TIGRAY REBELS IN ETHIOPIA HAND OVER HEAVY WEAPONRY

TIGRAY REBELS IN ETHIOPIA HAND OVER HEAVY WEAPONRY

Renson Mwakandana According to the ceasefire deal struck in South Africa in November, the rebel Tigrayan troops in northern Ethiopia have turned over their heavy weaponry. A monitoring and verification team from the African Union validated the transfer, according to Getachew Reda’s tweet. The action, together with the restoration of services in the area where […]

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 UBER, BOLT CATCH A BREAK AS TANZANIA CUTS TAX RATES

UBER, BOLT CATCH A BREAK AS TANZANIA CUTS TAX RATES

Renson Mwakandana Tanzania has revised the tariff rules mandating ride-hailing companies to reduce their fees, giving Uber and Bolt a breather after they threatened to leave the market because of the harsh regulatory climate. According to the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra), which determines and authorizes ride-hailing operators’ prices, the businesses are now permitted to charge […]

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 FIRST EVER OIL DISCOVERY IN SOMALILAND

FIRST EVER OIL DISCOVERY IN SOMALILAND

Renson Mwakandana In a statement posted on Facebook, the self-declared republic of Somaliland’s ministry of energy and natural resources claimed the finding of an oil well in the Sallahey area of the Marodi-Jeh region. The ministry claimed that after a black liquid leaked from a nearby waterwell drilling site, it conducted scientific examinations, and the findings supported the detection of oil. […]

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 SAFARICOM WINS PRICE WAR IN ETHIOPIAN MARKET

SAFARICOM WINS PRICE WAR IN ETHIOPIAN MARKET

Renson Mwakandana In order to entice users away from Ethiotel, which had previously been the only mobile phone provider in the Horn of Africa nation, Safaricom has ruled out pricing competition in the Ethiopian market. Instead, the telco claims it would maintain phone and data rates that are comparable to those of Ethiotel, the government-owned […]

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 FEBRUARY TO SEE COMPLETION OF KAMPALA-MALABA RAILWAY PROJECT

FEBRUARY TO SEE COMPLETION OF KAMPALA-MALABA RAILWAY PROJECT

Renson Mwakandana According to the contractor, Chinese Railway and Bridge Cooperation (CRBC), 95% of the construction on the $301 million Kampala-Malaba metre gauge railway line has been completed. The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) provided funds for the line’s phased restoration, which got underway in February and is scheduled to be finished next month. Engineering […]

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 TANZANIAN PRESIDENT LIFTS BAN ON POLITICAL RALLIES

TANZANIAN PRESIDENT LIFTS BAN ON POLITICAL RALLIES

Renson Mwakandana A six-year ban on political gatherings was enforced by Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s hard-line predecessor, John Magufuli, as part of her 4Rs initiative—Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms, and Rebuilding. She accepted that political parties had the right to conduct rallies, but she advised them to do it in a “civil” manner without exchanging “insults.” […]

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 620 LIVES CLAIMED BY MALAWI CHOLERA OUTBREAK

620 LIVES CLAIMED BY MALAWI CHOLERA OUTBREAK

Renson Mwakandana Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda reported that 620 people had died in Malawi as a result of cholera since the epidemic started at the beginning of last year. As of Monday, there had been a total of 18,222 confirmed cases of cholera, with 16,780 persons recovering and 822 remaining in treatment facilities. According to […]

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 ERITREAN CATHOLIC BISHOP FIKREMARIAM HAGOS RELEASED FROM CUSTODY

ERITREAN CATHOLIC BISHOP FIKREMARIAM HAGOS RELEASED FROM CUSTODY

Renson Mwakandana A prominent Catholic bishop in Eritrea who had been detained without charge since October has been released. Abba Mihretab Stefanos, a parish priest, and Bishop Fikremariam Hagos were both freed. Their incarceration was not justified by the authorities in any way. The Catholic Church has consistently urged Eritrea to adopt democracy and to […]

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 NIGERIA: 14 DEAD, 24 INJURED AT ANNUAL BIKER’S EVENT IN CALABAR

NIGERIA: 14 DEAD, 24 INJURED AT ANNUAL BIKER’S EVENT IN CALABAR

Renson Mwakandana In Calabar, a major carnival city in southern Nigeria, a car crashed into groups of people watching motorcycles, leaving at least 14 people dead and 24 more hurt. According to witnesses, a fast driver lost control of the vehicle. Images posted online soon after the tragedy show bodies scattered all over the roadway. Since it […]

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 TEN PEOPLE KILLED AT BURKINA FASO ROAD MINE

TEN PEOPLE KILLED AT BURKINA FASO ROAD MINE

Renson Mwakandana On Christmas Day, a suspected Islamic terrorist strike claimed the lives of at least 10 individuals when their minibus collided with a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso.  On Sunday afternoon, when the minibus approached the town of Bougui and the Niger border, it struck a landmine, according to a statement from Colonel […]

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