France-Algeria relations: The lingering fallout from nuclear tests in the Sahara
The continued fallout from the nuclear tests carried out by France in the desert of its former colony, Algeria, continues to pollute relations between the two countries more than 60 years later, as Maher Mezahi…
9 June 2021
‘Sorry’ still the hardest word, as EU steps up courtship of Africa
Sometimes it takes a little geopolitical competition to acknowledge the sins of the past. For years, relations between the European Union and African countries ticked along more or less nicely. The Lomé Convention, and the Cotonou Agreement which…
9 June 2021
The grave of Samuel Maharero, who led the Herero's fight against the German colonial army, is pictured in Okahandja, Namibia. More African countries are demanding official apologies and reparations from their former rulers
Is the tide turning on reparations to Africa?
More than 100 years after its crimes as the colonial power in Namibia, the German government last week formally apologized for the genocide that took place under its watch. In a “gesture of reconciliation,” Germany will give…
9 June 2021
It’s apartheid, say Israeli ambassadors to South Africa
“It is clearer than ever that the occupation is not temporary, and there is not the political will in the Israeli government to bring about its end.” During our careers in the foreign service, we…
8 June 2021
North Africa Sheds Some Dust
The millions of tons of dust lofted out of North Africa each year are a visual reminder of how Earth’s systems are interconnected. Dust blowing out of the Sahara fertilizes the surface waters of the Atlantic and…
8 June 2021
© UNICEF/Catherine Ntabadde Health workers on Bwama Island on Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
Risk of COVID-19 surge threatens Africa’s health facilities
Critical health facilities across Africa risk being overwhelmed by surging COVID-19 infections, the UN health agency said on Thursday. The appeal to the continent’s authorities to boost lifesaving facilities comes as the World Health Organization…
7 June 2021
Massive underground water reserves in Africa’s driest areas
Huge reserves of underground water in some of the driest parts of Africa could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change for years to come, scientists said. Researchers from the British Geological Survey…
7 June 2021
Chinese Ambassador to Botswana H.E Wang-Xuefeng-Transport and Communications Minister-Thulagano-Segokgo-Miles-Nan-and-Assistant-Minister-of-Basic-Education-Naniki-Makwinja-at-the-SOS-Childrens-Village-in-Tlokweng-scaled.jpg
China Supports Africa’s Fight against COVID-19 and Economic Recovery with Concrete Actions
H.E. Wang Xuefeng* “We are all waves of the same sea”. Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted an ancient Roman philosopher at the Global Health Summit on 21st May to highlight the importance of solidarity and…
2 June 2021
A member of the Pan African Parliament kicks out at ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina during scuffles over the election of the parliament's new leadership. Image(C) Screengrab
SA-based Pan African Parliament descends into chaos over selection of President
South and North African lawmakers want parliament’s top leadership position to be chosen on rotational basis. Chaos erupted at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday, with scuffles between some lawmakers at…
1 June 2021
General Lieutenant Lothar von Trotha, the chief military commander in German South-West Africa, with his staff during the Herero uprising, 1904. Image: Bundesarchiv, Bild
Germany apologises for colonial-era genocide in Namibia
Germany finally apologised for its role in the slaughter of Herero and Nama tribespeople in Namibia more than a century ago and officially described the massacre as genocide for the first time, as it agreed…
31 May 2021
