thursday endorsed a request by the defence ministry to pull out the country’s troops in MINUSCA, “given the …

Obo, Central African Republic | AFP |  Every morning, Joseph gets on his motorbike to tend to his field of manioc, in the thick bush surrounding the Obo, in southeastern Central African Republic. This day, though, is not ordinary. Joseph is tense with worry. There are rumours that the Lord’s …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | In an unusual move, international war crimes judges will rule Thursday on three appeals cases, including one brought by Congolese warlord Germain Katanga who was ordered to pay his victims $1 million in damages. Legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are usually …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution that threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and to take “all appropriate measures” against those blocking peace efforts. The draft text obtained by AFP demands an end to …

EAC leaders push for mega deals amidst concerns of limited funds, slow integration progress Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Amidst big talk on how to raise over US$78 billion for regional infrastructure projects, Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli Magufuli had tough questions for the East African Community Council of Ministers. …

Critics say he is entrenching FDC contradictions he seeks to cure Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President Maj.Gen. Mugisha Muntu is growing more resolute in his pursuit for a solution to what he calls internal contractions in the party despite criticism that his approach …

More students are joining technical institutions, many more might be simply falling off Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | A growing number of students is increasingly opting out of Advanced Level education stirring mixed reactions amongst educationists and officials at the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), The Independent reveals. Speaking during …

The new move will see the lender venture into non-banking business Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Uganda’s largest lender, Stanbic Bank Uganda, is finalising plans to become a Bank Holding Company (BHC), a step that would enable it access funding more easily but also tighten capital requirements and regulatory oversight. …