Kenya race is challenge for US ties
NAIROBI, Kenya — He has been charged with heinous crimes, accused of using a vast fortune to bankroll death squads that slaughtered women and children. His running mate also faces charges of crimes against humanity, and as Kenya’s election drew closer, the Obama administration’s top official for Africa issued a thinly veiled warning during a conference call, saying that Kenyans are, of course, free to pick their own leaders but that “choices have consequences.”
US secretary of state for political affairs visits Somalia amid signs of rebound
NAIROBI, Kenya — Wendy Sherman, the under secretary of state for political affairs, visited Somalia on Sunday, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot in the country in more than 20 years, the State Department announced Monday.
Sudan and South Sudan sign cooperation deal
KAMPALA, Uganda — The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan signed a long-awaited cooperation agreement on Thursday, paving the way for the resumption of oil exports and casting their ailing economies a desperately needed lifeline. But several analysts said the deal came up far short.
African Union considers sending Ethiopian troops to Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya — The African Union is considering an ambitious plan to stabilize Somalia that could involve using thousands of Ethiopian troops to open a new front against the al-Shabab militant group, officials of the union said Thursday.
Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dies at 71
NAIROBI, Kenya — Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees and who went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here Sunday. She was 71.
Famine hits hard in a world now less likely to intervene
DOLO, Somalia — Is the world about to watch 750,000 Somalis starve to death? U.N. warnings could not be clearer. A drought-induced famine is steadily creeping across Somalia and tens of thousands of people have already died. The Islamist militant group al-Shabab is blocking most aid agencies from accessing the areas it controls, and in the next few months, three-quarters of a million people could run out of food, U.N. officials say.
Ethiopians Withdraw From Bases in Somalia
Ethiopian troops pulled out from crucial bases in Mogadishu on Tuesday, leaving a power vacuum that was quickly filled by Islamist fighters who seized their positions.
Somali Pirates Get Ransom And Begin to Leave Ship
The saga over the Ukrainian arms freighter hijacked off Somalia’s coast more than four months ago drew to a close on Thursday almost exactly the way the pirates had predicted: with the booty.
As Somali Pirates Flourish, The Country Withers
This may be one of the most dangerous towns in Somalia, a place where you can get kidnapped faster than you can wipe the sweat off your brow. But it is also one of the most prosperous.
U.S. Airstrike Kills Militia Chief Linked to Al-Qaida
A U.S. missile strike in Somalia apparently killed one of al-Qaida’s top operatives in East Africa on Thursday, but while administration officials claimed success they also acknowledged facing an uphill battle to score lasting blows in their final months against the terrorist group around the world.
Kenyan Rival Leaders Reach A Power-Sharing Peace Deal
Kenya’s rival leaders broke their tense standoff on Thursday, agreeing to share power in a deal that may end the violence that has engulfed this nation but could mark the beginning of a long and difficult political relationship.
Kenyans Split on Ethnic Lines Even Though Violence Declining
Sarah Wangoi has spent her entire life — all 70 years of it — in the Rift Valley. But last month, she was chased off her farm by a mob that called her a foreigner. She now sleeps on the cold floor of a stranger’s house, seeking refuge in an area of Kenya where her ethnic group, the Kikuyu, is strong. It is, supposedly, her homeland.
Sudanese President Pardons British Schoolteacher for Teddy Bear Incident
The British schoolteacher jailed in Sudan for allowing her 7-year-old pupils to name a class teddy bear Muhammad was pardoned Monday by the Sudanese president and left for England later in the evening.
Shorts (right)
U.S. officials said Thursday that they were working assiduously for the release of Amir Mohamed Meshal, an American who had been jailed in Ethiopia on suspicion of terrorist activities, and that they hoped he would be freed very soon.