East Africa
Zambia seeks suspension of debt service payments in Africa’s first pandemic-related default
By Stephan McCoy, 30 September 2020
The threat of the continent’s first COVID-related default testifies to the scale of the economic disaster affecting much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Floods inundate Sudan amid escalating economic crisis
By Jean Shaoul, 14 September 2020
The hardest hit has been the capital Khartoum, where the Blue and White Nile Rivers meet, as the Nile burst its banks, demolishing everything in its way.
Beached Japanese cargo ship causes ecological disaster for Mauritius
By Tom Casey, 14 August 2020
The MV Wakashio began leaking thousands of metric tons of fuel after it collided with a coral reef barrier near the southern coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Riots in Ethiopia over assassination of Oromi singer/activist Hachalu Hundessa
By Jean Shaoul, 9 July 2020
In Addis Ababa, at least 10 people were killed in clashes with the police and many more were injured. Similar clashes took place throughout Oromia, the largest of Ethiopia’s nine ethnically based regions.
Germany and EU expand military deployment in Africa
By Gregor Link, 2 June 2020
German imperialism sees the crisis as an opportunity to assert its global geopolitical interests by force of arms.
East Africa: Millions face triple disasters of floods, locusts and COVID-19
By Stephan McCoy, 27 May 2020
With water levels rising, some 40 million people living in major cities are at a heightened risk of flooding and infrastructure damage.
Strikes and workers’ protests mount against “back to work” campaign
By Shannon Jones, 9 May 2020
The incompetence and callous disregard for human life by the capitalist authorities in country after country is fueling an upsurge in the class struggle.
Record 50.8 million people internally displaced in 2019
By Jean Shaoul, 2 May 2020
The plight of tens of millions of internally displaced people is virtually ignored, attracting little global attention during the escalating global pandemic.
Protests in Somalia after police killing during pandemic lockdown
By Stephan McCoy, 28 April 2020
The protests reflect a broader anger towards the brutal methods utilized by the security forces during the curfew
African economies in free fall as coronavirus pandemic worsens
By Stephan McCoy, 11 April 2020
An African Union study predicts that some 20 million jobs are at risk in Africa due to the impact of the pandemic.
Africa’s elite build VIP hospitals for themselves, leaving workers to die
By Stephan McCoy, 8 April 2020
The response of the African ruling elite has been to cocoon itself in luxury, distancing from the impoverished masses it views with hostility and fear.
Military massacres protesters in Sudan
By Bill Van Auken, 4 June 2019
Dozens were killed and hundreds wounded Monday after troops broke up a sit-in in Khartoum with live ammunition.
Pre-emptive military coup ousts Bashir to protect Sudan’s elite
By Jean Shaoul, 12 April 2019
Awad Ibn Auf, the minister of defence and deputy president, declared a three-month state of emergency, putting the country under military rule, and said that the army would oversee a two-year transitional period leading up to elections.
Extreme social crisis ravages Mozambique in wake of Cyclone Idai
By Eddie Haywood, 30 March 2019
The devastation in the storm’s wake has produced a full-blown humanitarian crisis, exposing the impoverished conditions already present before Cyclone Idai hit.
Boeing jetliner crashes in Ethiopia, killing all 157 passengers and crew
By Eddie Haywood, 12 March 2019
The Ethiopian air disaster comes just five months after an Indonesian Lion Air passenger jet of the same model crashed, killing all 189 on board.
AFRICOM envisions two years of open-ended warfare in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 16 December 2017
The announcement marks a further escalation of Washington’s military offensive in Somalia which has been ramped up over the last year, including the deployment of 500 special forces personnel.
US expands military offensive in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 24 November 2017
The official US military deployment in Somalia has increased to more than 500, the largest contingent of soldiers in the country since 1993.
UN Ambassador Haley visits Africa amid US military escalation, social catastrophe
By Eddie Haywood, 28 October 2017
The tour happened against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s expansion of US military operations on the continent.
