The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Burundi is doubting that promises of reform made by Burundi’s newly-elected president will result in hoped-for improvements in the country’s human rights situation. The commission has submitted its report on prevailing conditions in the country to the U.N. Human Rights Council. The three-member panel welcomes promises of political reconciliation,

On South Sudan’s ninth independence anniversary, President Salva Kiir acknowledged that months of deadly intercommunal fighting threatens to rip the country apart. In a wide-ranging televised speech to the nation, the president Thursday called on all South Sudanese to work for peace and reconcile communities whose social fabric has been “torn apart by war.” “The phase of political violence

A series of brutal attacks against Congolese civilians by Islamic militants are possible war crimes, United Nations monitors said Monday. Eighteen months of attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed more than 1,000 civilians, the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office says in a new report. “In the majority of cases, the means and

Some are calling it an historic moment for France’s Greens party, others for the environmental movement in general. The Greens went from controlling just one major French city — Grenoble — to capturing a string of other large and mid-sized towns, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Strasbourg and Besançon. “What changed this election, the most important idea is ecology,” said Maud Lelievre a

Somalia’s electoral commission has announced that upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections will not take place on time, as scheduled. The chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ismail Ibrahim, has told the Lower House of the parliament that political differences, insecurity, flooding and COVID-19 have hampered the commission’s work schedule. The parliamentary elections

Gambia’s renowned justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou, who established a probe to investigate abuses under the country’s ex-dictator and spearheaded the international defense of Myanmar’s Rohingya, has resigned, the government said Thursday. The tiny West African state said that Tambadou will step down as minister and attorney general effective from June 30, for an unspecified job at the United Nations.

Millions of Malawians cast votes Tuesday in the re-run of last year’s presidential election.  The fresh election comes after Malawi’s Constitutional Court nullified President Peter Mutharika’s victory in last year’s election, citing massive fraud.  Malawi’s Electoral Commission (MEC) says it expects a free and fair election this time, although a few incidents of violence were

South Africa will soon begin reopening full-service restaurants and casinos under strict conditions after nearly three months of being under lockdown restriction to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Wednesday night in a televised address that accredited accommodations and salons will also be allowed to reopen. Ramaphosa said the decision