Eastern Africa

Malawi president takes wage cut to fund virus fight

Malawi President Peter Mutharika said he ordered the treasury to cut his own salary and the wages of his ministers and deputy ministers by 10 percent for three months and direct the money towards the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Somalia's help to Italy amid Covid-19 pandemic evokes heartening response

The former colony of Italy sends some of its best doctors to help the world’s worst-hit coronavirus hotspot in Europe.

Community empowerment is the key to containing coronavirus in Somalia

The only way to counter the diminished writ of Somalia's central authority is to strengthen community action.

Africa faces an 'existential threat' as virus cases spread

Health officials plead for global solidarity for helping the poor continent at a time when even some of the world’s richest countries are scrambling for basic medical needs, including face masks.

Uganda's Bobi Wine sings against virus, criticises leaders

In his new song, “Corona Virus Alert,” Wine and collaborator Nubian Li highlight prevention measures against the virus, which now has been reported in at least 46 of Africa's 54 countries.

African nations close borders, cancel flights to contain coronavirus spread

In the face of the pandemic, nations have closed borders, shuttered schools, cancelled religious festivals and sporting events to minimise the risk of transmission.

Rare white giraffes killed by poachers in Kenya – conservationists

The deaths of Kenya's only female white giraffe and her calf leave just one remaining white giraffe alive – a lone male, borne by the same slaughtered female, the conservancy said.

Senior figure in Somalia's al Shabab killed in US air strike

According to a Somalia state radio report late on Saturday, Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud was the head of al Shabab's operations and was killed in an American air strike on February 22 in the Sakow district of the Jubba region in Somalia's south.

Zimbabwean artist's dynamic stone sculptures find global acclaim

Born to a disadvantaged family in 1968 in Murewa, 90km northeast of Harare, Benhura is now a globally acclaimed artist and a leading proponent of the style.

Is Ethiopia close to rejecting the US mediation over the Nile Dam project?

Addis Ababa shows defiance to Washington's mediation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, refusing to give in to the demands of Sudan and Egypt.

Kenya accuses Somalia of violating its territory in raising regional feud

The alleged incursion took place on Monday during clashes in southern Somalia between the army and fighters loyal to the leader of Jubbaland, a semi-autonomous Somalian state. Nairobi said Somali troops destroyed Kenyan properties on the border.

What are Ethiopian reservations about US dam mediation?

Ethiopian leadership fears that Washington might brush aside their concerns and blindly favour Egypt, a country that has been identified as the main source of the Nile River for centuries.