Trump escalates US drone war in Somalia
By Timotheos Gaist, 8 July 2017
Calls are growing in US ruling circles for wider war in the desperately impoverished, immensely strategic Horn of Africa nation.
“The measures we are taking are intended to safeguard the IMF program”
Zambian President Edgar Lungu seizes emergency powers
By David Brown, 7 July 2017
Lungu has enacted dictatorial measures in order to suppress social opposition to upcoming IMF austerity measures.
US-backed South Sudanese regime organizing genocidal crimes, UN report finds
By Thomas Gaist, 15 March 2017
The South Sudanese elites brought to power by Washington have been organizing ethnic repression on a genocidal scale, the UN human rights commission found.
South Sudan civil war causing widespread famine
By Thomas Gaist, 1 March 2017
Six years after the US-backed partition of Sudan, the newly autonomous, oil-wealthy South Sudan is beset by spreading famine and a raging civil war.
Famine threatens millions in the Horn of Africa as Washington prepares expanded war in Somalia
By Thomas Gaist, 21 February 2017
Starvation and malnutrition are menacing the lives of 10-15 million people in the Horn of Africa countries of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Ethiopian government kills 100 civilians as protests sweep country
By Joe Williams, 26 August 2016
A protest at the Olympics by marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa drew attention to the ongoing government repression in Ethiopia.
US airstrike massacres 150 at al-Shabaab training camp in Somalia
By Joseph Kishore, 8 March 2016
The attack north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu marks a significant escalation of US operations in the Horn of Africa, which lies next to critical oil routes leading into the Indian Ocean.
US troops have secretly been deployed to Somalia since 2007
By Thomas Gaist, 5 July 2014
Officials made clear that the US intends to escalate its military intervention in the strategic Horn of Africa.
Hundreds drown fleeing continued fighting in South Sudan
By Bill Van Auken, 15 January 2014
As many as 300 people drowned when an overloaded ferry that they had boarded to flee fighting in the city of Malakal sank Tuesday in the White Nile.
Mau-Mau verdict exposes crimes of British imperialism in Kenya
By Jean Shaoul, 12 November 2012
It is estimated that more than 150,000 Kenyans were killed in the suppression of the Mau-Mau uprising that involved ethnic cleansing, concentration camps and widespread torture and murder.
US employs former child soldiers as mercenaries
By Sybille Fuchs, 31 October 2012
The US is increasingly using private security forces to wage its wars and maintain its occupation of countries after the withdrawal of regular troops.
Imperialist powers mourn death of Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi
By Jean Shaoul, 4 September 2012
The state funeral of Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi on Sunday in the capital, Addis Ababa, underscores the highly unstable character of political relations in Africa.
US threatens Rwandan President Kagame over support for Congolese rebels
By Eddie Haywood, 2 August 2012
The US Office of Global Justice warned the Rwandan government last week that it could face prosecution on war crimes charges.
Released papers reveal attempts to cover up Britain’s criminal past
By Jean Shaoul, 2 May 2012
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has released thousands of files it previously claimed were “lost” after Britain withdrew from its former colonies.
Kony 2012 and the promotion of “humanitarian” wars
By Andre Damon, 21 March 2012
The central impulse behind US involvement in Uganda is the drive to dominate the region’s recently discovered oil reserves and its other natural resources, as part of the broader struggle for influence in Africa between the US, China and the former colonial European powers.
BP settles for $7.8 billion in Gulf blowout
By Tom Eley, 6 March 2012
Oil giant BP will pay only $7.8 billion to settle with victims of the 2010 Gulf oil blowout.
Britain considers air strikes against Somali insurgents
By Jean Shaoul, 5 March 2012
Britain is considering sending the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Somalia to conduct air strikes and commando raids against al-Shabaab and other Islamic groups fighting the Transitional Federal Government.
US-backed Kenyan forces invade Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 26 October 2011
Kenya sent military forces into Somalia last week, vowing to fight al-Shabaab militants it blamed for a spate of abductions of foreign nationals.
