DAR ES SALAAM— UN agencies have welcomed a pledge by 12 African countries to end AIDS in children by 2030, announced on Wednesday at a meeting in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children marked a step up in action to ensure all boys and girls with HIV can access

Officials in Cameroon say separatists have killed two election officials in Cameroon , capital of the Northwest region. The rebels have vowed to disrupt Cameroon’s March 12 Senate elections. The government says election preparations will continue, despite the killings. Cameroonians say they got up on Friday morning and noticed that the military presence in major streets of Bamenda, the capital

China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang wrapped up his first international tour to Africa this week, during which he visited five diverse countries — Ethiopia, Gabon, Benin, Angola and Egypt — and stressed that China does not see the continent as an arena for a power struggle between the West and Beijing. “Africa should be a big stage for the

China’s chief diplomat was in Cairo Sunday for talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials, marking his last stop in a multi-leg trip to Africa that aims to consolidate Beijing’s footprint across the resource-rich continent. Foreign Minister Qin Gang met separately with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. He also met with his Egyptian counterpart

COTONOU— The Progressive Union for Renewal (UP-R) garnered 928,947 votes in the legislative elections held Sunday and won 53 seats of the 109-member assembly, according to the provisional results announced Wednesday by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission of Benin. The announcement said that the UP-R, which allied with President Patrice Talon, acquired 37.56 percent of the total votes, and the

Benin votes for a new parliament Sunday with opposition candidates authorized to stand in the legislative elections after four years of absence. Sunday’s vote will be a key test for the West African nation, where President Patrice Talon’s supporters say he has ushered in political and economic development, but critics argue that his mandate has eroded democracy. At the last

BRAZZAVILLE— President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso announced hosting a high-level meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa in Brazzaville from Jan 12 to 16. He made the announcement during the ceremony of exchanging greetings with the diplomatic corps that his country will host. “In connection with the quest

UNITED NATIONS— Five countries — Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland — on Tuesday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Their two-year term officially started on Jan 1, but the first business day of the Security Council for 2023 after the New Year holiday break is Tuesday, Jan 3. A flag installation ceremony

East African and African Union officials arrived in the Tigray region of Ethiopia to launch a joint monitoring and verification mechanism for a peace deal signed in November to end the two-year war. The mediating team, led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as African Union representatives and diplomats from various countries, arrived

UNITED NATIONS— The United Nations intends to continue to engage with the Burkina Faso government after a senior UN official was declared as “persona non grata” by the authorities of the West African country, a UN spokesman said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has “learned with regret” that the transitional government of Burkina Faso declared Barbara Manzi, UN resident coordinator and