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Burundi Arrests British and French Journalist with Armed Opposition Members

Two foreign journalists have been arrested in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura, while reporting on an armed group that opposes the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza. According to AFP, British photojournalist Phil Moore and French journalist Jean-Philippe Remy were arrested on Thursday. Read more ›

Uganda Urges Burundi to Accept African Union Peacekeepers as Peace Talks Hit Deadlock

Ugandan mediators in the on-going Burundi crisis have cautioned President Pierre Nkurunziza’s administration to accept African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops. Uganda’s Minister of Defense Crispus Kiyonga, who also serves as acting facilitator of the Burundi crisis, said Bujumbura’s threat to Read more ›

UN Security Council to Visit Burundi after Nkurunziza Threatens Attack on AU Peacekeepers

The United Nations (UN) Security Council is awaiting an official invitation from Burundi’s embattled government to visit the country this month. The United States initially proposed the visit in December to quell rising tensions. However, the importance of the trip Read more ›

East African leaders gather in Nairobi to discuss Ebola preparedness

NAIROBI (Xinhua) — African governments are due to meet in Nairobi from Tuesday for a regional conference on Ebola preparedness, Kenya’s health ministry said on Monday. The Sept. 16-17 regional conference will be attended by ministers in charge of transport, Read more ›

Kenya secures $113m to build 1,550km road connecting Burundi

By Christabel Ligami and Adam Ihucha Kenya has secured $113 million from the African Development Bank for the construction of a transit route from the Indian Ocean to Bujumbura in Burundi, heightening competition between the ports of Indian Ocean to Bujumbura Read more ›

Rwanda invests in medical tourism

By Ivan Ngoboka The New Times–(Kigali)-Medical tourism has for long been a preserve of a few countries such as South Africa, India, Saudi Arabia and to some extent Kenya – those countries with a long tradition of a developed health Read more ›

IMF & EAC to upgrade Gov’t Finance Statistics with new program

African Business Panel-(Arusha)-The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the East African Community (EAC) this week launched a collaborative program to improve the compilation and dissemination of Government Finance Statistics (GFS) for Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The inaugural workshop Read more ›

African leaders in Kenya for AU Security Summit

BERNAMA-NNN-PANA (Nairobi)  – Today six Presidents are  meeting in Kenya for the one-day African Union (AU) Peace and Security summit on terrorism. The Presidents of Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, Burundi’s Vice President as well as the Prime Read more ›

Burundi: Police investigating dozens of floating plastic wrapped bodies

AFP-(Bujumbura) Fishermen in Burundi have found several corpses with limbs bound or stuffed in sacks, floating in a lake bordering Rwanda, government officials said on Tuesday. At least 40 bodies have been found in the lake since July, according to Read more ›

World Bank approves grant for hydropower project in Burundi

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have agreed to provide $100 to jointly finance the construction of two hydropower stations in Burundi. The World Bank Director for Sustainable Energy Development in the Africa Region, Jamal Saghir, noted that the Read more ›

East African countries agree to construct oil refinery in Uganda

East African leaders from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have agreed on the process of implementing the construction of a regional oil refinery, which will be located in western Uganda. The member states made the mutual investment decision at a time Read more ›

US presses Burundi to abandon controversial constitutional changes

The United States has appealed to the Burundian government to drop its planned constitutional amendments which has been the source of political tension in the deeply divided nation. On Tuesday, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, Read more ›

Members of Burundian Opposition Party sentenced to Life Imprisonment

21 members of the Movement for Solidarity and Democracy (MSD) have been sentenced to lifelong incarceration after a court in Bujumbura found them guilty of armed revolt on Friday. The group of about 70 MSD members and supporters, who have Read more ›

Burundian Politician survives Assassination attempt

Gaston Sindimwo, the Secretary General of the Union for National Progress (UPRONA) – the main ally of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) – has escaped a close call on his Read more ›

Burundian Authorities suspend Opposition Party

Burundian officials have confirmed that the Movement for Solidarity and Development (MSD) – a member of the opposition Alliance of Democrats for Change (ADC) – has been officially suspended following a violent conflict between members of the party and the Read more ›

South Sudan: Rebels condemn Regional Leaders’ decision to deploy Forces

Rebels in South Sudan have criticized the decision of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to send troops to the deeply desolated nation. Last week, east African leaders met in Addis Ababa and voted to deploy a regional stabilisation and Read more ›

UN Secretary General calls for Dialogue between Government and Opposition Groups in Burundi

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has voiced his concerns over the strained state of the relationship between the Burundian government and opposition parties, which has resulted in several violent clashes this year. In a statement released by Mr. Read more ›

Police clash with opposition leaves 15 injured in Burundi

Fifteen members of Burundi’s opposition party have been reportedly injured following clashes with the police late on Saturday. The Police also apprehended many other suspects at the headquarters of the MSD party. Pundits say the political wrangling in the East African Read more ›

Burundi and Zambia to extend Tanzania-Zambia Railway

The governments of Burundi and Zambia have disclosed plans of stretching the Tanzania-Zambia railway line to Burundi in order to support growth in bilateral trade between both nations. During an interview, Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Wylbur Simuusa, stated that deliberations Read more ›

Regional Bar Association accuses Burundi of violating East African Community Treaty

The East African Law Society (EALS) has accused the government of Burundi of breaching Articles 6(a) and 7(2) of the East African Community’s founding treaty, which demands adherence to the rule of law and democracy. The association has reportedly therefore Read more ›

East African Leaders to Introduce Central Corridor Infrastructural Projects

Leaders from the East African region will soon initiate the Central Corridor Infrastructural Project, which will include Burundi and Tanzania, reports indicate. According to reports, the Northern and Central infrastructural corridors will incorporate every member state of the EAC. Officials Read more ›

Burundi Plunges into a Political Crisis

The resignation of three ministers of Burundi’s main opposition Union for National Progress (UPRONA) is threatening to derail the nation’s much anticipated all-inclusive 2015 elections and ignite violent conflict between its two main ethnic groups; the Hutus and the Tutsis. Read more ›

Uganda to hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for the New Japanese-funded Bridge

Japan has agreed to fund a new dual-carriage bridge in Uganda, which will provide a faster and safer means of crossing the Nile. According to reports, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni, will preside over the ground-breaking ceremony in the presence of Read more ›

Burundi Invests $25 Million in High-Speed Internet

Burundi has officially initiated a $25 million investment project in a bid to improve internet accessibility and decrease costs, reports indicate. The landlocked African nation, with a population of about 8 million, reportedly has one of the slowest internet speeds Read more ›

Ethiopia to Host Regional International Astronomical Union office

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has signed an agreement with Ethiopian partners to host a regional office in Addis Ababa. The facility that will result from the agreement signed on Friday, January 10th, represents the first regional astronomy node to Read more ›

Tanzania Complains of Being Sidelined in East African Bloc

Previously a model of regional integration, the EAC is seemingly demonstrating indications of cracking under the pressure of competing agendas. Apparently too cautious and slow for the rest, Tanzania is slowly being bullied out of crucial decisions and possibly out Read more ›