“Walk-To-Work” protests shake Ugandan capital city
By Eddie Haywood, 19 October 2011
Tear gas and gunshots shook downtown Kampala as the “Walk-To-Work” protests resumed on Monday morning after a hiatus in April.
US deploys Special Forces troops to central Africa
By Eddie Haywood and Alex Lantier, 17 October 2011
US President Barack Obama has deployed roughly 100 special operations troops to central Africa, as part of an offensive targeting the leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Over 100 dead, others horribly maimed in Nairobi pipeline explosion
By Julie Hyland, 13 September 2011
More than 100 people have been killed, and scores horribly burned in Kenya, after a leaking fuel pipeline exploded Monday morning in a Nairobi slum.
Ugandan President Museveni proposes land giveaways to international business interests
By our correspondent, 10 September 2011
Museveni’s proposal for a massive giveaway of public lands to an international sugar conglomerate is the latest in a long string of policies that underscore the government’s corrupt subservience to global financial interests.
Police repress Ugandan protests
By a correspondent, 20 August 2011
On August 10 police in Masaka, Uganda assaulted a demonstration called against the rising cost of living.
US prepares for military intervention in Somalia
By Susan Garth, 6 August 2011
The Obama administration is preparing a new military intervention in Somalia under the pretext of humanitarian concern for starving drought victims.
Kenyans win right to sue UK government for colonial torture
By Joe Mount, 2 August 2011
Four Kenyans are to sue the UK government for the treatment they received during the suppression of the Mau Mau uprising during the early 1950s when Kenya was a British colony.
US-backed forces launch military offensive in Somalia as aid is used as a weapon of war
By Susan Garth, 30 July 2011
The African Union is propping up the Transitional Federal Government that was installed in Somalia by the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of December 2006.
Obama administration operates illegal torture compound in Somalia
By Tom Carter, 19 July 2011
The Obama administration is operating an illegal secret CIA prison compound in Somalia into which targeted individuals are “rendered” without trial to be tortured.
Former Taiwanese president indicted for embezzlement
By John Chan, 11 July 2011
The charges are another sign of the ongoing political battle in ruling circles over the island’s policy toward China.
Rwandan general sentenced for role in 1994 genocide
By Susan Garth, 24 May 2011
Augustin Bizimungu, head of the Rwandan army at the time of the 1994 genocide, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Ugandan police open fire on protesters
By Susan Garth, 3 May 2011
Police have opened fire on protesters in Uganda and imprisoned many in recent days.
Anti-government action spreads to Djibouti
By Niall Green, 21 February 2011
The wave of popular protests in the Middle East and North Africa has reached the country of Djibouti.
Cables reveal how US and UK sought to plunder Zimbabwe’s resources
By Ann Talbot, 6 January 2011
The US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks contain revealing details of how the United States and Britain sought to further their commercial interests in Zimbabwe.
Plan to deploy British mercenaries in Somalia
By Ann Talbot, 1 December 2010
British mercenaries are to be deployed in Somalia, according to the London-based Sunday Telegraph.
Zambian miners shot by Chinese mine owners
By John Farmer, 22 October 2010
Eleven miners were shot at the Chinese-owned Collum Coal Mine, in the Sinazongwe District of southern Zambia on October 15, while protesting against low wages and poor conditions.
Poverty grows in Madagascar
By Barry Mason, 28 September 2010
A recent BBC Radio 4 programme showed that the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is experiencing growing poverty under a regime of sanctions imposed by the US and Europe.
Food riots erupt in Mozambique
By David Walsh, 4 September 2010
Protests continued in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital city, for a third day on Friday in response to increased bread prices and the general rise in the cost of living. At least 10 people are dead, and more than 400 have been wounded.
Tensions emerge between Rwanda and Western backers
By Linda Slattery and Ann Talbot, 26 August 2010
Tensions began to emerge between President Paul Kagame and his Western backers in the course of the recent elections.
US backs plan to send more troops to Somalia
By Ann Talbot, 2 August 2010
The African Union Summit in Kampala agreed to send more troops to Somalia to support the Transitional Federal Government against the Islamist militia al-Shabaab.
Claims of African economic growth hide stark divisions of rich and poor
By Barry Mason, 25 June 2010
Recent reports show growth of a stark divide between rich and poor in Africa.
Tobacco companies profit from child labour in Malawi
By Barry Mason, 3 June 2010
A recent Channel 4 Television programme, “Unreported World”, highlighted the ongoing use of child labour in tobacco harvesting in Malawi.
French President Sarkozy’s visit to Rwanda
By Anthony Torres, 12 April 2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid a brief visit on February 25 to the Rwanda capital Kigali, to meet Rwandan president Paul Kagamé. This visit took place 15 years after the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis by Hutu tribal forces, supported by France, which claimed 800,000 victims.
Somalia: US backs puppet government’s planned military offensive
By Brian Smith, 12 March 2010
The United States’ military is working closely with its Somali counterparts in planning a major military offensive against Islamist militias, who control the bulk of the country, including almost all of the capital, Mogadishu.
Somalia: Troop surge in support of US-backed puppet government
By Brian Smith, 25 February 2010
The Washington-backed Transitional Federal Government of Somalia is reported to be preparing a major offensive against Islamist rebels who control the bulk of the country.
United States halts food aid for Somali women and children
By Barry Mason, 28 September 2009
The World Food Programme has closed twelve feeding centres for women and children in Somalia as a result of US restrictions on aid to areas that are under the control of groups designated as terrorists.
US assassination in Somalia
By Brian Smith, 21 September 2009
United States commandos from the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command launched a helicopter raid last week in Somalia, close to the border with Kenya, and killed a key Islamist suspect.
Somalia: Obama administration sends arms to prop up Islamist government
By Brian Smith, 3 August 2009
The Obama administration has been sending weapons to Somalia to support the Transitional Federal Government against a rebel insurgency that threatens to overwhelm the government.
Somalia: Conflict rages in Mogadishu
By Brian Smith, 8 June 2009
In the past few weeks, rebels from Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have routed government forces in Mogadishu.
Why did France resort to violence off the coast of Somalia?
By Olivier Laurent, 1 May 2009
The use of force in April to recover five French hostages held off the Somali coastline, on the yacht, the Tanit, demonstrates the contempt of the Nicolas Sarkozy government for the lives of the French hostages and the Somali pirates, as well as for French and Somali public opinion.
Obama administration ends Somali pirate standoff with lethal force
By Joe Kishore, 13 April 2009
The hostage-taking in the Indian Ocean was quickly transformed into an opportunity for the Obama administration to reassert US military power and demonstrate Obama’s willingness to use military force.
Somalia: US policy shift towards Islamists after Ethiopian pullout
By Brian Smith, 25 March 2009
Somali MPs have elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the Djibouti-based Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), as the country’s new president.
Zimbabwe: Cholera death toll rises
By Chris Talbot, 30 December 2008
The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe has now infected up to 24,000 people with nearly 1,200 deaths, according to the official figures from UNICEF.
More military vessels dispatched to Somalia
By Brian Smith and Chris Talbot, 3 December 2008
The increased militarisation of the oil-rich region represents a major danger to the peoples of the region and the entire world. Warships from Britain, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Russia and the US are all currently operating off the Somali coast.
Workers Struggles: Europe & Africa
7 November 2008
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Half of the Zimbabwe population faces starvation
By Barry Mason, 5 November 2008
Aid charities and the UN estimate that 5 million people in Zimbabwe face starvation.
NATO warships head to Somalia
By Brian Smith, 4 November 2008
NATO warships from across the globe are converging on the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, ostensibly to tackle piracy and to escort ships through the Gulf. Russia is also sending a warship.
Ethiopia threatens to withdraw from Somalia
By Brian Smith, 22 September 2008
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has warned that he is prepared to withdraw his country’s troops from Somalia, where they are propping up the US-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), even if the latter was not in control of the country.
Follow the WSWS